I wanted to make you all, My Dear Readers, aware that I just made a 'pre-reservation' for the URL www.theothershoe.blog. When these new URLs become available I plan on moving The Other Shoe to this new web address. I am hopeful, that by this time, my financial... difficulties will have worked themselves out and I will have the resources to obtain; the URL, web hosting, email addresses and everything I will need to move from blog.com and wordpress. It is my intent to keep these original blogs updated.
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However, I plan on having 'Special' articles and weekly series that will only be available at the new (and all my own) web home. This is a very big step for me and my blog. Just to let you know, My Dear Readers, in adavance I am planning on having advertisements at my blog's new home. Few and limited, at first, I will be working to make this new location self-supporting. As well, the new home will be the ONLY place you will see ANY releases of 'The Adventures of Princess Nadia - The Healing Light'. I feel it is only fitting that the new location be the new home for my future novel.
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I will be keeping you, My Dear Readers, up to date as quickly as possible on this move and upgrade. I will be asking for input on; Web hosting, web design, regular articles, advertisers and most importantly... should the new location be 'Members ONLY'. I have been toying with that particular idea for the past two years. The Other Shoe here at blog.com and Word Press will always remain FREE. I just cannot help thinking that the new location should be... special. Making readers register is quite a bother and I know and understand that is different and might well meet with stiff opposition.
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My thoughts on this is simple. For three years I have provided over 300 articles completely free, barring the Indieigogo campaigns I have run to help me obtain a power chair and avoid homelessness. I plan on making membership completely free I have a deep desire to control the exposure of 'The Adventures of Princess Nadia'. You see, I have big plans for Princess... plans that could well stretch into the next decade. I do not want just anyone reading 'Princess Nadia' and the people that do read this work... well, I want to be select... and I would appreciate feedback.
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Of course, this is all in the planning stages and nothing is written in stone. Finally, I am tossing around the idea of... staff. I have realized that i simply cannot keep up the pace that my blog demands... that you, Mu Dear Readers, need and desreve. Between the new expenses of web hosting myself and a greater need for more content... staff... It just might be a nessecity that I run an funding campaign to raise the money I need to start this... well, it is nothing short of... business.
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I belive in my work. I believe in You, My Dear Readers, and I belive that I have the ability and desire to make this happen. I will be looking to you all to give me your feedback, your thoughts and (most importantly) your support. I am bringing something great to life. Something that, currently, just lives inside of me. Soon, it will come to life and take to living and growing outside of my mind and in the; hearts, minds and souls of my readers and supporters. The Other Shoe was always larger than just me. I have been selfish, in a way, for the past three years. Now it is time to let The Other Shoe take flight... and time for "Princess Nadia' to walk and live among us all.
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As always, it brings me great honor that you come and read my work.
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Thank you!
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[caption id="attachment_1749" align="aligncenter" width="234"] The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]
Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Who knows, by the time this article is ready for publication my blog (at blog.com) might actually being working so that I might actually be able to publish at my primary blog location (URL). Yes, I know that most people could give peanuts less if I am able to publish at the same URL that I have been publishing too/at for the past three years. However, I do care if I am able to publish to www.theothershoe.blog.com. Did you, My Dear Readers, know that I am rapidly approaching the magic number of Three Hundred articles? Yes, at The Other ShoeI will be publishing my 300th article… perhaps before Halloween.\
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[I would like to make it perfectly clear and understood. I do NOT agree with the author of this article at Time magazine. As a Texan I was offended by many of his assertions and his backhanded compliments did not make up for his gross mischaracterization of Texas and Texans. Whereas, I do believe that ‘low wage zero growth’ jobs are NOT the future for Texas or the nation. I happen to know that Texas is growing jobs of all kinds. I wrote about this article because I found it sorely lacking in the facts department and I really wanted my friends and family, in Texas, to be aware of this article.
I hope that everyone… all of you, My Dear Readers, understand and accept this article as it is presented to you. As a factual piece, taking aim at prejudices and gross mischaracterizations within national media, about the Great State of Texas. Thank you.]
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[caption id="attachment_1743" align="aligncenter" width="400"] (Photo-illustration/ Sarah Illenberger for TIME)[/caption]
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Three hundred article in just three years. I am rather proud, if I may say so myself. That is not what I came here to write about, this late Friday night. Nope, I have come here to write about… Texas. More specifically? To write about the Time Magazine article in the October 28th, 2013 edition of Time magazine. Here is what I wrote earlier today:
. “TEXAS made it to the COVER of Time, this week. The feature article will NOT be very welcome in my home state. Here is an excrpt from the second paragraph:
"A recent report from the FBI found that the home state of Chuck Norris (who lives just outside L.A.) LED THE NATION as the place the most people got kicked punched to death in 2012."
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Not my words, a quote from Time magazine October 28th, 2013.
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Being in the national spotlight is not all it is cut out to be, let me tell you.”
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Then I read on… further in the article.
“Roughly a quarter of residents have no health insurance…”
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Here is when I began to realize that the writer of this article, at Time magazine, was…colouring his ‘facts’ in this… non-objective article about Texas. Here is the reality about the uninsured in Texas:
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“Texas is the uninsured capital of the United States. More than 6.3 million Texans - including 1.2 million children - lack health insurance. Texas' uninsurance rates, 1.5 to 2 times the national average…”[1]
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The real number is more like 33%... see the image below from the Texas Medical Association web site:
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[caption id="attachment_1733" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Uninsurance rates in Texas 2009-2010[/caption]
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I am looking for more recent data, as I am writing this article and reading from about six different sources at the same time. Back to the article in Time. The writer freely admits that most of the job growth in Texas (for the pasrt ten years) has been in low wage and unskilled work. Released during the last Presidential campaign, under Governor Rick Perry the average wage of the “millions of jobs” created in Texas was below the Federal Minimum Wage. .
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The writer admits this fact, but counters with this statement:
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“Automation and globalization don’t just make a lot of goods and services much cheaper---they sometimes make them free.”
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Lat me ask. Is there free food in Texas? Is there free gasoline in Texas? Is there free rent in Texas? Is there free health care in Texas? Is there free electricity in Texas? I didn’t think there was free stuff essential to life, in Texas. As well, I hardly think that lower costs can even come close to making up the difference between a minimum wage in Texas and a real living wage.
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See, this author is promoting “The Texas Model” and saying that what is working in Texas will soon be what works all over the United States. I completely disagree with this ‘libertarian’ point of view. To prove what the author was pimping, here is another quote (I find… disingenuous);
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“There’s no reason a worker should need legal permission to become, say, a barber or a cosmetologist…”
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I just could not disagree more with this uninformed opinion. Did you know that barbers need to be trained in basic chemistry? Yes, if they are going to color or frost your hair… well you bloody well better hope that they have received the proper training in the chemistry of hair coloring and that the4y have passed a recent TEST on said chemistry. As well, you really do want your Pharmacy Technicians to be fully trained and regularly certified by the state they practice. Often, the only thing that stands between a distracted doctor and a lazy pharmacist sending aspirin to a patient on blood thinners is a well trained pharmacy technician. (FYI if you were to take aspirin or aspirin based product while taking a blood thinner? You would end up bleeding out of your; eyes, ears, mouth and anus... bleeding to death)
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I do not believe that the future of our great Republic lies in; low wage uneducated workers, cheap housing at the expense of the general health of a population, and the gutting of the middle class just to make the already wealthy, more wealthy. I do not believe that Americans should just ‘get used to’ getting paid less for more work each and every year.Accept that One in three adults and one in two children do not have any form of health care. I think it is unconscionable to make light of the growing violence in Texas and just push it off to the side of the page as ‘a cost of living leaner…’. I honestly think that Americans should be safe in their; homes, schools, churches, grocery stores and playgrounds. Further, I am factually certain that ‘arming more of your population results in lower crime rates’ is a bold faced LIE.
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As this article factually states, Texas instituted a concealed carry permit for guns and it has resulted in; “rates of murder and violent crime… property-crime rates are high…” Texas “led the nation as the place where the most people got punched and kicked to death in 2012…” Texas had 699 gun related murders in 2011. One of the highest firearm assault rates in the United States @ 58.28%. [2]
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It is going to take many years for the data to be collected and tabulated but one fact is becoming readily clear. Having more concealed weapons does not equal lower; crime rates, murder rates, homicide rates and suicide rats. Honestly, if it were as simple as having more Americans carrying guns? Wouldn’t the ‘Old West’ been a calm a quiet time with longer life spans. As opposed to the reality of the “Old West’ where gun deaths accounted for nearly one in three deaths and the average life span was 35.
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I have written, and published, this article NOT to “Bash Texas”. I understand and fully accept that there are going to be people I know and trust that disagree with my statement. They will insist that I have ill will in my heart and that I am just writing this article to further some campaign of discrediting Texas. You just couldn’t be further from the truth.
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Here are some sobering FACTS about guns in homes;
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“Based on a review of the available scientific data, Dr. (Steven) Lippmann (of the University of Louisville School of Medicine) and co-authors conclude that the dangers of having a gun at home far outweigh the safety benefits. Research shows that access to guns greatly increases the risk of death and firearm-related violence. A gun in the home is twelve times more likely to result in the death of a household member or visitor than an intruder.”[3]
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“Having a gun at home not only increases the risk of harm to one's self and family, but also carries high costs to society, concludes an article in the February Southern Medical Journal, official journal of the Southern Medical Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.” [4]
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“Those persons with guns in the home were at greater risk than those without guns in the home of dying from a homicide in the home (adjusted odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 3.4). They were also at greater risk of dying from a firearm homicide, but risk varied by age and whether the person was living with others at the time of death. The risk of dying from a suicide in the home was greater for males in homes with guns than for males without guns in the home (adjusted odds ratio = 10.4, 95% confidence interval: 5.8, 18.9)” [5]
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“Nearly 800 children under 14 were killed in gun accidents from 1999 to 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” [6]
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“In the 1990s, a team headed by Arthur Kellermann of Emory University looked at all injuries involving guns kept in the home in Memphis, Seattle and Galveston, Tex. They found that these weapons were fired far more often in accidents, criminal assaults, homicides or suicide attempts than in self-defense. For every instance in which a gun in the home was shot in self-defense, there were seven criminal assaults or homicides, four accidental shootings, and 11 attempted or successful suicides.” [7]
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“Guns and cars have long been among the leading causes of non-medical deaths in the U.S. By 2015, firearm fatalities will probably exceed traffic fatalities for the first time, based on data compiled by Bloomberg” [8]
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“A gun in the home -- thus available for self-defense -- is 22 times more likely to be used in an assault or homicide, an accidental shooting or a suicide or attempted suicide.
Researchers reached this conclusion by studying hospital admissions, emergency medical technician reports, police and medical examiner files in 626 shootings in or around a residence in three cities: Galveston, Texas; Seattle, Wash.; and Memphis, Tenn., for between 12 and 18 months” .[9]
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And that was all I could find in just one day pf researching this problem. Imagine the mountain of information and proof I could amass in; a week… a month… a year. I love the great state of Texas. However, I am not afraid of pointing out the shortcomings… in the state of my birth… or myself. America needs to come to the full realization that nothing is going to replace paying our citizens a living wage. Building and providing more affordable housing, and that the aphorism "a rising tide lifts all boats" is a truism.
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The future of our nation lies in finding the correct social and economic environment where we can lift all boats. That we can make life at the bottom more livable without harming the wealth, and while expanding the middle class. People, we have done this before in our nation’s history. And we did not do it by dividing ourselves against each other.
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As always, you coming here and reading my words honors me.
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Thank YOU!
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P.S. Please… drop by my eBay page and check out my listings… further… IF you would like to help me.. keep my new roof over my head… and eat a little better? You can contribute to help me at anytime by going to PayPal (click there to take you directly to sending money via email address) and looking up Danny Hanning email enzomatrix@earthlink.net
Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. It brings me no sense of pride to report on this implosion. However, we are bearing witness to the implosion of the Republican party. Again, I will emphatically state, I am a ‘Reagan Democrat’. It is a matter of public record that I voted for Ronald Reagan. Anyone that knows me, knows that I believe in; personal responsibility (I have lost twenty pounds of weight, and damaged my health just to avoid asking for Food Stamps), that I will harm myself before asking others for help (just last month, I caused serious damage to my health when Allen left my side… for three weeks I forced myself to do work I knew I shouldn’t and I am still paying the price with increased pain and decreased mobility and loss of use), and I absolutely hate asking for government handouts. (I am still reluctant to ask the County of Orange to pay Allen for the work he does to help me overcome my disability, even though he is fully qualified and I completely qualify for said aid).
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Anyone that doubts my bonafides is just looking to pick a scrap with me. I vote for the person and not the party. Yet, today’s ‘Republican’ party is rapidly becoming an embarrassment to much of the nation... and the world. Here is what David Letterman said, last night, when commenting about the rampant dysfunction caused by the rift within the Republican party;
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“Maybe we could put in some calls… and see if England will take us back…”
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Ok, David is a blue-blooded Democrat. How about Speaker John Boehner?
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“In explaining the origins of the first government shutdown since 1996, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) reportedly admitted to President Barack Obama earlier this month that he was "overrun" by his Republican caucus.
“John, what happened?” Obama asked Boehner on the second day of the shutdown, according to Politico.
“I got overrun, that’s what happened,” (Speaker) Boehner replied as he reportedly tried to exit a White House meeting for a smoke break.”[1]
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Now, the talk inside the beltway is that Speaker Boehner is going to resign, come 2014.[2][3] Seems that the Speaker just can no longer take the pressure of answering to the With House about his inability to heard the cats that currently make up the extreme fringe of his party. See, I have always had a quite respect for the Speaker… hell, any Speaker of The House of Representatives… the Speakership is a position that should be admired and respected (as should the Office of the President of the Untied States… regardless of who is President or which party they represent).
So, Speaker Boehner is just getting tired of taking the flack for the actions of the; Cruz(s) and Paul(s) of his party… the radicals that just seem to want to burn down government and let everyone run gunshot over their neighbors. Do you remember the footage of Senator Paul (loudly) whispering to Senator McConnell, last week, in front of an open mic? Well, it was Senator Paul that just put Senator Mitch McConnell in front of the far right’s firing squad. See, we can thank Senator Mitch McConnell for being reasonable and marshalling support for the compromise that was passed by the Senate, and the House. Yes, Mitch threw in a $2.9 billion rider for improvements to locks and dams on the Ohio river within Kentucky (now, known, as the “Kentucky Kickback’[4])[I am on the record for backing the actions of Senator McConnell in doing WHAT HE WAS HIRED FOR… and getting a little pork for Kentucky and addressing a real problem with the Ohio river valley in his state]
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Now, Senator McConnell may well loose his Republican primary because (Jim DeMint’s) Heritage Foundation is;
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“former Senator and Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint, has endorsed Matt Bevin, the Republican challenger running in a primary against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.”[5]
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So, here we are… a senior member of the Republican party… the Minority Leader of the Senate is going to get primaried (I literally hate this new'verb') by the extremists of his party. Why? It is because Senator McConnell is seen as compromising with President Obama and assisting in the return of a functioning government. As opposed to, the alternative, supporting known Republican blowhard and embarrassment of the nation Senator Ted Cruz.? His (Senator Ted Cruz's) actions have caused Republican approval numbers to plummet.
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“Just 24 percent of respondents have a favorable opinion about the GOP, and only 21 percent have a favorable view of the Tea Party, which are both at all-time lows in the history of poll.”[6]
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Senator Cruz’s grandstanding may have hurt the party… the national economy and cost the Federal Government $24 billion[7]. However, it did help Senator Cruz to raise money$$$
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“In three week period following Cruz’s speech — even as GOP’s national approval ratings plummeted — conservatives frantically built their fundraising lists and campaign coffers. In the last quarter, Cruz’s political action committee raised in $797,000, nearly twice what it pulled in the quarter prior, and Heritage Action — which has pressured conservatives to vote against any bill that does not undermine Obamcare — collected $330,000.”[8]
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And
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“Basically, Cruz admitted that he personally has benefited during the previous three weeks. He has culled more than 2 million email addresses from a site opposing Obamacare.
In addition, Cruz’s PAC pulled in almost $800,000 and he is considered a front-runner for the Presidential nomination by some conservative Republicans.”[9]
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See, My Dear Readers, these are the outward signs of the deep division within the new Republican party. A handful of radical Republicans are using the shutdown of government (and all the personal and economic harm that causes families and our economy) to further their personal political career at the expense of the party and nation.
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The fear of being primaried runs through the veins of every single Republican Congressman and Senator like ice water. Many Senators, and most Congressmen, hang their heads in shame as the few damage the Republican brand, and the nation, knowing there is little they can do without risking their own political careers.
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It is this fear thatis thereal infection harming the Republican Party and the Republican brand. The fear of being primaried by the well funded extremists of the Republican Party. The fear of being seen, again by this radical and extreme fringe, as working with Democrats or the President. However, it is not just for the Republican Party I have concerns. It is for our nation, and our two party Republic.
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See, in our two party system if one of the two parties is infected by fear? Our whole system begins to fail. As we saw in the past debt debacle. Let me outline;
First, it was about “Obamacare” how it wasn’t ready… “not ready for primetime” ( I don’t know that our politics should be rated like primetime television… that whole analogy just scares the crap out of me.)
Then, it was about “fairness for the American people…” See, like ALL Federal LABOR Laws, the Federal Government is exempt from compliance… (you cannot sue the Federal Government) Senior Republican members used low information voters to gin up anger over a regular legal exemption.
Then, it was about the “poor World War 2 Veterans… unable to visit the memorial…”
And several butcher’s aprons… (Monty Python reference…)
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The fact of the matter really was? Fund raising and the furtherance of a handful of political careers. Because, you see, nothing was actually done about; Obamacare, the Federal Employees Exemption, National Park Closures… or the poor aprons of butchers.
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Earlier this week I wrote, a not so well received, article outlining the deception and lies that are being perpetrated on the poor unwitting Republicans across our great nation. Like a canary in a coalmine filling with noxious gas, I squawked my warning to all those who would dare to read. Here it is Friday, and I am working my fingers to the bone, and causing myself untold pain and suffering in my neck and back. All for the very same reason. I deeply care about our nation, our government, our Two Party system, and the Republicans that are unwittingly being lied to and lead astray.
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I only hope that My Dear Readers understand the genuine nature of my concern. Further, that my heart, mind and soul are all working together to communicate a genuine and valid concern to the people of these United States. There is a terrible disease infecting our national debate.. our national dialogue and our two party system. This infection stands to damage our body politic and cares not of the personal harm it does to any single American. We, the American people, need to see this infection for what it is… and not be so easily lead.
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It is very much like the warnings we received, as children, about the stranger with candy. Don’t get into the car with strangers with candy. So it is, today.
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As always, I am honored that you come here and read my words. Please, keep coming back… I am working just as hard and fast as I can to produce good quality content for YOU, My Dear Readers.
Welcome back, My Dear Readers, to The Other Shoe. Just in time to blog about the end of the government shutdown, and the complete failure of Senator Ted Cruz to “defund Obamacare…” I have made this video announcement of return. I hope to write freely and frequently of all things political.My Dear Readers, I have greatly mellowed and I can assure you that my political articles will not have the bite or harsh rhetoric that may have been in my past.
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I mean no disrespect to my fellow Texans or any Republicans that may read my blog. I will not pull my punches, but there is no need to make these articles personal or attack-articles. I love to write, so very much, and now I am going to have freedom to blog political. Soon, I will be writing five to seven articles a week.
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When I meet with Dr. Gorlick, November 5th, I am going to ask that he change/upgrade my pain medications so that I might be able to spend more time behind the computer. I genuinely want to write more. Honestly, the one factor that keeps me from writing more frequently is the PAIN. Once I have his support and moved to the next level of pain medications, I just know that I will be able to write frequently and regularly.
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Below is a short video announcing my return to political blogging. I really hope that I do not loose Facebook friends… or Readers. That would just cut me to the quick. So, click on the video, watch my announcement… and Enjoy!
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As always, I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.
Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. As well, welcome to the very first article of a political nature… I have written (and published) in ‘a month of Sundays’. I must admit that I have willingly silenced my political voice… for potential personal gain. My Dear Readers, you all know that I am suffering under immense financial distress. I do my best, with the tools I have… with the education that I have… and greatly limited by my physical and neurological…. deficits.
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I cannot walk… without a cane… without a limp… and for greatly limited distance. I cannot stand… nor can I lift or carry… without dropping. I do my best to sit behind a keyboard and write. Out of a deep love for you, My Dear Readers. I know that in the coming years, once I have my works published… and my writing is helping to put a roof over my head. I will look back on this time with a certain amount of shame. Shame that I had yet to figure out how to turn my words into cash… without Indiegogo.
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I am getting closer, every day, to that turn of the worm. I know that you, My Dear readers, will still be with me. Still reading this blog, and my words. That fact is about the only thing that gets me out of bed, each and every morning. Honestly, with the pain that I endure, each and every day, that I am working with/through this very moment? I am very much surprised that I still number among the living.
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[caption id="attachment_1717" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Proof that no matter 'where' Dan 'is'? Dan is Always a PROUD TEXAN![/caption]
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Now, for the ‘Good Stuff’. Be yea FAIR Warned. For those of a weak constitution… for those of a weak mind… for those SO enamored by the anger and hatred of the ‘Far right’? Be fair warned, the following is T R U T H. Unequivocal… Unabashed… Undeniable, TRUTH. I will take no hostages. I will not ‘bandy ’my words. What you read, here today, from this point forward is the reality of our political world… here.. in America.. today. I have no time for the weak minded. I have no tolerance for the un/ill informed. I have held my tongue (against my better judgment… and with harm to my very soul) for far too long. That ends… T O D A Y! If, because of what I write, you decide to; ‘Unfriend’ me on Facebook… withhold kindness and/or support. So be it. Honestly, if you choose that course of action? You are only doing yourself harm.
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[The following is written out of a sense of responsibility… loyalty… sincerity and not to gloat. I gain no pleasure sharing what I am about to share… writing what you are about to read. Please... bear this in mind... and in your heart, as you read my words. This is/was a labor of love.]
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I voted for Ronald Reagan for President. I was proud as I watched President Reagan work with the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O’Neal. I was proud to be an American. Today, not so much… not so much at all. Right now, as I write these words sitting on my bed, the United States Senate is voting to end (what I call) ‘The Cruz Debacle’.
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It is an unfortunate fact, and now a historical fact that Republican leaders have been lying to their supporters. They have been lying about the core of their run(s) for office since 2010.
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“Senate Republicans were being disingenuous in their claim to support defunding (Obamacare)… “ [1]
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They lied about the very vote(s) they took, on legislation to “defund Obamacare”.
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“The heat has been turned on for Lindsey Graham, and he is feeling it. The embattled republican senator from South Carolina is relying on misleading semantics to deceive voters into reelecting him over his two serious challengers, state senator Lee Bright (R) and businesswoman Nancy Mace… Graham voted in favor of cloture… for cloture allowed debate to end and the final vote to take place.”[2] .
They have lied about a simple reality. The reality that the United States Senate would never vote to pass a bill to “defund Obamacare” and that the President Of the United States, President Barack Obama would never sign legislation to “defund Obamacare”. For the past three years Republican Congressmen and Senators have been flat-out lying just to get elected/reelected. What to know what is worse than all those lies? That all too many Republican voters… believed those lies.
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Like sheep to the slaughter, Republicans all over our great nation have been lead by lies and liars. Every single Representative, from both Houses of Congress, knew full well that they had zero chance of “defunding Obamacare”. Yet they sold this false bill of goods, time and again. Election after election, much to the dismay of people like you.
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The people of “The Great State of Texas’ should feel the most betrayed of all the Republican voters in all of the fifty states. Here is the reason, why:
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“In January of 2011, Houston attorney Ted Cruz announced he would seek the United States Senate seat being vacated by Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.
When asked why he wanted to become a member of the Senate and represent the people of his state in that role, Cruz said, “The reason I’m running for Senate: That’s where the real battle is.”
Further…
“Because if Ted Cruz really meant what he said, he must go down as possibly the greatest failure in the annals of United States Senate history, taking his home state of Texas down with him.” [3]
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“The greatest failure in the annals of the United States history, taking his home state of TEXAS down with him.”
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I am a proud TEXAN. No, right now I do not live in the great state of my birth… I awake each and every day knowing two things; I am in pain… and I am not HOME. Just because I am not there with you all… and that pains me more than I can put into words. Just because I am not there in Texas… does not mean I do not feel you pain. This man… this Senator Cruz has brought great shame to the state of my birth.
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You see, as I said earlier, all Congressmen and Senators (Republican) knew they would not be able to “Defund Obamacare…” from 2010. They knew, when they lost seats; in the House of Representatives and the Senate, that they could not keep their word… with you the voter. However, they also knew… or at least were told… and lead to believe, that if they did not run on “Defunding Obamacare…” they would likely be primaried. This fear left them weakened and easily used and led.
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[Just now, this minute the Senate has passed legislation (81-18) to END the shutdown and avoid default on our national debt. I am proud of the elder body of Congress.].
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It is with great joy that I report that the government shutdown has ended and that the debt ceiling is raised.
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Not today, but soon, I will write an article outlining my thoughts, many that I sahre with Warren Buffet, on the ‘Debt Ceiling’and how it is nothing more than a political device and nothing less than a fuse for an economic bomb equal to the atomic device dropped on Hiroshima. Not today, but soon.
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Again, My Dear Readers, I do not write this article as a means of gloating. Nor do I write it as an insult to my fellow Texans, or any Republicans. I write this article as words of warning. Warning that, if Republicans do not move more to the center. If that if Republicans do not give up this govern by gun… this Govern by Disaster’? That soon, and for the rest of time, the Republican party will delegate itself to being (merely) a regional political party.
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Republicans need to take heed of the fate of the Whig party of the late nineteenth century. If you have never heard, or read, about the Whig party and you are a Republican? You simply must take the time to Google the Whig party and objectively read of the fate of said party. The Democratic party was founded in 1792 and is the single oldest political party in America. For me, there is a good reason that the Democratic party has outlived the Whig party, and several others.
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Again, I will not write about the end of the Whig party, today. Soon, My Dear Readers, but not today. Today I want to focus on the warning I have shared. You see, Senator Cruz’s actions have greatly weakened the Republican party. Right now, the Republican party’s poll numbers are upside down. That means that your negatives are higher than your positives. Worse still, recent CNN, Reuters’s, Gallup and PPP polling indicates that the Republican party has the single lowest Congressional approval rating in our nation’s history. That, if the election was today, Democrats would take control of the House Of Representatives by a historic margin.
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Honestly, this does our nation… neither party… and the American people a grave disservice. The single fact that; a freshman Senator had more political pull, within his party, than the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives is so very backwards that it has destabilized the balance of powers within on Congress. This is not just my opinion, this opinion is shared by; Senator John McCain and ex-Senator Bob Dole. This is not the way things work in a Republic. We are witness to a gravely destabilized Republic and it is reeking havoc on our economy and standing in the world. This cannot stand, this should not stand.
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I appeal to my fellow Texas, and to all republicans reading these words. ‘Take back your party from the fringe.’ Take your vote seriously, and stop allowing the loudest and most angry voice to occupy space between your ears. We simply must become a nation of logic, knowledge and compromise again. The fate of our very Republic hangs in the balance. If, right now, you limit your news to just one network. Stop. Even I do not just listen to one network. Start listening to; P.B.S., B.B.C. and even ABC or CBS. I am not asking for Republicans to swtich over to MSNBC or NBC. That, I know, is a bridge too far.
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However, I ask that you temper your input. Broaden your width of your news sources and the depth of their content. Lessen the rhetoric and increase the information. Challenge yourself by opening and broadening the avenues of information. Make yourself… force yourself to become an more informed… better informed citizen and voter. This will not be easy for many Americans. But, let me share a little knowledge tid-bit.
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NBC has been broadcasting news for the past Seventy-Five years. ABC and CBS for the past Sixty-Five years. Fox news has only been reporting since 1996, only seventeen years. Why limit yourself to the single most junior news reporting agency in existence? Shouldn’t your source of news at least be as old as you are?
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Americans must exercise greater/netter discretion (discretion is the better part of valor) when voting. Take more time to develop your own opinions, and less time merely parroting rhetoric from the; loudest, angriest and most simplistic source of news. Again, I am not writing this to insult anyone. I am not writing this out of any desire to gloat.. or harm. I do write these words out of a sense of journalistic responsibility. As well, I write it out of a sense of friendship. Please, take me at face value. Trust that I am writing this with love in my heart… and a deep desire to help and guide.
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As always, I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.
Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I am quite happy to announce I am living in a nice apartment with a full kitchen. Allen is at my side, working a work release program and taking care of me. Things are really tight. Honestly, if I had not been a victim of theft? Things would be much better for me. I am still sitting here trying to figure exactly what kind of person steals from disabled people?
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I mean, seriously, it takes a special kind of sicko to steal money from a guy in a wheelchair flirting with homelessness. So, this week I am hoping to raise enough funds to file the lawsuit against… Larry. I have snet a certified letter requesting the return of my, illegally obtained¸ funds. I went to the OC Courts web site and filled out the paperwork to file suit. Now, I just need the $150 to file and have Larry served.
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What a world we live in, eh?
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I am almost unpacked, from moving. I still have three or four boxes of PC games to unpack… once I find a place to store them and a few boxes of family memorabilia. Photo albums, boxes of photographs and copies of awards and my high school diploma still need to find a home in my new home. Basically, I am getting settled. Well, sort of.
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Hanging over everything do, and my ability to get in the right frame of mind to write, is the tremendous weight of ‘making ends meet’. Allen is not getting paid for the work he is doing and my quandary is that my social security just covers the rent. This leaves me sleepless most nights. It is difficult to find peace, to sleep or write, when the weight of your world hangs over your head 24/7. Everyday I wake u p and I think about putting my wireless keyboard in front of me, and beginning to write. Each and every morning, right after I have that overwhelming urge to express myself in the remaining fashion I have… I begin to worry. Worry about paying my phone bill. Worry about getting food. Worry about paying the rent, and worrying about all the financial strain I live under… each and every day.
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Late last week I took action that I thought would lead to some resolution… to some relief from the crushing feels I experience. I placed a dozen, or so, items I own on eBayto sell. Now, My Dear Readers, I have never done this before. I am an eBayvirgin. I have never done this before and know that I am, likely, not presenting the items the best I can… or in a way that drives traffic. I am doing my best.
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I have decided to promote my eBay items, here at The Other Shoe. I simply cannot bring myself to run another Indiegogo campaign. I simply cannot keep up that frantic pace, and that level of writing, at this time. My Dear Readers, I miss ‘The Week In Review’ and ‘Sunday Funnies’ and I genuinely hope that I find… the personal space… the motivation… the end of the writer’s block that strangles my creativity. I deeply miss the routine of writing regular articles for my blog. I genuinely miss writing my thoughts and impressions of the news of the day, and week.
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Loud, and turgent[1](Rising into a tumour or a puffy state; tumid, Bombastic; turgid; pompous.), voices are guiding weakened minds to acts against the best interests of our nation and themselves. Honestly, America and Americans need what I have to say more now than anytime in the past three years.
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I sincerely want to return to writing, on a regular basis. IT is just the weight of… my financial commitments… they task me. That is why I am turning to you, My Dear Readers, to look at my eBay sale items. See if there is anything that I have you might want to purchase. I know… I am ashamed… but I have to eat and pay rent. Here is the link to my eBay listings:
(or just click on the word eBay anywhere in this article)
Take a look and see if there is anything there you might… desire .I am working, as best I can, on some articles for later this week. I am hoping that some of this pressure is relived. I do not know how to ask for help, at this point in my life. I do not understand how and WHY someone could possibly steal from me. What kind of persons steals from a guy in a wheelchair?
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Please, take a moment and look at my sale items. Barring that… I am listed on PlayPalas Daniel Hanning. Any kindness will be graciously accepted. I do not want to ask for further charity… That is why I started my listings at eBay.
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My pain now clouds my judgment… and my thoughts. I hope to see you all, My Dear Readers, soon. I miss you all so very much… it hurts. Please know, that every day I think of you all. I hope to be back and writing, with regularity, soon. Take Care.
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As always, I am honored that you come here and read my work.
Welcome back My Dear Readers. To another tale @The Other Shoe. Severe pain! If I were asked to express my life, for the past six weeks, in two words or less… that would be my choice. Even this moment, as I write this article (I do not have a headset microphone… yet, so I am actually writing every word you read), I am gripped by severe and intractable pain. I am off the streets… that is all I am saying… right now. Allen is out, and at my side… like he belongs.
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Monday we moved into an apartment. That is correct! Not another ‘Motel/No-Tell Hotel’ but an actual apartment. It is a bachelor with a nice kitchen and a gas range. It will be a real pleasure to cook/bake with gas for the holidays. It took every cent I have to get in… and I am eating Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. [What I wouldn’t GIVE for my STOLEN $300 BACK!]
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I am unpacking, as my pain allows. I just, today, unpacked and set up a computer so that I can write, again. I took… pictures… before. If or when I share those is another question entirely. There is a roof over my head, a bed under me as I sleep and I am focusing on that… nothing more. Having unpacked…
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I found some old…. Vintage electronics that I have kept for years and years. Today, I am headed for a Pawn Shop to see if I can get some money for food. I mean, food other than ramen noodles. A couple of old routers… three old ‘Aircards’ (two that are PCI ‘Expresscard’ devices). These older Expresscard devices are invaluable to vintage users and anyone that is on the road in rural America. I am hoping that the aircards and routers are worth a couple of hundred. [I used Google to price them all… $990.00 worth of electronics… hope the pawn shop gives me $300…. THERE is that DARN # AGAIN!]
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I am in terrible pain…. And I know that attitude and pain show through in my writing. Therefore, I will no longer belabor you with my woes. Oh, today? I filed a complaint, with the F.B.I. ‘Cyber Crimes’ division against ‘Larry’ and started preparing a Small Claims Lawsuit against the crook. I am hoping that I get a judgment, place a lean against his car and home… and maybe… just maybe he will get prosecuted for internet fraud.
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I just want my $300 back, that he stole… but ‘a pound of flesh’ would help with the pain and anguish his avarice has caused me.
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I tire... and my pain is making my blind. As always, I am honored that you come here and read my work.
Welcome back My Dear Readers, to The Other Shoe. I do not have that much to update. However, last night I did fall on debris on the steps going to the trash area. I was carrying a bag of trash and I slipped on some… debris from the demolition. I twisted my left leg, at the knee and banged my right knee and leg on the stone steps. With the difficulties I have with stairs, anyway. I guess it was just ‘a matter of time’ before this happened. See, this is the downside of being Danny.
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(Video of Debris and Trash All Over @ The Cypress Lodge)
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Any other normal American would have, likely, called 911 and taken pictures of the stairs. I mean it was debris on the steps that caused me to fall. These workers have been negligent to downright disrespectful of the residents here, and the need to keep the work area clean and clear of debris. However, not Danny… oh, no… not Boy Scout Danny. I just got up off the stairs, cursed myself and went into the house for a good cry. There are multiple bruises on my right leg, and my left knee is about the size of a basketball.
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(My knee and bruises)
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I twisted on my left leg and my right leg banged on the stairs. I really try to be careful. However, with the people working here, they are just not eve careful. They should sweep up, every day, at the end of the day. They never do. So, here I am trying to pack everything I own, by myself, and now I have to go without food.. because I just cannot walk that far with my left knee all messed up.
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[caption id="attachment_1702" align="aligncenter" width="456"] Brusing on right leg from fall[/caption]
(Bruising on my Right Leg From Fall)
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I am not a litigious person, generally. I am going to make an exception this time. Tomorrow I am planning on packing all the rest of my belongings. I plan on leaving out my DVD player, and my TV. Also, I plan on leaving this computer out until Thursday night. As soon as I pack up this computer, I will have no way to post or communicate until I get moved and unpacked. I received a call form Allen, today.
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He has received an answer to his ‘Early Release’ paperwork. He called to get; his phone number, the name and phone numbers of two personal references that he will not be living with and the phone number for his last job. That was the only number I could not get for him, when he called. He told me that he could be released as soon as tomorrow night. That would be Wednesday night. After I got off the phone, I immediately sat down and prayed. I prayed to thank God for Allen getting his paperwork back… and I asked… pleaded, that Allen get released before I am evicted.
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I am having some difficulty finding a place to live. Every day I go to Craigslist and; repost my ad for ‘Housing Wanted’. Then I go to roommates and look at all the new listings. It is just shocking how much people want for; a living room, a bedroom that is 8x10… and I even saw one ad for “a sleeping place…” for $450 a month. I am looking for a place that will; accept Alexander and be open to me bringing my own bed and TV and furniture.
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I am just amazed how many have “must have 9-5 schedule”... or “NO pets allowed”… or “Female only… college student only… must have regular schedule…” The majority of people just have so many hang ups. They do realize that they are trying to make, right? They have so many rules… so many unrealistic expectations that it makes every day an adventure in disappointment. However, for $1,000.00 I have found a very nice place available in Huntington Beach. They seem to be nice. Know that I am disabled, and I asked about Alexander and he responded “That shouldn’t be a problem…” I have to get back to them, tomorrow. I just have a problem handing over $1,000.00 prior to moving in… and with my theft from last week. “Once bitten, twice shy!”
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I wrote my brother, Darrell, today. I explained that I have done my best to vet a 73 year old widower. I had talked several times via emails. Went to his house and met him in person. Had a nice hour long visit, and ‘Larry’ stole my $300 deposit. Darrell responded;
“You don't even make any sense. You give money to strangers and then wonder why you get screwed over.
I can't keep throwing money down a drain like that.
Figure it out for yourself.”
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Now, let me be clear. This is how my email to Darrell started:
“Dear Darrell,
I need advice or maybe some guidance. I am not asking for money.”
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I am not too sure how I could have been more clear. I stated that I did not want money, I just would have liked if my brother called Larry and asked him to return my money. See, the way I see it is… it is much more difficult for a “stranger” to sleep at night if they know the person they stole from has family that cares. So, I explained the situation to the best of my ability to Darrell and simply asked if he would pelase call this person and act like he gave a damn what happens to his little brother. I had no idea that would be a bridge too far. Nor did I forsee that even though I said I didn’t want money just some familial support… that we would just (on his own) go for the ‘Danny is begging for money again…’.
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I knew that Darrell had already helped me out with money. I was completely embarrassed that the money he had generously given me, was taken by a 73 year old widower. It really did take a lot of courage to write the email and send it to Darrell. I mean… everyone is a stranger, right? If I am using craigslist, I am dealing with strangers. I am not sure just exactly how I am supposed to be renting or rooming with… friends. I mean I would much rather be rooming with a friend. I have even been offered to move in with a very good friend that I have known since 1995. However, he lives in Tennessee and I would loose; my doctor, my prescription drug coverage, and would have to leave all my belongings here in California.
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[caption id="attachment_1705" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Nails outside downstairs door[/caption]
(Nails Outside Door at Cypress Lodge October 1st, 2013)
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That is why I am really hoping that Allen does get his early release. That would solve a lot of problems. With Allen’s help I could; get everything in a storage that was large enough. I have already found a larger storage for less money. Only $30 a month for the first two months. That way I could put what I have here in the room now in the room on Friday. Then the next weekend, or the one after that, call my friend Tony and have him and Allen take everything out of the first storage and put it in the new storage area. Once Allen and I find a roommate situation that we feel will last? We can take everything out of the storage and move in to a new place to live.
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Right now… I am doing the best I can. I do not think; having people steal deposit money, having my brother call me stupid (repeatedly), and hurting myself just trying to get the work I have been left alone to do, done… is asking too much. I really did trust Larry. Honestly? I think it was all a scam. I honestly feel that Larry worked me and had every intention to steal from me from the get go. I had another very good, and old, friend tell me that his take was that Larry had this planned all along. That he intentionally picked a disabled person, intentionally was open and supportive just so he could take as much money as he could from me.
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[caption id="attachment_1704" align="aligncenter" width="630"] More Garbage on walkway Cypress Lodge[/caption]
(More Garbage On Walkways At Cypress Lodge October 1st, 2013)
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If that is the case, then it is a ‘Good Thing’ that I mailed the Certified Letter documenting the chronology of the theft, and how quickly he changed from supportive to thief. Allen has told me that he will help me file the lawsuit and make sure that I get to court in my power chair. I do not like to sue people. The neurosurgeon that did my operation… well, he took 4 ½ hours for a surgery that he scheduled for 3 hours. He told me that he would fuse C3-C4-C5 and instead he fused C3-C7. My next neurosurgeon told me that it was “the longest cervical fusion he had ever seen…” But, the first doctor was a “Stranger”… I was stupid to trust him, right?
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Funny that, some people just have streaks of bad luck or misfortune… However, with Danny (according to his brother Darrell) it is not misfortune, it is just Danny being stupid… every single time.
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Now, if Allen does not get his early release. I have a plan, too. I am going to get the larger storage, for only $30 for the first two months. I will put; my bed, TV, Firebird computer, DVDs, and all the furniture I have left into the new storage. Once I have a place to stay, and Allen does get out. I will have Allen and Tony help me combine the two storage area into the larger (cheaper) one. That will be the cheapest, labor wise, and I will not loose any of my belongings. I have located a cheap hotel, back in Stanton. Funny that, was the town Allen and I started out in when we moved to OC from Long Beach. Coming full circle.
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That way I; have a place I can afford for Alexander and myself. Have all my belongings in storage (the first month is FREE at the smaller storage). The first one is FREE until October 27th. Either Allen will be out by that date, or I will have a definitive date of his release by the 27th. I was told that they can prorate my rent, if I tell them in advance of paying the first full month’s rent when I will be moving out. That means; FREE storage for the smaller unit until October 27th, $30 a month for the larger storage I will get for the 4th, and now all I have to do is find a place for Alex and I to live until Allen gets out.
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That brings us to the end of today’s update. I hope that everyone realizes that I really am doing the best I can with what I have… and the situation that I have been… abandoned. I am not squandering any money. Heck, I haven’t eaten but one meal a day for the past two weeks. When I eat it is at night and most of the time it is one of those $1 Mother’s ____ Fettuccini Alfredo in the boxes, thingy. So, I have my food budget down to about $1 a day. I weighed 165 lbs. when I saw Dr. Gorlick last… I am betting that I am going to be about 160-150 when I see him November 5th, 2013. I can tell in the mirror, that I am loosing a lot of weight. I have never really had an appetite when I am under stress, or depressed. I haven’t been under this much stress… since I took my last (failing) property and turned it around in three months.
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Just to toot my horn? I took a property with a 63% occupancy and a 40% resident retention and in just three moths? I raised rents, increased occupancy to 95% and resident retention to 100%. I was working from 8Am until 10 or 11PM every day for the first two months. I remember… I really liked property management… and I was quite good at it, too. While I was packing? I found a whole stack of my old Plaza Woods Newsletters! That was my first property to manage when I left pharmacy work. I wrote a monthly newsletter, collected rents, made deposits, kept the spreadsheet for all income and payouts and even did some light maintenance. I loved my work and was good at it, too.
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Once I am settled and begin writing from my new home? I will scan some of the old newsletters and share them with you, My Dear Readers. You will be able to see what and how I wrote back in 1996-1999. Looking back, I really worked hard for Charlie Roy and Plaza Woods. I even designed the web site, and published and did all the photography. When I like something and put my mind to it, I can be very good.
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That brings us to the end of today’s update. I hope that I have entertained… at least some.
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As always, I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.
Daniel Hanning[/caption]
The Other Shoe eBay Store[/caption]
