Spiritual Clarity

When George Bush was president the Bush tax cuts were put in place. Tax breaks for the wealthy. The reason for these cuts was to give the “job creators” a break, so there would be more jobs. Tax cuts plus two wars equal one broke country. Now three years after little Bush left office unemployment is still at awful percentages. Millions are out of work. We are in more debt than ever.Every effort by the current administration to end those tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, the Republicans block. They are being ridiculous. Heck the congress has an 8% approval rating. That has to tell you something.

Here is my question….where are those jobs?

What is the deal with Republicans saying that there is a war on Christmas? I have heard many a time that the White House is against Christmas. There is a Christmas card on my mantle from that anti-Christian White House at this very moment.

I believe hearing the White House is full of Christmas decorations. This made up war has to be one of the silliest attacks out of many that the Republicans has come up with.

The only actual fuel I can think of is that some say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. What is wrong with that? You should say whatever you feel like saying. If talking to a Jewish friend, why would a Christian say Merry Christmas to them? But if the Christian wanted to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, isn’t it between those two individuals? If speaking to a group of people that included a Muslim, what could possibly be wrong with saying Happy Holidays? Isn’t it just a matter of manners or respect? Why would anyone else concern themselves with who says what type of holiday greeting to whom?

I recently heard once again someone say that God puts us through trials to make us stronger. May anger emerged and that does not happen often. It stems from two people actually saying to me that since God plans everything, I must have Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia for a reason. Probably to make me stronger or maybe to make those around me stronger.

I really do not need or want to be any stronger. Why would He intentionally hurt the people He is supposed to love? I do not think He is evil. Making people suffer is evil. There are so many diseases that people suffer much more than I do. Why on earth would I be made to suffer so that someone else could be a stronger person?

How about HSP is just caused by a simple mistake? A genetic mutation which was purely an accident.

I hate that I get so mad when someone says that but what a horrible thing to say or think. Completely naive. So God causes natural disasters that kill so many people? He plans roadside bombs in Afganistan? He dabbles in car accidents? He caused that nut to shoot Gabby Giffords in the head? What was his goal there? Just to check her and her husband’s strength? And he unfortunately had to kill six others. On 9/11 was he just bored and wanted to cause something big to happen. What is He trying to teach us starving all of those children in Africa?

I must say that thinking God plans everything is, in my eyes, totally moronic.

Jackie Wellman

This is a letter to the editer in the Des Moines Register dated 11/13/11. The letter was written by Lon Bierma. When I read I thought how perfect it was because I had just posted something on Facebook about how wacky it was to claim God told you to run.

Lon says…Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, and Rick Perry tell us that God called upon them to run for president. The question arises as to which two of these candidates is God deceiving?

Jackie Wellman

Anytime a candidate says God told them to run, their sanity needs questioned. Seriously. Here is a question for conservatives…if God has a role in deciding who becomes President, then why would he pick someone who conservatives do not like? Hypocritical and not too bright!

Maybe God does not like conservatives since they do go against the things Jesus says in the Bible.

Jackie Wellman

I belong to a worldwide online support group since my disease is so rare. There is also a support group on Facebook for the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation. The foundation’s website address is www.sp-foundation.org. There are frequently discussions on genetic testing. The only lab that does genetic testing is Athena and it is not cheap. But there are several places where you can send your blood and get it tested for free. These are research projects.

The testing for genetic mutations that cause Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia is not able to detect all of the mutations that cause HSP but many of them and they are continually finding more out about these different mutations. The thing that I do not understand is all of the people who refuse to participate in studies or will not bother with testing because their mutation is not one of those that have been detected yet.That might be the case…so they just will not do it. I just do not understand this line of thinking. Ignorance is not bliss. Knowledge is power.

For one thing…helping with a study might lead to the detection of the genetic mutation that causes an individuals HSP. For example, I had Athena testing done. The results were a genetic mutation on the SPG4 gene. It was an “unknown variant” meaning something they had not seen before. I always send anyone blood who is studying HSP because unlike some others I will do anything for a cure. I get very frustrated because so many complain and will be first in line to get at that cure but getting those people to help with research or fundraising is about impossible. Some people just would rather complain than help. Anyway, I sent blood a few years ago to the University of Miami and they found someone else with the same mutation on the SPG4 gene. So I am an SPG4er. Officially.

That is good to know because when a cure is discovered, what if it is gene specific? Wouldn’t I want to know what I have rather than spending months trying to find out what I have? And these tests take months. Heck, I do not want to deal with this HSP one more day than I have to.

SPG4 mutations causing HSP is the most common gene to have if you have HSP. Hopefully that will mean that it will be the first to be cured.

Jackie Wellman

If the ruler in Afgahnistan said that should a war ever break out between Pakistan and the United States he would not be supporting the United States than why the hell are we spending 30 million a day rebuilding that country? It seems a huge wasted of blood and money for the US being there. They do not like us being there no matter how it is spun by some, so why are we there?

At least POTUS had the smarts to bring the troops from Iraq.

This is getting ridiculous. John McCain was speaking today. He declared that Obama’s bus was the ugliest he had ever seen and could not believe that POTUS would travel around in a Canadian made bus talking about American jobs. It turns out that the famous, “Straight Talk Express” was made in Canada also. Didn’t John McCain sign NAFTA? Both sides can be petty at election time but this is a clear example of a grouchy old man who is still POed about losing the 2008 election to a young unexperienced whipper snapper.

Mitt Romney today spoke about the foreclosure problem. He feels we should not interfere. Let people be foreclosed on and hit rock bottom. Then the problem will fix itself. What about all those people with no homes? The difference in the two parties is obvious right here. I am sure he feels there is money to be made by buying up those houses and renting them out or selling them cheaper. One of Chris Matthews guests said it best….here is a man who made his fortune by firing people now he wants to be president by foreclosing on people.

Corporations are people.

Jackie Wellman

This past quarter Barack Obama raised 70 million dollars. The number two fundraiser was Rick Perry at 17 million. Then came Mitt (Corporations are people) Romney, Ron Paul and last but not least the woman who never blinks, Michelle Bachman with about 4 million.

This surprises but pleases me. I thought so many were so angry with POTUS about the economy. Hopefully people realize that things were and are such a mess that no one could have made everything better in three years. But the choice to move forward is clear. The GOP would just make matters much worse. Look at how they have slowed progress down by controlling congress. They voted the Jobs Bill down. They would rather play politics and make President Obama a one term president than actually help the American people.

Jackie Wellman

Did Christians who belong to the GOP read the part of the Bible that says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven?

Somehow the values that Jesus talks about in the Bible and the mentality of the GOP do not jive. The red writing in the Bible says we need to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Yes, there are those who take advantage of the government helping the needy but does that mean we should just ignore those who really need help?

The GOP is the party of the rich and selfish. The Christian Conservatives somehow are involved because of a few subjects like gay marriage and abortion. But they do not realize that because of their beliefs about these two subjects that they are dragged along as pawns for the wealthy. If they really understood they probably would not vote the way they do. I do understand how feelings about those issues..like abortion are strong, but strong enough to vote against your pocketbook, not educate our children properly, not help your fellow man, destroy unions, etc.

The selfish reason for being a Republican makes sense…although it makes you a small person. Those Republicans want to hang onto every dollar possible and do not have a sense that they should help others out. The every man for himself attitude. Nothing to be proud of.

The Tea Party is just a group of unaware people. Everyone wants the budget balanced but joining a group that wants no or little taxes is just plain ignorant. No taxes is a great idea but isn’t it a better idea to have taxes and then get roads, the fire department, the police department, schools, etc.

Jackie Wellman