I just wanted to make an entry to say that my message is worthless if people don't read it. I don't have the ability to tell everybody about how i feel, therefore it is up to you, the reader, to pass on the message. By no means do I expect everybody to spend every waking moment of their life to bringing people to my blog, however if everyone were to foward a link to just one person, it would make a huge difference.

Also, I would like to say if i can get one message across to everybody, it is that communication is the key to happiness. With that being said, I would like to strongly request that people leave responses to my blogs. Please! Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you agree with, your alternative perspective, ANYTHING! Please!

I hope everybody has had a good Febuary.

 Joe

JoeMcDermott925@hotmail.com 

Often times when I think of driving my car, I almost immediately think of something George Carlin said that I think is absolutely brillant. "Have you ever noticed that anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" While most people have no issues agree with it, it only reenforces the idea of how little people take into consideration other people.

When you're on the road, it seems that there are three different types of drivers. People who are driving way too fast, people who are driving way too slow, and then you. I believe it is our primative nature to want to police the highways when cops arent there. I was listening to the radio a while back, and I heard that you are actually allowed to call the police and report wreckless driving (even though they tell us not to use our cell phones while we drive).

However, instead of reporting wreckless driving to the proper authorities, it is common for people to take the situation into their own hands. I asked myself this question as i was driving the other day: "Who is a bigger hazard to other drivers, the person speeding past everyone else to get to open highway? Or the person who is intentionally slowing down to cause an inconvenience for the other driver?

While I do realize that most of the time these people are absolutely inconsiderate to other people on the road, by intentionally putting yourself in their way, you're only adding fuel to the flame.

I can't tell you what to do. I can't tell you how to drive. What people can easily forget is how dangerous driving can be. 

Joe 

 JoeMcDermott925@hotmail.com

Surely you've noticed money. You've seen it around. You probably have a job at which you earn it. And at this point in your life, I'm guessing you've heard the phrase that money is the route of all evil. Have you ever taken the time to consider what it means? Sure, you realize the generalized meaning: People do anything for money. But how does it apply to me? To you?

The truth is that currently, our economy isn't looking too good when looked at by most of the country.  How might one fix that issue? Your quick response might be "Give everyone more money! Raise minimum wage!" What might the result of raising minimum wage be? Why inflation of course! Money, unfortunately, isn't free. Some genius decides to raise minimum, so now all employers now have to rework their numbers. "How can we afford to pay all these people even more money but still keep our profits up?" And the answer is simple. RAISE COSTS! The only way to keep the chart of their net income heading in the diagonal up-and-right direction and pay their hourly employees is to increase cost for the consumers. Then what happens? You guessed it! Since everything costs more money, the general public would like a raise to help pay for all these high priced items. It seems we've built a vicious cycle out of our economy.

So then, if we can't ask for raises for everyone, where else can we get money? I know! The government! Every time I look at my paycheck, they've taken money that I earned! I deserve that money! People seem to forget about what taxes pay for when it's coming out of their paychecks. It's the same people that complain about high taxes who also complain about pot holes in the roads and poor public education. Are we sure this is something we want? To take funding away from away from the future of our country? The education children of today recieve decides the future of our nation. I don't believe it's worth sacrificing the minds of our kids so we more easily afford the 3MPG Hummer sitting in our driveway.

So, are we done for? Is it forever our destiny to be in an economic slump? I suppose it depends on your definition of a successful economy. It is human nature to instictively want to excel and progress, however, the economy is based on a simple rule of nature: Unlimited wants. Limited resources. We must decide what is most important to us. Is it the gas guzzling trucks driven by all the movie stars we see on tv that is important for us to have? Or is it a better idea to settle for the goodness of posterity?  While it is your choice to make, one of the options seems more logical.

Joe

JoeMcDermott925@hotmail.com 

First, I feel like everything in the world is falling apart and nobody cares. Maybe it's because i work in retail, but maybe not. Every day I see selfish people buzzing around either completely oblivious, or absolutely apathetic about the people around them. It seems that everyone is so self-centered they are too busy to realize that other people exist. Quite often people walk into my store on their cell phones, bring their purchases to the counter (still on their cell phones), pay, and walk out having not said a word to me. I often wonder: Do these people realize how rude it is to do this? If they do, don't they care about how i feel about this situation? Yes. I realize its an absolutely trivial situation, but it's situations like these that are important to us as a society, and it's situations like these that people are throwing out the window because they don't care! Perhaps the reason why these people don't converse with me is because they are afraid. Why might they be afraid? Probably because the TV tells them that there were shootings in the city last night, and that everyone in the world is out to get them. I am absolutely disgusted with how the media tells us to be afraid. Even when we're children! It's something that everyone is raised with: Don't talk to strangers. What a terrible thing to say! We should be talking to strangers! We should be able to greet someone we've never met with a smile and receive a response with a cheery hello! How absurd is it that when people see another person making eye contact with them, they look away?

I don't think people realize the significance of something as small as a smile. A smile is an incredible thing from both ends. Smiling makes you feel good, even if you're faking it. Try it out the next time you're feeling a little blue. If you smile, even if just a small amount, you will feel better. Watching someone smile is a beautiful thing. I live to look at smiles. It's like a sunset, or a rainbow, only way more common, and it's something that doesn't take much effort to create. A smile is something that everyone can share, and makes everyone feel warm. If people were to smile at a stranger they see in the street, can you imagine the potential impact that might have on the history of the world? Maybe while walking down the street, you might smile at someone who is on their way to lunch. Your smile put them in a good mood, so they left a big tip for their waitress. The waitress is working her way through college to become a nurse to someday save lives. What if this were happening everyday? Can you imagine the incredible beauty of the comfort in knowing that when you smile at someone, you'll get a smile back?

Now think about the inverse. An inconsiderate person on a cell phone walks out of a wawa without looking back to possibly hold the door for the person behind them. The person behind them just catches the door before it hits them in the face, and now that person is in a bad mood. Being in a bad mood, perhaps they drive a bit more aggressively. Aggressive driving could easily lead to an accident where someone might get hurt or even killed. Why? Because someone was too busy in their bubble to even consider doing a costless favor for someone standing 3 feet behind them. Are people really this blind?

Maybe i'm being ridiculous, but somebody has to be. It kills me everyday knowing that this happens everywhere... All the time...

Joe

JoeMcDermott925@hotmail.com