LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

Live and Learn, or Heat and Hurt

-Bumper sticker of the week: I never make the mistake of arguing with people of whose opinions I have no respect.

-Quotes of the week: “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell

“Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no one to blame but yourself.” Joseph Campbell

-AmerenIP sucking the life out of us: We got our heating bill for December-January. The highest we have ever had, by far, in 29 years in our home. Higher than our mortgage payment. These utility bills will be devastating for many. People on a fixed income, or unemployed, or renters having to pay the cost of poorly insulated rentals, will not be able to pay these kind of bills. AmerenIP, with little thought, will report them to credit companies. And turn off their utilities. Right when we don’t need this kind of exploitation, they lay it on. I wish I could magically make sure that no one payed their bill. I would do it in a second. They couldn’t turn all of us off. But I know that ain’t going to happen. The public is scared and immobilized. So, maybe we can raise a little stink. If you send in your bill, attach a complaint to the check with 20 or 30 staples. Email AmerenIP, send a letter. Do the same for the mayor, the alderman, our state representative, our state senator, our U.S. Senators, U.S. Representative. We elect these people to protect us from such terrorism. I just got one off to the President, asking him to give us some of that stimulus money to help pay our utility bills. Send letters to the papers. Tell people how these high utility bills are affecting you. Scream and holler until you are hoarse. The revolution is on, and AmerenIP is not one of us.

Things I have learned in my life so far:

* Bitching is silly. Take action or shut up.

* Drugs always take you down. Feeling good for two minutes, or one hour, or one day is not worth the ending.

* Everyone thinks they are right.

* Helping others helps yourself.

* Money will not make you happy, although it can make life a bit easier.

* The more you read, the more you study, the more questions you will have.

* War is not the way to peace. There is no winning a war. There are only losers.

* You cannot trust business to regulate itself.

* We have to expect government to be responsive to our needs. After all, we invented it. If it doesn’t meet our needs, we have to discard it and start over.

* Happiness cannot be found outside of you.

* Bad leaders are worse than no leaders at all.

* Thinking that your reward will be found in the future is stupid. Your reward is NOW.

* Trying to look good or worrying about always being right limits my possibilities.

* A good book is better than a good movie.

* The status quo is one of our worst enemies.

*Everything I do comes back to me in one form or another.

* There are six billion truths in the world, harbored in each of our minds.

* If you can’t sing, try dancing; if you can’t dance, try playing an instrument; if you can’t play, try writing; if you can’t write, try painting; if you can’t........

* Keep a personal journal. It will help your development.

* Don’t worry about growing old. Worry about making it worthwhile.

* Give away some of what you’ve got.

* A book sitting on your shelf is of no value to anyone.

* You should have some young friends, some friends your age, and some older friends. Otherwise, you’re getting a one-sided story.

* It takes too much energy to hate, or carry revenge with you all your life. It is much simpler to forgive.

* In the scheme of things, telling the truth is always the easier thing to do, although perhaps not always the wisest.