Not even 33 cents

I was making important decisions at the grocery store. The kind that will either satifisy your checkbook or your taste buds... Ragu or the Hunts Spagetti sauce for a dollar less.... when my ears dropped in on the conversation on up the isle.

"I think that we have enough to buy one more."

I turned (I can't help it.) to see a young man kneeling on the ground reaching up trying to hand his Miss a box of Save Mac and Cheese which was on sale for

33 cents.

Their cart was perfectly organized with their few groceries: yogart, a carton of eggs, and now a few boxes of mac and cheese.

They were still discussing their last possible expenditure as I passed them.

My empty pockets went out to them. I wished I could scounge together from the bottom of my felted purse...

$.33.

I left Festival Foods that evening with Hunts for $1.07 and No Hope. No Hope that either my finances or this young couples finance will get any better. The No Hope is complimentary of the Red, White and Blue; free of charge - no need for a coupon, no need for a food stamp.

In fact, it won't cost that young couple, or even YOU ... my friend. It won't even cost you

Thirty Three Cents!

"I am Joanna Simmons and I approve this ad."

No apples for King

My cable is off, our KC Star subscriptions has ran out but still politics surfaces, mostly into conversation. How can it not...we are all searching under our car seats for a $1.69 to buy an apple, hoping to catch the KCP&L guy before he hits our power lines, and lets not even talk about the number of answers machines "customer service" representatives from credit card companies speak to a day.

Even those of us who are not sure about the legitimacy of the system spin off hope for these few months while wannabe presidents (or wannabe reelected presidents) do their own spinning and just enough truth telling to give us a taste for something better.

It is in this state of hunger that I myself have have come to believe that a leader offering a wider vision; whose feet appear to be planted firmly beside ours can pull us out of this recession.

And it is in this state of enthusiasm that I have instigated (on purpose) conversations about Mr. Obama only to be shot down numerous times with this kind of reply,
" I am not racist BUT...."

They didn't say, "Well, I don't agree with his foreign policy."
They didn't say, "He doesn't have enough experience for me to know what he will stand for as he leads our nation."
They didn't say, "I can't really tell what he thinks about health care."

They said, "BUT". NOTHING good ever comes after a BUT.

This is how on the eve of the day our nation has set aside to honor Martin Luther King Jr. my eyes were pried open to see that not only is our society still racist but it is prospering right outside my front door.

This promised land that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about us all arriving to... I hope he meant it in spiritual terms because in FORTY years we the people, for the people, by the people... are still people who spread hate, are still people who spread peace via bombs. As for poverty... well, all I can say is it is blind to race.

...And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as people will get to the promised land. So, I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man.
- Martin Luther King Jr., Speech in Memphis, April 3, 1968, the day before King was assassinated.