Monday, 6 November 2017

My goodness... what a weekend.

Just a bit ago I started reading about Patreon as a funding source.  I get email newsletters from someone that has a Patreon account and is building up to $1000/month income for her goals.  I followed the link she has at the bottom of her email to see what her page was like.  Then I linked to some of the Patreon information to find out how it is done.  The examples ranged from over 35K a month and I think one was over 85K a month (for someone with over 5 million YouTube followers.  I am amazed.

I have occasionally seen some Tiny Home traveling videos with Patreon supporters... but never really checked on it until now.  This is a long-term and serious form of support... without a lot of the hassles of crowdfunding... the ones I have discovered so far.  These seem to be online delivery efforts, too... podcasts, videos, animations, etc.  I am assuming there are artists in there somewhere.  I am wondering if it would be an option for me.

If you know anything about Patreon firsthand, share it with me in the comments.  I haven't decided what funding route to go in yet, so this will take a bit of time.  Again, there is a video requirement... so that is a problem with me so far.  I am working on it, and plan to learn the other forms of sharing listed above, but it is a bit in the future still.

*
I heard more on tax reforms (proposed tax reforms) in the news today.  I got angry again about the topic.  It really irritates me that the government thinks our money is really their money. 

I remember now, it was a report on leaked off-shore account holders, which included the Queen of England and Madonna, but the liberal democrat-focused media only wanted to fry someone in the Republican trenches that had the vaguest association with a Russian business through a fund of some kind... I think it was a mutual fund that has stocks in multiple companies, but it wasn't really clear.

Our nation is nearly on life-support and the media only cares about the Democratic agenda.

It was the commentary about lost taxes that created my comment on the government above.  They think any money made by any American is rightfully theirs, income they deserve to have just because a corporation or wealthy individual possesses it.  When there is talk about tax reform, the Democrats talk in terms of lost taxes, loopholes they would also take advantage of but only highlighted because there are Republicans involved.  Taxes are too HIGH, they are unreasonable, they need to be reduced to a level that would be fair for everyone... including the wealthy, who have EARNED their money the same way others can (if it has been done honestly). 

Every day I grow more and more adamant that the maximum tax the government should have of anyone's money is ten percent, which needs to be divided to cover all our tax categories... federal at 3%, state at 3%, county at 3%, and international at 1%.  Sales taxes are the only tax we need, and it will cover everyone at the same level... the poor will pay less, the rich will pay more.  If we get rid of income and property taxes, estate taxes, and all the other taxes that have been created to build up the government budgets, we will also have less labor costs for government employees, less overhead for government offices, etc.  The government will have to budget, change their high salaries into minimum wage earnings, have everyone on the same government medical plan, open social security to the general public, create revolving loan funds instead of loan guarantees, become part of the process so they don't make ridiculous regulations that can't be enforced, implemented, or productive.... and the changes go on and on and on.

We have to change this system if we want to survive and thrive, be great again...be America.

I guess that had to be said.  It does so little good.

*
Every death is a tragedy, someone loses the rest of their lives, people lose the ones they love... and big media tragedies are manipulated into political causes.  I have, so far, cried every time I see the news about the church shooting from Sunday.  It has been turned into gun-control and domestic violence, religious persecution, and/or mental health funding...another "worst" for America... added to the international carnage that we keep seeing.

People are suffering all over the world.

Why are they killing themselves, killing others, filled with anger and hate, demanding that the world believe their form of truth "or else"... and innocent people are the victims.  We thing money will solve every problem... raise taxes so we can offer more funding... but it never seems to work out that way.  The problems get worse, and no amount of money would be enough.

Our lives have no foundation to stand on...no moral compass, as they say.  Getting rid of God leaves a vacuum just like getting rid of a brutal dictator leaves a political vacuum that can be filled with someone much worse.  The absence of God means the increase of Satan.  I can't find one good thing about Satan in the Bible, or his followers.  Why do people want him in charge?  I sure don't know.

One family lost so many of its people...children, mothers, fathers, unborn babies... the father was left and two daughters were left.  Losing so much of their close-knit group will change their lives forever.  Will the media be there to discover the results in 10 years, or maybe we will have to relive this moment every year. 

I still want to cry.  I can't even imagine the pain that is being processed as we continue with our lives.

*
Life is like a river...no matter what happens, it just keeps going.

I wonder what tomorrow will hold for the rest of us.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

*
*
*
May God touch the hearts and lives of those who are hurting tonight, not just in a small town after a mass shooting, but in every place they live... big cities, small cities, homeless, in mansions, with jobs, without jobs, lonely or with tons of people around them.  May God comfort them with blessings that can only be from Him... and the awareness of His Love for them.  May we all remember that hard times are part of every life and they go away, we just have to hang on, trust God, and keep going.

May time heal the scars we carry from the tragedies we have faced.
May joy find its way into our hardened hearts and busy lives.
May we find a way to cope with all the misery we discover every day.
May our hearts be able to stand the strain, and stay warm, be able to keep loving, not see fear at every turn.
May we share what we can with those who have less than we do.
May we seek to find better answers for the things we can change... and try them.
May our priorities be humanity, life, sharing, giving, loving, lifting others up, being real, truth, compassion, time....
Help us to all find a new purpose in our life that helps the world become a better place.
Amen.