It used to be that I could tell people my
VCR was flashing “12:00” and they would immediately understand me to say, “I’m
a technologically impaired, lower-functioning member of the species.  Please have mercy on my oh-so-twentieth-century
soul.” 

     I’m still that person, but I wasn’t sure
about how to convey that nowadays, since most DVR box thingies don’t even show
the time.  If they did, I’m sure mine
would still be flashing “12:00”.  But for
lack of anything better, I used that same old line about the VCR flashing
“12:00” and realized that now it has even more impact, as my acquaintance
gasped, “My God, you still have a VCR?”

What?

Damage, I can understand; accidents happen. Loss? Ok, I see where could happen too. But rifling? That’s never an accident. That means someone is willfully and maliciously going through your package and taking whatever they want.

So, let me get this straight. I am handing my package over to the USPS. The postal service employees are now responsible for my package. I can understand offering insurance against an employee accidentally losing or damaging the package while it is in their custody.But asking me to buy insurance against rifling is like asking me to pay protection money for my package.

I didn’t pay it. Now I’m waiting to hear if the package arrives safely, or if I’m going to be taught a lesson about buying that insurance.

Manifesto: A public, official and authoritative declaration making announcement or explanation of intentions, motives, or principles of actions.  From the Latin manifestus – struck by the hand

Ok.  Simple enough.  So I wrote one to now publicly declare and explain the principles of my actions:

• all work is done based on the idea that someday I would like to retire
• all play is done based on the idea that someday I would like to retire
• all children will be forced from the nest as early as possible based on the idea that someday I would like to retire
• all children will be expected to compensate parents for their upkeep, upbringing and uprooting, based on the principle that someday I would like to retire

I didn’t just write my manifesto; I made it semi-public – I announced it at the dinner table.  We have enough people there to actually qualify as a quorum of the local village, hence the semi-official designation of the semi-public status. (and I am semi-serious about that)

After delivering my manifesto, I was reminded of the Latin origins of the word, and that it meant ‘struck by the hand’.  That was pretty much the response from my family, although nobody actually hit anyone – it was more of a metaphorical slap.  I’m guessing it was the fourth bulleted point that was not appreciated by most of them.

My husband and I thought it was a great principle, but we are vastly outnumbered by our offspring, hence our votes and opinions wouldn’t count for much in our semi-public forum, if we were to run it as a democracy.  That’s the reason we operate as more of a dictatorship, which is from the Latin dictatus, meaning ‘the old people are in charge here’.

Our representatives lack the integrity to do what’s necessary when it might be unpopular.  Their constituents – that would be us – demand something for almost nothing, and then denounce any elected official who attempts to show us that we’ll get what we pay for.  And then, desperate to accomplish something constructive, we try to avoid the politicians entirely.

We write propositions like Prop 21, which asks if I’m willing to pay an additional $18.00 in car registration fees in order to fund public parks.  In spite of my strong, sincere belief that propositions are the wrong way to handle things, the truth is, yes I am.  Our public parks are a vital resource, and I’m willing to pony up, especially when given the opportunity to do so in a way that avoids giving our California State Legislature any jurisdiction over my $18.00. 

Are public parks more important than education, health services, or safety personnel?  No.  But I’m not being offered the opportunity to directly fund any of those.  I have this one $18.00 opportunity to save something from the debacle that is our government management of public resources.  And I just may take it.