quiltersmuse.com Blog

I have been listening to politicians again and a recurrent theme is the idea that if you throw money at a problem, (read the statement as “throw money down the tubes), then all will be well. I am here to tell you that there is no amount of money that can be spent in any educational system that will prevent “unwanted pregnancies.” Kids are foolish. It will never happen to them … they won’t get “caught.” In this case, raging hormones prevail. Teenagers should know better, but in the heat of the moment, they don’t act better.

We have all these buzz words swirling around Washington. One phrase, “No child left behind,” is a nightmare of a concept, in the opinions of most teachers who would rather teach content, than to teach to the test.

“Pork barrel spending” is another concept. The idea is to propose as much expensive legislation as possible, and then accuse your cohorts of too much involvement with spending that involves cronyism.

Like not being about to see the forest for the trees, we don’t examine the small impact of many interventions (questionable solutions?), that lead to a large impact.

And, women! I can’t tell you how many women I know who are indifferent to the political process and are not even registered voters. These people are casual acquaintances or I would read them the riot act about the fact that women did not gain the right to vote until 1920 and they should take advantage of the Right of Suffrage. Women can bring sensibility to the political process, as well as a sensitivity and accountability.

No, money is not the entire answer to any problem. For example, money will not bring better teachers into our schools. Teachers are either well-schooled, astute, and have the temperament for dealing with children, or they don’t. More money cannot change someone’s basic personality, nor their own responsibility for pursuing classes that will improve their professional functioning.

Last night’s debate made me nervous. Somehow, it struck me as disingenuous. McCain seemed to be glaring, seemingly in the attack mode. At times, Obama seemed to be broadly smiling for no particular reason, and hopefully not in derision of his opponent. He also did not answer a direction question about spending … at all. I was left with the wish that Mrs. Clinton had been given her party’s nomination, and I have the same sadness as I did when Al Gore did not win. The most able people are sometimes shoved aside in politics, perhaps never to run again.

I was more confident and hopeful before watching the last of the debates, last night. Like everyone else, we will have to wait and see, hope and pray, that the process will even out and the best man will remain standing. As for money being an answer for anything … ever … I believe that is a false notion. Having more money only makes the affluent more greedy and does nothing for the “little guy.” The politicians are right! There are no “trickle down” economics, unless you count a few more pennies in tips for restaurant workers. We continue to count down to November 4, and in the meantime, hope for the best.

Patricia Cummings

Some wise person once said that a lie can get half way around the world before the truth can get his pants on. This is not a blog about politicians, although it could be, in the last days of the election. This blog is not about the shysters would lie and cheat their way to the top. This blog is also not about grandiose, but mentally disturbed people, who tell lies about their abilities. One thing to remember is to never say that you are “fluent” in another language, when all you can do is to say “hello.” Once, I was tutoring a student in quilting when out of the blue, she told me that she was able to speak a long list of languages, one of them being Spanish. When I began speaking in Spanish, she drew a blank look and said that she “used to speak that one fluently.” Yes, and my pet pig is green.

Lies like that, meant to temporarily inflate one’s ego, don’t actually hurt anyone other than the liar himself/herself, it seems, but I have also learned that people who find it easy to tell any lie, also have no problem stealing, cheating, etc., in other words, living a life that is not even true to themselves.

Do you know the lies I despise the most? Falsehoods and fabrications about quilt history, when these are shared with a group, either online, in person, or in the media, including books. Lies do seem to “stick” more quickly, and often, no one challenges them because they come from the lips of an “expert.” Ha! That is a misnomer, in most cases.

Now, some people “mean well” when they blithely share their misinformation. In one instance, someone listed Kate Greenaway as still designing motifs in the 1930s, quite an achievement for someone who died in 1901. Of course, typos can come into play. Then again, we have a quilt that was reproduced, time and again, yet the “original” has never been seen, and its location is unknown (probably because it never existed in the first place?) – See my new book for more details.

Sometimes, information is misinterpreted, a common occurrence with us humans. We even misread each others’ intentions. The current political scene is a good example of that with the lady stating that she thinks Obama is not to be trusted because he is an Arab. Well, last I knew, an “Arab” was someone from Arabia who speaks Arabic. Even if he were, there are many law abiding, Arab-Americans, according to the media.

Of course, some remarks that are lies are intentionally made by people who want to try to gain the upper hand, by small minded toads, and by others who want to damage someone’s reputation. No matter what the reason is for lying, there is no sufficient justification. In the case of politics, the means do not justify the end.

I hope that in politics and in the rest of life, we can begin to concentrate on what is good about each other. The less attention given to the negatives, the better. I just hope that people who should know better, will begin to take extraordinary care when they impart information. After all, who would want to hear, “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” or worse yet, be caught with their pants down?

Patricia Cummings