Friday, March 9, 2012

TGIF!!

HaHa!  Not sure why I would care what day of the week it is, Realtors certainly don't have weekends off but oh well, it sounds cliche anyway, right?  :)  


I've had a wild and crazy week but you know, I'm pretty happy with what I accomplished.  It's getting to be that time of year for real estate so I've been showing and consulting with sellers, too.  I've learned quite a bit this week and I think I've inspired a little and been inspired a lot!


Wednesday, I visited our state capital along with some friends from the American Cancer Society. It was a long, packed full day but well worth it.  I learned a great deal about the politicians that represent our area.  I didn't get to talk to my State Representative Greg Burdine nor Senator Tammy Irons but that's ok, I know them both personally and will get them at home.  :0)  


I did, however, get to talk with my friend Marcel Black from Colbert County.  He is always so gracious to share what's going on in Montgomery with us.  I really think he has his constituents' best interest in mind.


I also had a really good conversation with Lynn Greer.  This was my first time to talk in depth with him as he doesn't represent me and I've not had any dealings with him otherwise.  I think he's a fairly logical man and maybe he was listening to what we had to say.  At least he made us think so.  Though it wasn't on our agenda, I did get to throw a plug in about the proposed new Walmart, too.  I think he might even share in my thinking about the stupidity of that move.


We ran into Senator Roger Bedford in the hallway and he took us out on the Senate floor and gave us the low down on how things work.  He shared some comical stories of how things don't work, too.  Partisan politics are my new found amazement.  Not sure why it took this long to get my attention but suddenly I am so frustrated with our government.  Perhaps it's because it used to work and no longer does on the state OR national level.  Who cares whether there is a D or an R beside your name!  This isn't about your great works, it's about taking care of the people!!!!......Ok, rant over.  


We then visited with Johnny Mack Morrow.  (There were several from Franklin County in our group, too).  Now I must say, he's a character.  Holds nothing back, tells it like it is.  Maybe a little rough around the edges but you know, I think I like that.  He didn't try to talk over our heads or try to make himself look good. He did tell us that the partisan stuff is killing productivity but I won't rant again, I'll just say I bet everybody knows what's he's thinking.  


The purpose of our trip was to ask for support of a new cigarette tax.  We are asking for an additional $1 per pack.  I know some of you think we are crazy and you might be right but you don't get anything if you never ask.  $1 per pack of cigarettes would bring $214 billion in revenue to our state.  That's unless it makes some folks stop smoking and kept others from ever taking up the habit (including our children).  In that case, revenue wouldn't be as much but wait, neither would our loss of productivity.  I won't bore you with all the stats but they really are unbelievable when you see just how much we are spending to manage health issues related to smoking.  Many smokers have no health insurance but of course, we as a state must provide care when they become ill.  A life is a treasure no matter how it's lived.  Did you know that 20% of our (Alabama) high school kids admit to being a smoker?  Not just that they've tried it but that they continue to smoke.  That's probably why about 22% of our adults smoke.  It's an addiction that isn't easy to overcome.  Believe me, I know!


Anyway, enough about that.  I'm sure you'll hear more from me on this issue in the months to come.  If you want to help get this tax passed or at least some additional tax, write your legislature and ask for their support when it comes up for vote.  If they tell you they don't want to raise taxes, remind them that this is a voluntary tax!!  That's right.  No one makes anyone buy cigarettes.  It's a choice!  Don't buy, don't pay.  It's that simple.  By the way, for every so much in tax increase, (I forgot the exact number and don't want to discredit) the rate of children who smoke drops by 7%.  So if we raise cigarette taxes enough, we might put an end to our children smoking?  Wouldn't that be awesome???


This morning, I spoke to a cancer support group here in Florence.  For the first time ever, I shared my story without crying.  That was a milestone.  One I'm quite proud to finally accomplish.  I hope that by sharing my story, I can help others to better cope with their journey.  Sharing is good therapy for us all.  By His stripes we are healed. 


Enough already.  Have a great weekend, practice random acts of kindness and smile; it's contagious!


**Oh, one more thing....tomorrow, Saturday, March 10th from 11:00 to 3:00, join the Kudzu Queens and more of us at Regency Square Mall.  All four mayors from Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia have proclaimed this day Cancer Awareness Day in the Shoals.   We will have some fun stuff going on so please come out and be a part of that.  You can eat at Chic-fil-a and ask them to donate a portion of the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.  We will finish off the day at FloBama in downtown Florence with a band, good food and fun. A portion of those proceeds will also be donated to this great cause.  Thanks for your support! 


www.iLoveTheShoals.com for all of your real estate needs.  

No comments:

Post a Comment