Keep Paying Non-essential state employees to save money

How’s this for stupidity. My dad is a state employee. He’s been told to stay home this week due to the budget crisis. Apparently he’s non-estential. How do non-estential state employees report this absence? As a vacation day. In other words, the state is still paying their salaries this week. They aren’t saving any money by having employees stay home. They are just loosing production. Why would I trust these legislators and governor with my tax money?
Then again I realise this whole “governmental shutdown” stunt is just a PR tactic and doesn’t really mean anything. The governor is just trying to get the general public upset enough about not having services to urge their representatives to pass a budget.

“She said it’s cold
It feels like Independence Day
And I can’t break away from this parade”
–Wallflowers “One Headlight”

Over the 4th I’ll be visiting a friend of mine at a church camp in White Bluff, TN. I went there last year and had a good time, even though I stayed a limited amount of time. It’s always good to see old friends and get to know new people.
“Sick of sorrow
I’m sick of the pain
I’m sick of hearing
Again and again
That there’s gonna be
Peace on Earth”
–U2 “Peace on Earth”

For me U2’s “Peace on Earth” has become somewhat of an updated version of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” However since it is as not as well known it’s not yet the worn out clich� that “Imagine” is. Initually when the song first came out in 2000 I thought it was once again one of U2’s idealistic political songs (think “Bullet the Blue Sky” or “Sunday Bloody Sunday”). Yet it has become a foretelling song of frustration forever linked to the world we live in. It probably wouldn’t have meant as much to me if it weren’t for September 11th.
I’m beginning to feel a bit disconnected from the folks in Scottsville. There were only 5 kids from Scottsville at summer camp a few weeks ago….2 of which were visitors from the community and didn’t go to church at Scottsville. This is a sad situation since technically it is Scottsville’s week to host camp. In years past Scottsville had provided a substantial amount of kids. Now however it seems as if summer camp is no longer interesting to some people. I am not sure if it was promoted enough. The Scottsville kids who were there were as always very friendly toward me since they had known me longer. However they themselves do not have internet connections so it is difficult to keep up with them once camp ends. My other friends in Scottsville who didn’t make it to camp this year seem more interested in sowing their wild oats rather than religion, so it is difficult to find a bound there. I just hope everything works out for the best. They are getting a new preacher at Scottsville soon, so maybe that will make for a new start.
On a side note 10 years ago today a friend of mine changed their life for the better. We’ve since gone our separate ways and virtually lost touch. Yet 10 years ago there was a kinship. At that time everything seemed right in this world. What are the circumstances? Well some things in this weblog aren’t public. I’ll just keep it to myself.