The AmExed Sexing Up of the American Tween – Kathryn Jean Lopez – National Review Online.

My husband sent me this article today. I won’t take credit for having the time or patience to find goody opinion articles such as this. It is awesome when they pop up in my inbox. Hubby probably sent it to me because we have two little girls, and that is scary for both of us. He has repeatedly stated that when our girls enter puberty, he will begin construction on a fine brick and mortar wall with a boggy moat and alligators, providing we can get a license for such a thing.

He hopes that the parenting of teenage daughters will be daunting at best. Not because he knows much about teenage girls, but because he does know a lot about teenage boys. I find having daughters scary because I have walked the fence between modesty and wanting to be attractive without looking marmy-ish. A few times I’ve fallen off that fence. My worst experience was of a CFO who had a particular interest in how far he could see down the front of my top when he leaned over my desk. He was more stupid than prurient. He was daft enough to report to me the results of his investigations, as though I would find his attentions flattering. Dummy. He shortly became an unemployed dummy. Don’t mess with me and my wardrobe, but don’t expect me to wear a turtleneck in August because the VP has a boob problem.

So if girls are showing too much skin at younger ages, here’s a simple idea: Mom and Dad, stop buying the skimpy clothes. Designers take notice. If it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t make the cut next season. You don’t need a moat, you don’t need a cave. You need reasonable control over the shopping. You need to provide affirmation of the many facets of your daughter’s awesomeness. We need to stop blaming Tide or Nordstrom or Miley Cyrus. The problem is the parenting. Get a grip. Be involved. Dont give them money to spend as they please, but take the kids shopping yourselves. Make a date out of it. Spoil them as you please, on your own watch. Dads, love ‘em like a father should. You know what is out there. Protect them by providing them with a man to love and respect. That’s what my parents did- I turned out pretty solid.

Irony: As I write this, both girls are washing the bathroom windows, buck naked. Awesome.

Quote of the day:

“The Left, with the complicity of the liberal media, hypes the issue of ‘teen pregnancy’ — partly because feminists think girls should attend college for a few years before becoming single mothers.”

Understanding Illegitimacy – Robert Rector – National Review Online.

I am a Capitalist. I like my healthcare the way it is. People like my husband pay high insurance premiums so they can go to the doctor they choose, to receive the treatment they want, once or twice a year. That ends up paying the price for immuno-disadvantaged people like me, who pay a little more than that to go to the doctor about once a week.

Government funded healthcare is a form of Socialism. Anything that closes down the free market, thus overriding the common principles of economics, is certainly not a form of Capitalism. There can be no free market competition when the state healthcare system is made mandatory by the government. On page 16 of the proposed legislation, if, once the legislation is put into effect you are a) unemployed or b) don’t have health insurance of your own, or c) later want to switch from the private insurance you do have at the time of the legislation to another private carrier, you have to enroll in the government healthcare program. The only way to keep your private insurance is to have it forever and ever amen. You can’t switch to anything EXCEPT the government program once it is put into effect. Read more: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=332548165656854

 Here is where we have Socialism. As defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary, Socialism is the societal system where the state owns and distributes the means of production and distribution of goods. Imagine that the healthcare system is a big factory, where doctors are the mechanics, and medicine and treatments are the robots manufactured. In the proposed system, the state doesn’t own the factory, but it does control the mechanics and dictates who, how, why, and when they can make certain robots. Right now I can purchase whatever the Hell robot I want. Under this new system, I get whatever robot the government thinks will fit my needs. In terms of the pregnancy I just had, which cost over $150,000, I needed, paid for, and received the IV Food and Fluids for 9 Months Robot. For only $6,838 (as quoted by my private health insurance carrier) I could have had the D&C Robot. Instead, I have Emily, who is currently napping, thank God.

Lastly, where does the government get the money to pay for the state-run healthcare system (remember- it is $1,000,000,000,000)? Currently, the top income earners (over $1,000,000 annually) are taxed at a rate of 35%. In July, House Democrats agreed to hike taxes from these top earners (the folks who make the Capitalist world go ‘round) to a whopping 45%! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071100482.html?nav=rss_email/components  While I am fortunately (and unfortunately) not in that particular income bracket, there are many wonderful people who are, like the OBGYN who fought for my baby and did not recommend that I abort her. My own father is in that income bracket- and he doesn’t just sit around and count his dollars. Just last month, he paid cash for a new hearing aid for my cousin, Amy. He and my father-in-law paid for the private health insurance we needed while my husband was a law student. The wealthy, who work hard for their dollar, will be MADE to pay for those that can’t afford health insurance. Left on their own, these people are free to choose whom they support, rather than handing the cash over for the government to choose for them. In fact, we all are ALREADY paying for the uninsured. Honestly, I don’t mind, because it is a cost of having private insurance. We pay high insurance premiums to cover the costs of hospitals who help everyone who comes to the ER- the 97% of us who are insured and the 3% who are not. Sadly, a majority of those uninsured are illegals who use our healthcare and don’t pay for it. Not only is this proposed plan Socialism, but it will eventually become Amnesty- further incentive to cross the border and live in someone’s garage.

Anyway, that is my two cents. I hope it doesn’t become my 2 trillion cents.

This year, I celebrated Independence Day by speaking and performing at a TEA Party Rally (Taxed Enough Already) with a little over 1,000 local Cvillians. It was a beautiful day at the Albemarle County Courthouse, a building dating to 1769, where Jefferson, Madison and Monroe walked the grounds and discussed the very liberties we expressed there ourselves! It was an exciting afternoon as local doctors, business owners, and special guests- delegates Rob Bell and Ken Cucinelli (running for Attorney General of Virginia in 2009)- educated us about what is going on in Richmond and Washington.

So why were we rallying? We’re excited about our independence. What better way to honor it than to voice our concern over the economy and Obama’s “remedies.” We aren’t too excited that Democrats have agreed to hike taxes up to 45%(!!!) to pay for the Healthcare Reform plan. The healthcare bill isn’t going to save anyone any money- we’re already paying to cover the uninsured. We’ll just end up paying more for worse service. Not to mention government funded procedures that many believe are morally and ethically wrong. Yet I digress…

I was so pleased to have the honor of speaking and singing “God Bless America” to close our rally. It was the largest civil demonstration in Charlottesville in the past decade, and yet, the Charlottesville Daily Progress refused to cover the event. I guess they’d prefer us not to exist.

A buddy of mine videotaped my part of the rally- to hear my speech and song, check out my YouTube video:

If you are interested in joining your local TEA Party movement, click HERE to find a local organizer and get connected to other Conservatives!

If you are a Conservative lady like myself, please check out NeW, the Network of Enlightened Women. Read our blog, get a reading group together, and read one of our recommended books to educate yourself and your fellow lovely Conservative ladies!

Happy Birthday America!