I have relatives who have somewhat similar views too. One aunt, who is otherwise a decent person outside of her politics, claimed that it’s too easy to get welfare so people don’t want to keep jobs. This was her response to her son-in-law having to work during deer hunting season because his workplace was short…

That’s a magnificent cat, one that likely weighs more than both of your mom’s dogs.

There’s so many ways this scheme could go wrong. It reminds me of how my mother describing the monthly WIC deliveries in the small town she grew up in Nebraska in the 1960s and 1970s. The people who got the boxes would keep the milk, eggs, formula, cereal, and maybe the rice, but not take the dry beans with them. Mom…

Also Team Chocolate. I was raised Catholic and I usually tried to give either that or pop up for lent. I lasted less than a week usually. I find it easier to give up church for lent and find I’m better at sticking to that.

I grew up in Illinois and the day before Ash Wednesday was paczki day for us. Paczkis are deep fried and filled Polish donuts. The fillings range from conventional like cream, apple, lemon, and strawberry to prune. My mother was the only one who’d eat the prune ones, while the rest of us ate the more normal…

I think that a reunification of North & South Korea would be much more difficult than the German reunification. Despite the best efforts by the East German government, the border between the two countries had become easier to cross by the mid 1970s even with the spectre of the Berlin Wall. East Germany was not nearly…

Sen. Duckworth coining Cadet Bone Spurs was inspired. I do think that Comrade Bone Spurs is more apt, especially with the collusion with the Russians he’s trying so badly to cover up.

I think we give Pence too much credit for being a competent politicians. Competent politicians don’t sign bills that cause national organizations and businesses to threaten to boycott your state (Pence, multiple “religious freedom” stunts, and the NCAA to name one group.)

At this point, the only real option at MSU is for anyone who was complicit or aware (and did nothing to stop him or help his victims) of Nassar’s conduct to resign, be fired and face the consequences of their decisions. It could be jail time, monetary settlements to the victims, and a truly sincere apology to the…

I think that MSU’s just as complicit in what happened considering that both the College of Medicine and the Athletic Department were still having him treat patients even as he was under investigation during his last 16 months there. That’s damning in that it shows how casually they took the investigation. Instead of…

Likely a combination of all of the above. It seems more horrifying than the Penn State/Sandusky scandal because of how long he was getting away with it.

It’s always that toxic, lazy co-worker that abuses the goodwill of both their colleagues and management that makes it harder for others, both parents and non-parents, to have some flexibility for a good work-life balance.

The Eagles fans, combined with the collective sacrifices being made by the people of Minneapolis, may cause Minnesota Nice to go on a temporary hiatus the first weekend of February.

Exactly. The same sorts of conscience protections should be extended to everyone in any job. If your a vegan/vegetarian and work in a grocery store, then handling meat is against your beliefs. You shouldn’t lose your job because of that. If you work in a book store or a library, and someone is checking out or…

I work in academia and all staff had to complete sexual harassment training online last year. I think that the response to it very much depended on both your age and gender before it was made mandatory in order to be eligible to be considered for performance based raises.

Your take on gender, anxiety, and mental illness is a good one. Too many adult men hide behind their disabilities, including autism to give them a pass on being an asshole, being rude, and not catching social cues. To me, they are the emotional, hysterical and attention seeking ones, not women.

The AIC is one that can be done in one day and is worth the admission fee. I’ve purchased a membership for the last couple years simply because I live close enough and 4 visits a year pays for the membership, and one guest is free. It’s worth going just to see some of the great icons of American modernism, including…

My mom passed away from cancer last year rather suddenly. He was like your dad - he never expected to be the widowed one. She did everything for him, from the cooking to paying the bills. He was doing better earlier this year about cooking for himself during the week, but over the past 6 months he’s gotten to where he…

I almost asked for gift cards for grocery stores and clothing stores where I could get some new underwear this year, because that’s more of what I need. My sanctimonious suck up sister and father don’t like giving gift cards because they feel that gift cards are too impersonal. I was shot down when I asked for a large…

Even with kids, you can’t get out of the extended family holiday traditions. My dad’s family had their family Xmas at his late mother’s house near Wisconsin Dells the weekend before Christmas at least for 40 years until she died a couple years ago. It also was around my grandmother’s birthday, so all the adults had to…