Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. Romans 13:1-3 (The Message)
I have discovered a new fascination-cake pops. I first tried one at Starbucks after youngest son’s girlfriend encouraged me. Birthday cake flavor or brownie peppermint, it doesn’t matter. They are yummy. And expensive. $1.50 for a little taste of cake covered in candy coating and rolled in sugar. One bite is all and then, as youngest son says, “You think about how that second of pleasure just cost you $1.50.” So, after Christmas, I turned my attention to making my own cake pops. After researching recipes on line and talking to a couple of people who have made them, I figured out how to make cake pops that may not look as pretty as the ones at Starbucks, but taste just as good. It is only brownie or cake mixed with frosting, dipped in candy melt and rolled in crushed peppermint, colored sugar or sprinkles. While they are labor intensive to make and package, I count every one, multiply them by $1.50 and feel satisfied with my days work. I wish figuring out who to vote for was as easy. I voted in my first Presidential election in 1976. I felt lucky to turn 18 in the same year of an election and studiously studied the candidates, listened to my classmates debate and then, voted the same way my father did. Over the years, I have employed a variety of means to cast my ballot. Everything from closing my eyes and picking a name randomly to succumbing to threats about the validity of my faith if I don’t vote a certain way. Some people I know confess to having a litmus test to choosing candidates. If a candidate believes a certain way for or against stem cell research, abortion, same sex marriage or a balanced budget. One issue makes or breaks their support of a candidate. I guess the closest I come to that attitude is preferring candidates who have only been married once and never had an affair. If a politician can lie to his or her spouse, how much easier is for them to lie to me, the citizen they have never met? Still and all, how do I really know that they are telling the truth? Now, with the media hounding candidates so closely and with sound bites showing up on YouTube, it is hard to know who is really sincerely honest and who is lying. How do you really know that father weeping about his special needs child is completely faithful and true? How do you know that the man who has been married for thirty years hasn’t just gotten lucky that his mistress didn’t call the tabloids. Yet. After all is said and done, how do you know what’s inside that cake pop is really cake and not something rotten? I’m curious about how you decide. Don’t tell me names; just tell me your process. I might feel a whole lot better if you tell me you roll the dice. Or maybe I won’t.
"If a politician can lie to his or her spouse, how much easier is for them to lie to me, the citizen they have never met? " What a great line- I need to use this.
At this point (and you know my leanings) I go for the candidate who is hard at work in his job, effective against the flow or not, political machine or not. I vote for someone who believes that ALL are welcome at the table. I DO care about character for precisely the reason you state. And I vote for hope and positive change rather than an agenda of defeat. But you know, that's just me. 😉
In Asheville they are selling CakeBalls. Is that the same thing? I think you need to do a Guatemala cake pop fund raiser. Because, you know, you don't have anything else going.