Bill51 Offline

72 Single Male from Hammond       4
 

yyumeoh
yyumeoh: I love youtube.com a music website with lots of other videos ect. a fun site!
2 years ago Report Link
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Echolegacy
Echolegacy:

I read your post and I found it to be entertaining and thoughtful. We have a lot in common as well since I am a retired teacher of high school English of thirty years experience and currently, I am living in South Carolina where I moved about seven years ago, right after I stopped working. I had to stop because I was dealing with some serious health issues but an somewhat better now. I am sixty-eight years old, incidentally.



I think our tastes in music, movies and politics are very similar too; I am a great devotee of TCM's archive of classic movies and as far as music goes, Jazz and sixties rock are my choices, although I like to augment it with some classical works as well. Hobbies (I hate that word) or recreational pursuits include cycling, astronomy, antiquarian books, (I used to sell them) playing the guitar, kayaking and travel although the pandemic put our travel plans on hold for now. I wholeheartedly agree with your views on climate change; I am glad that we now have an administration that takes this matter seriously. That was not always the case. I also agree with you an Senator Manchin; he wields an inordinate amount of power which, unfortunately, is not being utilized properly, in my estimation.




Thanks for taking the time to read this and I agree that the incendiary exchanges that people like to indulge in on Wire Club are tiresome but predictable. If you'd like to communicate further, why, then, feel free to do so and I look forward to hearing from you soon.





ECHO


(Jeff)
2 years ago Report Link
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Bill51
Bill51 changed his profile picture: 2 years ago Report
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Bill51
Bill51: I understand that President Biden should at least appear to be bipartisan (which, to his credit, he does-in spite of what some Republicans may say). If he is going to get meaningful legislation passed, though, he has to realize that he will have little. if any, help from Republicans. McConnell has already said that he sees his main purpose as obstructing Biden.
What the administration needs to do now is to pressure the senate to get rid of the filibuster rule. Then they can pass the For the People Act, a broad infrastructure bill that includes home care services and provisions that address climate change, and other necessary progressive legislation.
Also, of course, someone with enough influence in Democratic Party really needs to take the wind out of Joe Manchins sails and read him the riot act. Simply sit him down and explain to him that he will receive abolutely no support from the party until he starts acting like a member of the Democratic Party. He is, after all, a Democrat, isn't he? I mean, how the hell did he get so much power all of a sudden? Yes, he's a senator, and, taking into consideration the 50/50 split in the senate, every Democratic senator is important. But he's not the damn President, in spite of his apparent delusions of grandure.
If, and when, Manchin starts behaving like a Democrat; I think Sen. Sinema may follow.
2 years ago Report Link
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Bill51
Bill51: I am a retired kintergarden teacher. I really loved teaching 5yr. olds. They are so fresh and eager to learn at that age. I always taught at private preschools and, luckily, my bosses allowed me to set up my classes and develop my curriculum as I saw fit (Of course, I did have a masters degree in early childhood education and over 20 yrs. of experince, so my directors always had a great deal of condidence in me.). I was kind of a hippy version of Mr. Rogers. It was fun and challenging and interesting.

I am very close to my family, especially my 3 brothers and 2 sisters. We grew up in Oak Park, IL, on Austin Blvd.; just across the street from the west side of Chicago. When I was 12 yrs. old, my mother died. Since my father had a serious drinking problem, he lost custody of us; and we were split up. After we grew up, though, we sort of gravitated toward one another and lived either very near or even with one another. And even though we don't all still live near each other, we are all very, very close. I can even honestly say that they have saved my life on more than one occassion.

As far as politics are concerned, I'm afraid I'm still pretty much an unrepentant hippy (As Elvis Costello would say, "What's so funny 'bout love, peace, and happiness.". I protested against the Viet Nam war when I was in college; and I grew up during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy, and Watergate. I am still very much concerned with issues of civil rights, peace, and justice. Most recently, I am very concerned about climate change. To me it is, at this time, the most important and overriding issue of all. After all, no other immediate issues will matter at all, if we don't do something to stop climate change. I am very concerned about what kind of world we will be leaving the next generation; and, particualrly, the generation after that.

On the lighter side of things, I do LOVE to listen to music, especially live music! And I listen to a lot of genres and styles of music, from rock (50's & 60's to contemporary), to blues (especially Chicago blues, of course), to world music, to jazz (from Louis Armstrong to Miles to 'Trane to contemporary). As long as the music is genuine, heartfelt, and interesting; I'll try to keep an open mind.

I also really enjoy reading a really great, intelligent book. For example, right now I'm reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I got into the habit of reading good books when I was an English major as an undergaduate at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

And, finally, I also really enjoy watching classic movies (mostly on TCM). This is something I also picked up from my college years, when classic film festivals and special showings of classic films was popular. In fact, later tonight I want to catch "Singin' In the Rain", a great classic musical with Gene Kelly.

If you're interested in discussing any of the things I've mentioned; or, actually whatever you'd like chat about, I'd be more than happy to share in the conversation.
2 years ago Report Link
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