Splurge.
The last journal entry I created must have been more than ten years ago, life's changed a lot since then. I have hairy places where there were none and baldness where there was hair, found a girlfriend that isn't grossed out by frenching, worked a handful of jobs, realized my reproductive potential, put on fifty pounds, developed a strong passion for the arts, developed an unrivaled sarcastic sense of humor, lost my virginity, lost my innocence, actually met chicks off the internet, tore my lungs up with Djarums and became what some have called an "alcoholic" (when in all actuality I'm a "casual drinker), and basically learned a lot about living in 21st century America. But, telemarketers still exist. Some guy called today asking for a donation for the police officers of America. Is it just me or isn't it the responsibility of the government to provide for governmental agencies such as law enforcement? Shouldn't our tax dollars provide enough for law enforcement to do it's job, without needing private donors? Apparently not if I'm being asked to donate. On top of that, I'd like to see my tax dollars going directly toward rehabilitation programs for prisoners that truly rehabilitate them, so that fewer police officers are needed to make arrests of repeat offenders, knowing full well that our prison system is based more on punishment and less on empowerment. Better yet, implement preventative programs with that money to keep individuals out of trouble in the first place. Granted, the police do more than make arrests, but it's the responsibility of citizens to vote and thereby elect officials who focus on keeping the peace. Especially keeping the peace at home, before fighting a war abroad. If for some reason the voting population fails to accomplish that, then democracy is a sham.