JUST SAY NO

Publication: Mooche News
BY The Mooche-2007-10-29

I t took me almost twenty-five years, but by George, I think I've got it. I couldn't grasp the scope of, nor did I realize, the amount of power I could wield simply by just saying no.

There comes a time in the game when you reach the brink and just don't want to play anymore. The game goes on in the mist of your timeout. Your timeout means nothing; they just keep rolling the game up to your front door and into your phone. How do you make it stop? How do you make it go away?

Nancy Reagan was faced with a problem like this when she was first lady and had her husband's ear. She saw a nation on drugs and when asked how to solve this problem she didn't come up with some big government plan. Mrs. Reagan set out to conquer the nation's drug problem not with a sword but with a sling or maybe it was a slang (just say no).

At the time, I thought her "just say no" to drugs was a woefully simplistic solution to a very complex problem. I now apologize to Mrs. Reagan because of the way I voiced my lack of belief in her level of astuteness.

The term 'Just say know' is a real winner that was probably born ahead of it's time. The drug problem wasn't really conquered but it could have been if the subjects would have exhibited a little more strength and faith in themselves.

The power of 'just say now' can only be realized when it is embraced with such passionate reverence and personal conviction until nothing else matters. You take a stand and bind your self-worth to it and dare yourself not to waver. If you waver it proves you are weak and isn't of much value to yourself or anyone else when it comes to supporting a real cause. If you can take a serious stand on some issue and not give in when you truly believe in it, then you have hope.

Just saying no really works quiet well when used under applicable conditions. So Nancy's "just say no" which drew more scorn than praise never got a chance to work because she applied it on the wrong subjects. In time it ended up withering on the social policy vine next to no child left behind.

Moving forward, retro is now fashionable, especially retro Reaganism. I'm hopping on the Reagan bandwagon too, so I'm rolling with "just say no". 'Just say no' is my new found best friend. 'Just say no' you might say, is mine, all mine, all mine.

Check this out and you will know why-

My cable company was playing games with my monthly statement. My phone company's plan was nothing but an elaborate shell game. My bank was teaching me a lesson in finance using my own money.

I finally woke-up and said enough already! I decided to take a stand and that is when it all became crystal clear to me. I could suddenly see the quantum assumptions that had been formed regarding what I need and what I can't do without . In other words, the people I was doing business with felt they held the carrots and could get me to go in any direction they choose.

Did I send them a signal to mislead them into believing this? Not knowingly, if ever at all. Then how did this happen? I soon realized this was a well calculated strategy by corporate execs designed to increase their bottom line. Just looking around I can see this 'increase through schemes' paradigm has begun to permeate all levels of society.

At this point everything from the auto mechanic's finding of a potential problem, to every free gift offer, is now in play. Just who am I enabling by going along with this, by showing an interest or the presumption of caring? This thing was becoming more complicated with each television commercial I watched. How much bigger can this thing get and who else knows about it?

Now I'm scared because I know it is all around me and it probably knows my every move. Since it usually shrouds itself in legitimacy there is no easy way to expose it without appearing fatuous and paranoid.

I don't like the idea of having to go through life being skeptical of everything, and developing a fear that the system is spawning ideas that send negative financial ramifications in my direction. Now I'm playing defense on every play based on the rules of this game. I can never have the ball which means whatever scoring I can pull off must be done while on defense.

Just when I was really in need of a good friend, the Lord pointed out to me what he had already provided. That's right the Lord had already given me one. He pointed out that the friend has always been with me but I was not paying attention and too busy to acknowledge him.

The minute I realized who this friend was I thought about Mrs. Reagan. There was no doubt in my mind about the union that had been formed when I realized what I had. I embraced the idea of just saying no to anything I wanted to without giving it a second thought.

Where did I begin? The most consistent out of control behavior was coming from my phone and cable providers, so they were the first to experience my new defensive weapon.

All I wanted was to receive an error-free monthly statement. I had a certain plan and I stayed within it but each month the amount I had to pay was different. After I pulled the plug on the service they came clean and promised me a consistent one page monthly statement if I went with a basic plan.