Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Come on In - The Water's Fine

This week it seems that Outdoor Recreation on base has said that the prices for passes for the pool on base has increased. Last year, I believe the price was 60 dollars for a family. This year the price has increased to $150 for a family of 4 and $10 for each additional family member.

Now,  many of you are up in arms about this and to some degree, I do understand. As military families, we are on a fixed income. Its a bit unfair of the base to pop this information on families a week before school lets out and kids are expecting frequent visits to the pool. A fair warning to save for this expense would have been nice since its not like our spouses can just work overtime to help make a bit of extra cash to cover it. The increase in prices definitely puts a damper on the possibility of spending the days relaxing in the sun, so I understand.



But, in the same breathe, I understand where the base is coming from as well. Budget cuts have hit the branches hard and when it comes to providing equipment for the troops who are fighting overseas or family recreation, well, family recreation is going to be cut. The current administration over time had cut the funds given to the military drastically over the last few years and the various branches have to make due with what they are given. If you're husband were to be deployed, what would be more important to you - that he has the equipment that he needs (armored vehicles, weapons, ammunition, ect) or a cheaper pool pass? I think given the choice, we're going to pick our spouses safety over our luxuries.

150 dollars may seem like alot, but for those who choose to utilize the pool on a regular basis - it equals out pretty quickly. The pool currently charges $4 per person/per visit.  For a family of four, this equals 16 dollars per visit.  If you visit the pool ten times during the summer, you have just spent $160 and most people plan to visit the pool more than 10 times in the course of the 3 summer months. This makes the pool pass a great deal, even at the higher price.

The money you are paying is covering the upkeep of the pools and for the lifeguards who are there to protect you. These expenses use to be paid for by the military, hence why the pool passes in the past were much cheaper. Alas, budget cuts and allotment of funds are dictated by the needs of the troops and so pool upkeep and lifeguards are unnecessary expenses in the eyes of the government.  However, Edwards has decided to try to keep the pool open for us but that comes with a price tag.



Many have mentioned going offbase and paying cheaper prices for pools off base.. This is a choice we all have but know one thing - when the cost of operations for the pool exceeds the amount of revenue being brought in by paying customers, the base will have no choice but to close yet another "luxury" that we have and we will be without.

If I were Outdoor recreation, I think I would have done things just a bit differently. I believe the price is fair, but to me the upfront cost is high. I don't know about you but my family actually has to save for luxury expenses and I am sure that those higher ups on base probably understand this as well. I think it would have been a better decision to offer a payment plan of some sort.. Or, have a "punch card" system - once your family visted the pool enough times to equal a pool pass price (whether its 13 times for a single person to equal the $50 single pass or ten visits for a family of 4) then you automatically are given the pool pass to use for the rest of the season. I think if options like this were given, rather than hitting everyone with a high price tag 1 week before the start of summer, many more people would be less upset with the increase in pricing.

Now on to something a little less serious...

I've been reading your comments both here and on facebook over the course of the week. For the most part, I think many people are glad I started this, if nothing else for the entertainment factor. Some people, not so much. But I wanted to respond to a few comments.

First, on this page itself a comment was left by Mr Robert Petty. (I'm using your name since you went out of your way to leave a second comment to let me know who you were).. Mr Petty, I'm at a complete loss as to any meaning to what you wrote. But, I can assure you, I do not routinely watch reality TV (I think I watched Season 1 of Survivor) and tend to spend most of my time reading. I can assure you that my parents are both extremely proud of me and what I have accomplished in my life and I think I'm safe saying you do not need to worry about my mental health. But thank you so much for your concern.



Mr Adam Hancock - thank you so much for your reply as well.. I do agree, kids misbehaving is not an epidemic limited only to Edwards AFB but since that is my target audience with this blog, I decided to discuss the problem here.  There are some good parents out there who are indeed scared of disciplining their children - we live in a world right now where CPS has way too much power and parents are not given enough. I also believe we as a culture rely way too much on television and not enough of getting our children outside with us. When was the last time you saw someone outside playing catch with their kids?? TV is a terrible influence on our generation, we wouldn't hire a babysitter who said or did some of the things we allow our kids to watch, so why do we feel its appropriate on tv. I commend you on being active in raising your kid, my hat is off to you - Good Job Dad. I wish more parents were like you  and Mrs Jillian Johnson :)

To the rest of the comments here on the blog, thank you. Munoz family, Brenda Prince, LeaLynn, Morpheus. I appreciate your feed back. (PS - Morpheus - I absolutely loved the "go do some yard work" comment. Spot on)

Now on to the FB comments. I will leave those nameless as I said I would not plaster anyones name on this blog. I saw alot of comments that were in support of this blog - thank you. Like what I say or don't, that's perfectly fine and I am glad you are taking this blog for what it is, my opinion. One person said it best - "Opinions are like assholes - we all have one".. Yup, this is for certain. With that said - here's my response to some of the others. First, threatening to report me to the Commander of base - absolutely ridiculous. The Commander would probably laugh and hell, for all I know, he already reads this blog and agrees 100%.   (Morpheus??)



As military spouses, we still have this thing called Freedom of Speech - nothing in the paperwork my husband signed when he joined the Armed Forces revoked my right to this. I am indeed allowed an opinion about things that affect my life. I stated in my first posting, I will not write anything about the AF itself - if I were to step over that line THEN there might be a problem that Command would worry about. Until then, I'm just another spouse running off her big mouth - pure and simple.

Until next time....

11 comments:

  1. Technology is a wonderful thing. Its purpose is to make life easier on us. To give us conveniences we didn’t have before. However, today we are able to reach vast numbers of people with a couple clicks of a mouse. It makes it much easier for people to express themselves with an audience. Situations like this, I am not so sure this technology is a good thing. One thing people seem to forget is that while we have freedom of speech, that freedom comes with responsibility. Wisdom tells us when to say what is on our mind and when to keep our thoughts to ourselves. I am afraid Jane Doe has lost sight of when one should choose to keep comments to herself.

    Now I have already seen it posted that we all have this freedom and she can say and write whatever she wants. That’s very true. But don’t pull the freedom of speech card for her and then when someone has a differing opinion tell them not to read the blog and post their opinion. That is what is called a hypocrite. Also, Jane Doe states in her blog that she intentionally released the link to people she knew would share and promote the site. She wants the people of Edwards to read this. When you do this, you are welcoming the negative comments as well as the positive.

    While so far to this point I cannot say I do not agree with what has been written, I am choosing to not follow this blog because I think it is out of line. Jane Doe points out a break down in civility within our society. A part of that break down is a lack of manners and etiquette. This blog breaks the rules of good manners. Since when is it in good taste to point the finger at everyone around you and judge them? Perhaps the saying, “if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all” has become an antiquated phrase. As Jane Doe makes clear in her blog about teens that they are not any more special than those around them, what makes her so special that her one-sided opinions are shared with the entire base? Who are you to judge? Does intentionally releasing a blog to get the most attention not count as believing you are special and that your opinion is above everybody else’s? What happened to good old fashioned private journalling? I began reading this blog thinking there may be information of importance in it. For example, tackling the pool pass issue and budget cuts. That topic is informational and sharing a side of the topic affecting the community which many may not have considered. However, as the blog continued, I again see the same blasting of people and negativity towards the community. This is NOT journalism. This is a gossip column.

    As I finish using my freedom of speech to express my opinion, I ask that Jane Doe take a look at her purpose behind this. Why are you doing this? What do you think you will accomplish? As you can see by the comments written in anger or comments threatening to report you, you are hurting people. And to write anonymously means you can hurt these people and not take responsibility for it. Is that what you want? Do you think hurting people will cause change? There is a way to educate your public on a topic without accusing or labeling people as bad or wrong. If you want change, be the change. Don’t sit there hiding behind a mask pointing the finger at those around you. You want teens to change? Go spend time with them being the positive influence you claim they don’t get at home. It’s easy to sit back and point the finger at society in an anonymous blog. The true measure of a great person is in the actions they perform to make change a reality.

    Keep in mind that every person on this base is an individual. They each have experiences which have shaped who they are. They each have a personality which molds the way they interpret the world around them. You have your own qualities which make you who you are. These qualities and experiences are what make people say and react the way they do. Don’t be so quick to judge others just because they are not the same as you.

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    1. Hi Anonymous. Glad you could join us. Ironic to have someone calling me out for using a pen name when your comment is anonymous but hey, free world, right?

      Not sure whom I'm hurting with this blog. I've spoken of no one directly and today was the first day I've quoted someone that could be linked to anyone in particular. If someone is hurt because I said children are misbehaved in today's society that only tells me that my post hit close to home - rather than being hurt they should probably reassess their parenting style. As for spending time with teens to create a positive influence - it's truly not my responsibility to correct the mistakes another parent has made and more times than not, by the teen years they are so far gone that they won't listen to their parents, much less a stranger.

      This blog was never written to be a base information site. There will be times that it will be informative but it's written to be my sounding board for my opinions of various topics. If you want base information, there's various sites both on the internet and on facebook that will achieve that goal. If this blog offends you, please, erase it from your browser history and as simple as that, you won't have to view anything on it again.

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  2. I can't remember her ever telling people not to post negative comments, she not only accepts them but responds. How is that so wrong? What was said (and not by Jane Doe but a random commenter on FB) is that if you know you are offended by these thoughts and opinions, why would you actively seek out this blog? It's like a guy reading cosmo then b*thching about them not covering the man's side of opinions. That's not what its about! Its just one person's opinion. Never did she try to make it more important than another's. And you say this is not journalism, it's gossip. Who said this was a fine New York Times piece? It's an opinion article! I have seen what can hapen when you express an opinion publicly on FB. You get threats and hate mail. I completely understand hiding behind a ghost name

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  3. Ok...where are the new posts...I miss my daily amusement :)

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    1. Sorry Munoz family - had a few issues to deal with. But I'm not going anywhere.

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  4. I am personally finding this blog extremely entertaining! DO I or will I always agree?...no, but I love the fact that someone is finally offering a no BS, not socially ok, what so many of us are feeling view of this base. I find it really funny that so many people are getting so pissed off by one ladies opinions...which by the way a lot of us agree on some of it and just don't say. I completely understand her wanting to remain unknown though. She is having to hide from those that pretend that they believe in free speech but only if it is in line with what they believe. And since we are a military community...sadly that could come back on her husband. What is important is that she has the right to say whatever she feels about the base and its community. She doesn't have to be nice or write only what is socially acceptable. That is what is so great and amazing about free speech. No one is forcing anyone to read it...I don't see anyone tied down, eyes taped open and being forced to stare at a computer with this blog on it. I mean really..don't like it, don't read it! SIMPLE SOLUTION! SO PLEASE lady of the blog keep it coming! I find it funny and very entertaining! I might tell you when I think you being stupid though..hahahaha ;)

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  5. Nicole, please, feel free to tell me when I'm stupid :) I do not expect everyone to agree and Lord only knows I'm entitled to brain farts and might say something under the influence of an adult beverage. I'm very open to discussion and promise not to get my panties in a wad. Until that time, I'm so glad to have you here and hope to keep you entertained.

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  6. The whole pool pass debacle is just another example of poor management of resources on this base. I have paid three times $160 for summer pool passes in other places (off-base neighborhood pools), but while $160 is only one third of what I have previously paid, my issue with that price is that I don't think the pools here are even one third as good. For $55, I'll excuse disgusting locker rooms, freezing cold water, no drinking water, broken slides, and no shade. For $160, that ain't happening.

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    1. I have honestly never been to the pool on this base so I didn't know the facilities are that bad. I get a sunburn driving from Edwards to Lancaster so a day at the pool sounds more like a form of torture than a pleasurable experience. From what you say, sounds like for me paying $160 for a pool pass would be the equivalent of begging to be water boarded just for the fun of it. LOL

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