So glad he's back :)
Crazy Cat Lady's Blog
Welcome everyone!!! Thank you for stopping by. I hope you find the reading enlightening and fun!!! I have set up a fundraiser for the kitties https://www.givesendgo.com/jellybeanthecat I am DJ Catlady and invite you to http://www.desertheatradio.com
Enter at your own risk......
Friday, March 31, 2023
Information, Knowledge and Power
Taxation Without Representation - another rabbit hole solved!!!!
Abstract
Generations of activists have traced the origins of rich people’s movements to the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment, which permits the federal government to levy a personal income tax without apportionment among the states. The Sixteenth Amendment arose in an era of extreme income and wealth inequality. This chapter illustrates the background of the Sixteenth Amendment by tracing the consequences of economic inequality for the life of Andrew Mellon, a very rich man who would later become Treasury Secretary and an influential figure in the history of rich people’s movements. It also shows how many different social movements of this era came to see a federal income tax as a solution to their grievances. The ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment resulted from a series of political miscalculations, but it had far-reaching implications for the politics of inequality.
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/16th-amendment
Passed by Congress on July 2, 1909, and ratified February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment established Congress's right to impose a Federal income tax.
Far-reaching in its social as well as its economic impact, the income tax amendment became part of the Constitution by a curious series of events culminating in a bit of political maneuvering that went awry.
The financial requirements of the Civil War prompted the first American income tax in 1861. At first, Congress placed a flat 3-percent tax on all incomes over $800 and later modified this principle to include a graduated tax. Congress repealed the income tax in 1872, but the concept did not disappear.
After the Civil War, the growing industrial and financial markets of the eastern United States generally prospered. But the farmers of the south and west suffered from low prices for their farm products, while they were forced to pay high prices for manufactured goods. Throughout the 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s, farmers formed such political organizations as the Grange, the Greenback Party, the National Farmers’ Alliance, and the People’s (Populist) Party. All of these groups advocated many reforms (see the Interstate Commerce Act) considered radical for the times, including a graduated income tax.
In 1894, as part of a high tariff bill, Congress enacted a 2-percent tax on income over $4,000. The tax was almost immediately struck down by a five-to-four decision of the Supreme Court, even though the Court had upheld the constitutionality of the Civil War tax as recently as 1881. Although farm organizations denounced the Court’s decision as a prime example of the alliance of government and business against the farmer, a general return of prosperity around the turn of the century softened the demand for reform. Democratic Party Platforms under the leadership of three-time Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, however, consistently included an income tax plank, and the progressive wing of the Republican Party also espoused the concept.
In 1909, progressives in Congress again attached a provision for an income tax to a tariff bill. Conservatives, hoping to kill the idea for good, proposed a constitutional amendment enacting such a tax; they believed an amendment would never receive ratification by three-fourths of the states. Much to their surprise, the amendment was ratified by one state legislature after another, and on February 25, 1913, with the certification by Secretary of State Philander C. Knox, the 16th amendment took effect. Yet in 1913, due to generous exemptions and deductions, less than 1 percent of the population paid income taxes at the rate of only 1 percent of net income.
This document settled the constitutional question of how to tax income and, by so doing, effected dramatic changes in the American way of life.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxvi
Congress gave itself the RIGHT to tax everyone without ANY restrictions! This was obviously done long before any of us were born, but none the less, they STILL have this power because no one has challenged it!!
Do you see how this ties to the q post above?
Silent thieves..... We pay this, usually quietly, sometimes we grumble, but in ALL cases we pay it because we feel we HAVE to, have no other choice right?
Why do "they" = The Government - manipulate you? Well, if you KNEW that YOU had the power to change things they KNOW that you WOULD change them! So, they keep you in the dark so that they can continue their secret theft of your hard earned $$$
How do they steal from you? Look at our current situation. Income tax, look at retirement accounts. Look at how many banks have been bailed out in the last 20 years. How many banks have FAILED and been absorbed by larger banks all to the loss of the average person? Look at how many NEW taxes are created every year and who those taxes affect. Look at the income difference between the average person and ANY elected official! How does an elected official go from an ordinary income that is the same as an average person to having millions in the bank in less than 2 years?
Look at inflation..... How does it affect each income bracket? Who benefits from it? Who CONTROLS inflation? Bingo that part! As the Feds raise interest rates THEY control inflation. They manipulated the current situation. THEY stopped Federal Aid to lower income households - the extra food stamps ended this month, many other helpful programs also end this month for those who are most affected by the current inflation situation. But why? To control YOU, it really is that simple. If YOU rely on them for survival then they control you.
Taxation without representation is exactly what we have right now. It is why the Revolutionary War was fought. KNOW your history - it is WHY they seek to rewrite history books - so you do not know why these things happened or even if they happened!!!! Go to Congress.gov and start reading the proposed bills to see what hidden taxes are in them. See how those hidden taxes apply to YOU and not them..... Who fights for YOU and YOUR right to the money YOU worked your ass off for??No one fights for you and your rights on the hill.... NO ONE! Watch the debates on these bills... See who is for them and who is against them and WHY!!!
YOU need to take your pwer back. WAKE THE HELL UP - that is all qanon is trying to do - make YOU see that YOU still have the power that they do not want you to know about!
An end to the endless - this means TAXES and POWER folks. Where does it end? Remember the $600 ceiling for electronic payments and how the Biden admin hired 80,000 new IRS agents to make sure poor people receiving $$$ online had to answer for those transactions and pay unfair taxation on them?!?!?!
Where does it end? How much more taxation can we handle before we work for nothing while those in power get richer off the sweat of YOUR brow?
Taxation without representation..... Revolutionary War..... Is it time to fight that fight again?
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war?ms=googlegrant&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiZqhBhCJARIsACHHEH-tBhXJTd1hiooWs5lZGzeU34obmHIUZNq-7F25yATXgQ7xoBaEsFYaAqrdEALw_wcB
READ IT - not watch a show about it - actually read it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War
Read and compare how government controlled websites have changed little things about the true reason this war was fought!!!
Remember The Boston Tea Party - it wasn't a political party folks!!! People literally dumped tea into the Boston Harbor because of over taxation on the tea!!! When YOU stop buying their products (corporations) then they have ZERO control. They know this but they do not want YOU to know this! It is the reason we fought the Revolutionary War folks - TAXES!!!
When is enough enough today? The taxes currently being imposed only affect those with the least ability to pay them. How much more can your family stand before you are in the lowest income bracket?
Pull up a tax calculator..... Ask it what the taxes for a single person with no dependents who earned $600 is..... The answer I got was $85 tax on a mere $600. That is damn near 10% tax on any income - thus affecting the poorest of the poor the most! Keep in mind that is on top of all the other taxes as well! Sales, tax, property tax, car registration taxes, new car purchase tax, Social Security Tax, Medicare tax, Carbon Tax and so many many more.......
When is enough enough? That actual take home on that $600 after all taxes are taken into consideration is a NEGATIVE amount..... Meaning the person who earned it will actually OWE money rather than showing a profit!
What about late fees? Those too are a form of taxes, only they are imposed by lenders on borrowed money!
Look at the student loan issue..... Have you SEEN the late fees some students are facing on those loans? Many are far more than the original loan was for. Are you aware that graduates are NOT able to find jobs in the filed they studied and that is why they are NOT able to pay off these loans?!?! An example, a student who graduated with a Psychology Degree is not likely to find work in their field of study and will be forced into a MUCH lower paying career, thus limiting their ability to repay the loan they took out to obtain the degree they worked so hard for in the field of study they love!!!!
LOOK for the hidden taxes that no one even thinks about...... Grocery stores, gas stations, post office, ANYWHERE you spend money LOOK for the hidden taxes!!!
It is time to stop this taxation without representation! It is time to break the wheel that is crushing the people who hold the power to change things!!!
Oh, I am so glad to see q again! I had missed the crumbs and puzzles!!!! During the lock down q definitely made me love research again! The puzzles were annoying at times, took more than one post to put together at times, but ALWAYS challenged me to think for myself in order to SEE the result.
Wake up people. When will this endless taxation end? How much more taxation can you handle before you say enough is enough????
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Gender Dysphoria and the Issues
Ok, this might stir up some triggered leftists, but it does need to be said.
I have seen tons of videos of trans folks griping about many things. I will do my best to keep each section on topic.
1. Gender Neutral / Affirming Bathrooms - Now, it doesn't matter to me what a person identifies as, what does matter is if a PARENT does not wish their child exposed to a biological male - with parts still intact - using the female restrooms. Just like trans people have rights, others have rights as well. So, using a simple example - I sent my children to a private Christian School and would not have wanted them exposed to such things in grade school, even though we had discussions about trans issues. One of my daughters was quite the tomboy, but NOT trans. Today, if she had behaved that way in a public school she would have been convinced that she was trans and made to follow trans protocol to gender transition! So, I believe the discussion on trans issues with grade school children belongs in the HOME not the classroom! To have young children exposed to such things screws up their ability to create a healthy self awareness and self worth. Jazz Jennings and many other trans gender youths, who began their transition at such a young age, are perfect examples of this.
I get that a trans male, who desires the female identity, feels it is necessary to use female restrooms to help with their own self identity, but they have zero respect for the fact that a 4 year old girl MIGHT be peeking under a stall and see them. Yes, kids do that shit! Kids also crawl under the stalls in public restrooms. So, while I do stand up for trans rights, I also stand up for children's rights. It is NOT healthy for young children to be forced to be exposed to such things. It is that simple.
Want to be trans, fine with me, but be respectful as well. Not everyone shares your same beliefs and this IS America and we do have the right to our own beliefs. This is where all the friction is happening right now. Whose rights trumps whose? Is there a happy medium where everyone's rights can be fully addressed?
2. Transgender Education - I am of the belief that this should NEVER be introduced to grade school children, EVER! Early education on this matter should begin at home, and NEVER be forced on a child who is still trying to form a sense of self. When transgender ideology is forced on young children, their sense of self is destroyed before it even begins and we end up with children like Jazz, who openly admit that they "never feel like themselves". I do think transgender education has a place, but NOT in grade school and in no way should ANY teacher be permitted to violate a dress code. When a teacher is forcing young children to view them in inappropriate clothing or forcing them to use pronouns that do NOT fit with the visual image it confuses children! Grade school children are barely grasping language arts and transgender ideology only confuses them.
Transgender teachers are all over social media platforms griping and whining about parents pulling kids from their classes. Let's look at a few of the reasons why.
1. Dress code violations committed by the teachers - If you look at ANY school dress code then compare it to the videos being made, it is crystal clear the teacher has zero respect for the printed school dress code. That teaches children they do not have to respect rules. Teachers are supposed to be an example and if they are setting a BAD example then they do not need the job!
2. Forcing pronouns - So many teachers are on social media whining about pronouns and students / parents refusal to use their chosen pronouns. Let's look at this logically. Does the actual definition of the pronoun apply to the given situation? Not likely. For example, using They / Them pronouns. Those particular pronouns indicate multiple people, not one. It is confusing to a child of grade school age to try to apply pronouns in contrast to their defined meaning. It if it one person then appropriate pronouns should be applied. He / him, she / her and so on. Using They / Them could indicate a mental illness such as schizophrenia - to define all the multiple personalities. If a teacher has these disorders they do not belong in a classroom full of grade school kids! Also, making up words that do not exists is also confusing to such young children! We are supposed to guide children to be able to function in this world, not make their path harder! Just like a trans person desires for others to respect the pronouns, the other person has a right to not be forced to use them. Once again, we face the dilemma of whose rights trump whose? But, a simple answer to this is the trans person seeking self validation from such pronouns is seeking external validation when what they really need is internal validation!
3. Transgender children's shows - On this topic I am speaking only of cartoons and children's shows on broadcast TV. This has zero place being forced on children grade school age! Children must never be forced to be subjected to ANY material that will confuse them on their sense of self before it even forms properly! Creating cartoons that target preschool kids with transgender ideology is violating the children on so many levels!
4. Gender affirming care - I have split views on this one so I will address them separately.
A) I do believe some children ARE transgender and should receive therapeutic care until the age of 18, when they are capable of making permanent life altering choices. I believe that we should respect their path while undergoing such care and allow them to travel the path with every option open to them. I believe that we should stop the bullying, stop pushing medical procedures and stop PUSHING them into things that may not be right for them in the long run. I do believe we should support them along this journey and when the time is right, also support whatever decision they make!
B) Puberty blocking hormones, dialators and other surgical procedures should NEVER be performed or forced on a child who is not capable of making such a life altering decision. Not one child is capable of making the decision to have their reproductive organs removed before they even know if they want children of their own or not! Most children have not even made this decision in their 20's, let alone before the age of 5 when many parents are making these decisions for them! It is NOTour place as parents to force our child into the opposite gender because it makes us feel better. It is our place to guide them on THEIR path, not to choose for them to permanently alter their bodies in ways that can never be repaired!
Not popular beliefs, I know, but they are MY beliefs and it does not make me transphobic!
5. Drag Queen Story Hours and shows for under age children - This one I also have 2 views on...
A) Because I know several drag queens and my lifestyle is quite open, I would trust them to dress up in front of my kids. I trust them because I know them and I also know they are NOT trying to groom the children into anything. I trust them because they are my friends. But, I would not permit a stranger to do this. My friends also know there is a line that you do not cross when in costume in front of children. The clothing must be discreet, not sexually explicit and there must be ZERO sexual insinuations. Doing drag can be fun, educational and therapeutic for children of the right age, but it must never be presented to them in a sexual manner!
B) Some of the drag queen shows for kids I have seen online are disgusting! The parents have no rights to subject their children to a grown man doing sex shows in front of children! Nor should the child be encouraged to stuff cash into the g-strings of the drag queen that is basically sexually assaulting every child who is in attendance! It is NOT ok for a grown man to dress so scantily in front of such young children, showing their parts quite clearly and shaking those for the children!
6. Gender Dysphoria - All of the above can cause a child to develop this condition. It is real. IT can be inherited or developed. Our job is to make sure a child with this mental health issue gets supportive care, not be pushed into permanent life altering body mutilation.
"Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life."
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria
What is Gender Dysphoria?
The term “transgender” refers to a person whose sex assigned at birth (i.e. the sex assigned at birth, usually based on external genitalia) does not align their gender identity (i.e., one’s psychological sense of their gender). Some people who are transgender will experience “gender dysphoria,” which refers to psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity. Though gender dysphoria often begins in childhood, some people may not experience it until after puberty or much later.
People who are transgender may pursue multiple domains of gender affirmation, including social affirmation (e.g., changing one’s name and pronouns), legal affirmation (e.g., changing gender markers on one’s government-issued documents), medical affirmation (e.g., pubertal suppression or gender-affirming hormones), and/or surgical affirmation (e.g., vaginoplasty, facial feminization surgery, breast augmentation, masculine chest reconstruction, etc.). Of note, not all people who are transgender will desire all domains of gender affirmation, as these are highly personal and individual decisions.
It is important to note that gender identity is different from gender expression. Whereas gender identity refers to one’s psychological sense of their gender, gender expression refers to the way in which one presents to the world in a gendered way. For example, in much of the U.S., wearing a dress is considered a “feminine” gender expression, and wearing a tuxedo is considered a “masculine” gender expression. Such expectations are culturally defined and vary across time and culture. One’s gender expression does not necessarily align with their gender identity. Diverse gender expressions, much like diverse gender identities, are not indications of a mental disorder.
Gender identity is also different from sexual orientation. Sexual orientation refers to the types of people towards which one is sexually attracted. As with people who are cisgender (people whose sex assigned at birth aligns with their gender identity), people who are transgender have a diverse range of sexual orientations.
Diagnosis
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)1 provides for one overarching diagnosis of gender dysphoria with separate specific criteria for children and for adolescents and adults.
The DSM-5-TR defines gender dysphoria in adolescents and adults as a marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and their assigned gender, lasting at least 6 months, as manifested by at least two of the following:
- A marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and primary and/or secondary sex characteristics (or in young adolescents, the anticipated secondary sex characteristics)
- A strong desire to be rid of one’s primary and/or secondary sex characteristics because of a marked incongruence with one’s experienced/expressed gender (or in young adolescents, a desire to prevent the development of the anticipated secondary sex characteristics)
- A strong desire for the primary and/or secondary sex characteristics of the other gender
- A strong desire to be of the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one’s assigned gender)
- A strong desire to be treated as the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one’s assigned gender)
- A strong conviction that one has the typical feelings and reactions of the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one’s assigned gender)
In order to meet criteria for the diagnosis, the condition must also be associated with clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
The DSM-5-TR defines gender dysphoria in children as a marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, lasting at least 6 months, as manifested by at least six of the following (one of which must be the first criterion):
- A strong desire to be of the other gender or an insistence that one is the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one’s assigned gender)
- In boys (assigned gender), a strong preference for cross-dressing or simulating female attire; or in girls (assigned gender), a strong preference for wearing only typical masculine clothing and a strong resistance to the wearing of typical feminine clothing
- A strong preference for cross-gender roles in make-believe play or fantasy play
- A strong preference for the toys, games or activities stereotypically used or engaged in by the other gender
- A strong preference for playmates of the other gender
- In boys (assigned gender), a strong rejection of typically masculine toys, games, and activities and a strong avoidance of rough-and-tumble play; or in girls (assigned gender), a strong rejection of typically feminine toys, games, and activities
- A strong dislike of one’s sexual anatomy
- A strong desire for the physical sex characteristics that match one’s experienced gender
As with the diagnostic criteria for adolescents and adults, the condition must also be associated with clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Treatment
Support for people with gender dysphoria may include open-ended exploration of their feelings and experiences of gender identity and expression, without the therapist having any pre-defined gender identity or expression outcome defined as preferable to another.2 Psychological attempts to force a transgender person to be cisgender (sometimes referred to as gender identity conversion efforts or so-called “gender identity conversion therapy”) are considered unethical and have been linked to adverse mental health outcomes.2,3
Support may also include affirmation in various domains. Social affirmation may include an individual adopting pronouns, names, and various aspects of gender expression that match their gender identity.4,5 Legal affirmation may involve changing name and gender markers on various forms of government identification.6 Medical affirmation may include pubertal suppression for adolescents with gender dysphoria and gender-affirming hormones like estrogen and testosterone for older adolescents and adults.7, 8,9,10,11,12 Medical affirmation is not recommended for prepubertal children.7, 8 Some adults (and less often adolescents) may undergo various aspects of surgical affirmation.7,8,13
Family and societal rejection of gender identity are some of the strongest predictors of mental health difficulties among people who are transgender.14 Family and couples’ therapy can be important for creating a supportive environment that will allow a person’s mental health to thrive. Parents of children and adolescents who are transgender may benefit from support groups. Peer support groups for transgender people themselves are often helpful for validating and sharing experiences.
Challenges/Complications
Transgender people suffer from high levels of stigmatization, discrimination and victimization, contributing to negative self-image and increased rates of other mental health disorders.15 Transgender individuals are at higher risk of victimization and hate crimes than the general public. Suicide rates among transgender people are markedly higher than the general population.16
Transgender children and adolescents are often victims of bullying and discrimination at school, which can contribute to serious adverse mental health outcomes.17 Interventions are often needed to create safe and affirming school environments.
Transgender individuals may also face challenges in accessing appropriate health care and insurance coverage of related services.
Terminology
Important terms related to Gender Dysphoria:18
- Cisgender: Describes a person whose gender identity aligns in a traditional sense with the sex assigned to them at birth.
- Gender diverse: An umbrella term describing individuals with gender identities and/or expressions and includes people who identify as multiple genders or with no gender at all.
- Gender dysphoria: A concept designated in the DSM-5-TR as clinically significant distress or impairment related to gender incongruence, which may include desire to change primary and/or secondary sex characteristics. Not all transgender or gender diverse people experience gender dysphoria.
- Gender expression: The outward manifestation of a person’s gender, which may or may not reflect their inner gender identity based on traditional expectations. Gender expression incorporates how a person carries themselves, their dress, accessories, grooming, voice/speech patterns and conversational mannerisms, and physical characteristics.
- Gender identity: A person’s inner sense of being a girl/woman, boy/man, some combination of both, or something else, including having no gender at all. This may or may not correspond to one's sex assigned at birth.
- Nonbinary: A term used by some individuals whose gender identity is neither girl/woman nor boy/man.
- Sex/gender assigned at birth: Traditional designation of a person as “female,” “male,” or “intersex” based on anatomy (e.g., external genitalia and/ or internal reproductive organs) and/or other biological factors (e.g., sex chromosomes). “Sex” and “gender” are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct entities. It is best to distinguish between sex, gender identity, and gender expression and to avoid making assumptions about a person regarding one of these characteristics based on knowledge of the others. This is sometimes abbreviated as AFAB (assigned female at birth) or AMAB (assigned male at birth).
- Sexual orientation: Describes the types of individuals toward whom a person has emotional, physical, and/or romantic attraction.
- Transgender: An umbrella term describing individuals whose gender identity does not align in a traditional sense with the gender they were assigned at birth. It may also be used to refer to a person whose gender identity is binary and not traditionally associated with that assigned at birth.
Gender confusion is hard enough on a child without external pressures being put on them from public institutions! It is our ob to raise healthy children - whatever they choose to be! It is our job to support these children on this difficult path of life and make sure they do not self mutilate before they fully understood what that even means!!!
The suicide rate among transgender children is exponentially higher than that of the average child of the same age. Why? Because external pressures are driving them to it!
All adults pressure all children, but in different ways. We want to make sure they grow up with the ability to function in the world and not be victimized by anything. But, all these external pressures at such a young age is creating generations of victimized children who will be emotionally and psychologically damaged for the rest of their lives.
So, how do we move forward with supporting children who have this WITHOUT damaging other children? How can we, as a society, be responsible enough to fulfill the needs without creating more problems?
(more on this in a future article..... I need food!)
Friday, March 24, 2023
My Sister and My Epiphany Last Night
I think I finally figured out WHY my younger sister hates me and has distorted views of the past. When this epiphany hit it was powerful.
Being 53 and 8 years older than my sister, I know thing she never knew nor wanted to about our parents. The one thing I still do not really understand though, is why she pretty much hated me from the time she was born. I suppose I could blame that on culture that twisted an underlying mental illness into a warped perception of the past that fit her need to separate from reality and create one of her own.
Before my sister was born our parents fought all the time, but behind closed doors. Rarely did I see physical violence, but I could hear it. Most of the arguments were also kept behind closed doors. They kept up appearances outside those doors, but inside could be pure hell at times.
Clyde, the man who raised me and that I refer to as Dad, was a veteran of the Korean War, had participated in the MK Ultra Project and talked about it frequently. It was his participation in that project that led to his heroin addiction. I can still remember helping mom pack his lunches for work and putting his "medicine" in it. I remember the stories of how much they paid him to go in a room and take a pill or drink a glass of water and then be observed for hours. His retirement pay from the Army was quite good from the way we lived back then. To this day I never knew how much he received monthly.
Long before I was born he had retired from the Army and began working for Ford in Saline, Michigan. Mom was a stay at home mom, once I was born she never worked again, which was the same year that she and Clyde got married, 1970. Dad was Quality Control Management until she went to court to get him admitted to a mental facility against his will. I remember mom saying that dad made about $17 an hour before he was forced into retirement from Ford. Now, keep in mind this was the late 70's so that is some damn good income for back then. I remember when they went to buy a car, the funniest thing too. He worked for Ford but went and paid CASH for a 1976 red Monte Carlo with a split top vinyl roof and white leather seats!
I remember when mom got pregnant with my sister and all the fun we had shopping for her nursery. I picked out quite a bit of what we put in there. At the time we had this amazing Holly Park mobile home with 2 huge bay windows, one in the living room and one in the master bedroom. I recall it also had two sinks in the bathroom, sliding doors on the tub and china cabinets in the raised dining room. I still recall the metal banister around the dining room and many of the holiday meals we had there. Phoebe had her own room which was the bedroom right next to the living room. Mine was the one near the bathroom.
Phoebe could never know that once she was born, dad pretty much shunned me and she has carried on that behavior never even knowing that he did so. She was too young to even remember how he doted on her, spoiled her rotten. At times it felt like I was on the outside looking in, but I learned to love the new found freedoms it came with. In late 1979 or early 1980 - cannot recall the exact dates, I recall going to the courthouse with mom. This is when she got the order to have him hospitalized at Battle Creek VA Mental Hospital. I remember when the police showed up to take him away and how I screamed and tried to stop them. I remember mom standing there holding Phoebe and how one of the police said that they were there to help dad, he was sick and they were taking him to get help. The last coherent thing dad ever said to me was that it was ok, he needed the help.
After that I was an angry kid for a long time. Mom kept worrying about money and how we had to be careful now that dad wasn't working anymore. We went from living pretty much without limits, to such a strict budget that none of us were truly happy, or so it seemed.
As Phoebe grew, her bitterness towards me became VERY evident. She called me names, verbally degraded me every chance she got and mom rarely scolded her for it. Yes, I wore thick glasses, was over weight and had bad acne. Phoebe began early on to put on this air of perfection and luxury, especially when she had to go outside of the home. I am not sure where her need to do this came from, but it did begin VERY early on.
The bullying I suffered at school was nothing compared to the pure hatred my sister had for me at home. The real hatred began when we moved from Michigan to Kentucky though in 1985. I think this is where Phoebe's true rage towards me began because she got uprooted and forced to give up her friends that she loved so much. Mom always tried to blame that move off on me and my behavior, but her phone calls with family told a different story. Money was tight, rent was being increased, the car kept breaking down and she couldn't afford to fix it. Many times she sent it over to the high school to let the auto shop class repair it. According to those phone calls we were barely hanging on financially.
We stayed with a family member when we first got to Kentucky and that is when my rebellion began. I did not want to be there. I missed my school, missed my friends and did the typical 15 year old teenage rebellion shit of staying out late, running around with boys and anything to piss mom off. Phoebe began this strange separation around the same time. She seemed ashamed of being poor and began demanding high end clothes, high end hair care and expensive things we really could not afford and this put mom in a worse financial position that she was when we were in Michigan.
We moved around a few times when I finally got mom to send me back to Michigan. I couldn't take the environment at home anymore. I didn't fit in at the school I was forced to go to. We lived so far from town I couldn't really have friends and due to Phoebe's behavior I could not have them over. The main issue that drove me to leave was Phoebe doing things and blaming it on me, then mom believing her. It got too much so in 1986 I returned to Michigan where I met my first husband and ran off to Virginia Beach and got married.
Phoebe did not seem happier though. Their living conditions worsened and they had moved into a few houses that were basically falling down around them. When I left we had lived in a really crappy place out in a holler. When I briefly stopped in on my way to Virginia Beach, they had moved into a house on Blair Street that should have been red tagged long before they moved in. We did not stay long, the attitude from Phoebe was seething with rage so thick the air felt like you could cut it with a knife. I grabbed a few things and Ray and I left for Virginia Beach.
We had a baby girl in 1987 and the marriage fell apart in early 1989 when I left him and drove back to mom's. Phoebe had become this monster that I no longer even recognized. Her demands for the high end products had forced them to move to a lower priced house that was filled with black mold and falling apart. Her need to put on this air that she came from wealth was driving mom into insanity.
Mom liked Ray and kept trying to make us reconcile. I resented that. Even after the divorce she kept trying while Phoebe fell in love with my daughter and they became best buddies. I wasn't much of a real parent back then to be truthful. Mom took to my daughter and even though I worked, sometimes two jobs, it was never enough to please mom or Phoebe. I made good money but still relied on welfare for things and Phoebe HATED welfare, detested it and very verbal opinions about it. She loved the benefits of me working at the chinese restaurant though and all the free food.
Because of the time I spent working and going out with friends, mom was more of a parent to my daughter than I was during that time and Phoebe formed a bond with her as well. In 1991 I took a friend to see her sister on Mother's Day and met my second husband. We moved in together fairly quickly and this is when Phoebe began a campaign to get my daughter back with mom. The marriage was amazing back then. I got pregnant again fairly quickly and that's when the first bout with CPS began over my first daughter. Once Morgan was born, CPS showed up and took Brandi from school. My real hell began that day, but at the time I didn't even see the truth.
Brandi went from foster home to foster home while Phoebe became angrier and angrier. Each court date she was positive CPS would place Brandi with mom and each time they didn't her rage towards me grew. It wasn't until later in life that Brandi had told me that she and Phoebe had cooked up the whole thing because she wanted to go back to my mom's. For 7 years I had to do back breaking work to help pay for attorney fees and all sorts of other shit to fight the charges against my second husband. It wasn
''t until he had been falsely accused of abusing Brandi that the abuse to me began. Not once had he ever even raised his voice with me, but then he was falsely accused of hitting Brandi. I had a miscarriage in September of 1992 and then a preterm birth in 1993 because of the stress of fighting the lies that had been told to CPS and trying to jump through their hoops to get Brandi back. They did not take Morgan though, their entire case was that Lewis had hit Brandi because she was his step child. Nothing was farther from the truth though. He loved her like she was his own and he never once made a difference between either of the girls.
Phoebe's plan had failed though and CPS refused to place Brandi with mom. Due to the stress mom's depression got worse and her dementia began to kick in. I think it was 1998 that I finally gave up the fight against CPS because Brandi was getting totally screwed up in the head and worked with them for family placement in Michigan with her dad. It took a while but that finally happened and after that Phoebe's hatred was no longer just simmering under the surface. Now it came to full frontal assaults.
Not only did Phoebe lose the ability to visit Brandi when CPS took her, but once she went to Michigan Brandi was no longer in contact with Phoebe by phone. Mom became sicker and I knew she had cancer, even spoke to a few of her doctors but they did not listen to me. During this time Phoebe gave her best friend the boot because she got pregnant. Phoebe's need for fake appearances was overwhelming and mom finally broke down and went into a deep depression right before 1997.
For a brief time Phoebe came to stay with me. I received a frantic call from Carol that mom needed to be hospitalized and Phoebe was at her house. She feared CPS would put Phoebe in foster care because of mom's mental issues and begged me to pick her up so I did. Phoebe hated this arrangement and when mom got out of the hospital I waited for Carol to tell me when it was ok to bring Phoebe home to mom. When I did, it was clear mom still was not in a mental place to really handle anything so Carol began helping her out. I lived 90 miles away and had 4 children at home and one living in Michigan so my hands were full and I lived too far away to be of any real help.
Recently, Phoebe accused me of forcing mom into the hospital, kidnapping her and stealing mom's checks. Sadly, she somehow actually believes this and no amount of telling her to call Carol can convince her otherwise. Carol made sure mom's bills were paid during mom's depression spells. Carol made sure the house was stocked with food, Phoebe was taken care of and that was something Carol had discussed with me before it even happened. Not once have I ever handled mom's money,nor could I tell you how much she received. I never wanted to know and never wanted that responsibility because I knew that Phoebe was bleeding her dry and I wanted no part of that.
When mom passed away in 1999, I was pregnant with my sixth child. I think Phoebe resented the fact that she was not named on the life insurance and was not a part of the funeral planning. The funeral home would not even permit her into the conference room. Only those actually named in the policy were permitted in. After that she never really wanted to speak to me again, nor did she stay in contact with our older brother.
Just before mom passed away Phoebe had been going to college to become an accountant. She also worked nights as a stripper. She also berated me for receiving welfare, even though both Lewis and I worked, we did not bring in enough to support five children so yes, we drew welfare and food stamps. She hated any appearance of poverty,, was ashamed to admit she came from poverty and ashamed to admit her family lived in poverty. She knew of the abuse, just not how bad it had gotten. I was forced to listen to her berating conversation any time I reached out to her to try to have some form of relationship with my sister. Over time though our conversations became fewer and farther between.
If I could pull old Yahoo messenger logs, the night I finally left Lewis OMFG the rant she went on after telling me that if I ever left him she would help me. She ranted about how I was receiving SSI and wanted to know where all that money went because I was asking her for some money to cover the hotel a friend put me in for one night. At the time I was NOT receiving SSI, nor had I ever even applied for it, so I had no income. Phoebe could not accept this truth at all and was convinced in her mind that I was getting SSI and blew it somehow and kept demanding to know where the money went. This conversation was in all caps on her end I finally had to block her because I could not handle trying to convince her I had no income while I was coping with escaping a VERY violent relationship right after Lewis had tried to kill me and I knew he was looking for me.
Now, she looks down on me because I do receive SSI, even though I did fight for my SSDI. Apparently I did not get enough quarters in succession to qualify for it. Phoebe fails to accept that the abusive relationship kept me from working any job for very long. I got my Associates in the Arts in 1999, she refused to even come to graduation. The one thing Phoebe refuses to even see is that there was ZERO abuse until she and Brandi cooked up this plan to get CPS to take Brandi and place her with mom. The two of them torpedoed a wonderful marriage with false accusations. I am permanently disabled now because of the things Lewis did to me and it hurts that my own sister cannot admit her part in that.
Phoebe does not care who she hurts for her own personal satisfaction. Recently I listened to her go off on tangents after asking her a VERY simple thing. I have been in contact with my biological father and had requested some pictures from the family album. I did not ask for originals, just simply scan a few in and email them. Phoebe tried to emotionally blackmail me for the pictures and ended up not sending any.
I represent everything she hates. I get a government check that she feels I do not deserve. Even though I own my own land, my lifestyle is not approved by her, not that it actually needs to be, but she hates that I scratch out a low income living out here on my own. She forgets that when I left Lewis she had offered to help me get an apartment and on my feet, then went back on that to go off on a tangent about income she thought I had but in reality didn't. That same conversation is when she accused me of forcing mom into the hospital and kidnapping her. I suppose it may have felt that way to a middle school kid, but she wasn't really old enough to grasp the reality of the help mom needed at the time.
Phoebe kept taking the conversation off course and making it about all the things she thought were true, but refused to accept that they aren't and refused to keep on track. All I wanted was a few photos to send to my biological father, not a hard conversation. For her though it was an opportunity to voice so many untrue beliefs and refuse to even fact check them. She refuses to see that not once did I ever touch mom's money. When mom got sick it was Carol who used mom's money to make sure the rent was paid, utilities were paid, groceries were bought NOT me. I lived 90 miles away, Carol was at mom's daily while mom was sick and Phoebe simply cannot admit this.
The only one that has ever been obsessed with money is Phoebe, she even went to college to be an accountant who handles other people's money.
I think Phoebe is showing early signs of the same mental issues mom had. It is genetic and is handed down in our genetic make up. However, Phoebe got a double dose since dad was forcibly admitted to a mental facility. Since he is not my biological father, I had a genetic work up done and I do not carry the gene that made mom sick. Phoebe's behavior and false beliefs are similar to the early signs mom displayed before she went into her deep depression.
You cannot imagine how hard it is for me to see this happen three times to people I love. I watched my dad get taken away by the police, to a hospital where he was so heavily medicated he didn't even recognize mom. I watched mom go into a false reality for years before she died and I listened to her stories to make sure that one day I can write them down for her. I later learned many of the stories are true though...... Now I see my baby sister displaying the same need to live in a false reality and sadly there is nothing I can do, nor am I sure I want to after the hell I have lived through because of her.
Wow, I can finally admit that I have been angry with her for the lie she and Brandi cooked up back in 1993. I often wonder what my life would be like now if that lie had never existed. Brandi was in a group home in 1997 when she admitted Phoebe made her do it. Even her therapist told me this. My life took a dark turn after that lie and Phoebe has zero remorse for doing it. Phoebe feels justified somehow and refuses to even apologize for it.
Writing is most definitely therapeutic. I can finally let go of the hope that she will ever admit her part in the disaster she made of my marriage and my life, but most importantly the lives of my other five children. They did end up with a better life than I could have ever given them after the lie. But we will never know if their lives could have been good at home with their parents. That was taken from us. Due to the abuse I had to get the children out and turned them over to CPS myself after Lewis wanted to commit murder suicide. In 2003 I tricked him into signing papers that terminated our parental rights and allowed all five to be adopted by an amazing couple. I will be forever grateful to Carol and Jerry Pace for adopting them.
I am not bitter about not being able to be a mother to my children. I am not bitter about my marriage falling apart. That lie revealed the true monster that Lewis was. Although my path has been difficult, it has made me the strong person I am today.
I will pray that my sister's eyes are opened and she finds forgiveness within herself for the things she has done. She is my sister and I will always love her, but I do not have to endure the verbal assaults and false beliefs she refuses to see are false. When she comes to me sincerely, my heart and door will be open. Until then, I pray that she finds truth, accepts it and gets some professional help to understand it all.
Phew, I will likely pen more on this issue but I have to get some yard work done today. It will never get done if I don't get off the laptop for a while :)
Monday, March 20, 2023
Fundraiser and Getting Things Off My Chest
I have put together a fundraiser. Hopefully it will see some results. Those who follow this blog know just a portion of what I have been dealing with the last 4 years..... But, will know more by the end of this post. Here is the fundraiser link..... Even if you can't donate, please share it.
https://www.givesendgo.com/jellybeanthecat
I came to my property in February of 2019 and have been setting up from bare land ever since. A well meaning friend convinced me to rent out some spots and I was lucky to get one GOOD renter! The rest have been nightmares to say the least!
I have tried helping friends who were in bad spots, even one I considered a stepson. But, drug use by them created situations that forced me to evict them and they left behind to worst messes imaginable! Pictures and video of these messes can be seen on my Facebook profile http://www.facebook.com/mischievousslave
Due to being forced to clean up these nasty messes and fix / replace all the things that got broken or went missing, MY projects have been on hold far too long. I have heard so many selfish excuses from those I tried to help and seen them trying to pass blame off onto everyone else except themselves. No one forced them to make these messes. No one forced them to live worse than hogs in a barn. No one forced them to pile up trash until it was knee deep and so nasty that even they couldn't stand it. They CHOSE to live that way and they need to accept the responsibility of that choice.
They can go around calling me the bitch all they want, but the reality of the situation is that I confronted them with the realities of being a grown ass adult and instead of accepting it they chose to run away from it to go trash someone else's place.
I am beginning to believe that bi-polar and ADHD are not the real issues with ANY of the people I have opened my home and land to. Each of them had other drug use issues that they failed to disclose before being allowed to live out here even when they were made very aware that illegal drugs are not welcome on this property. They chose to break this agreement and use illegal drugs here, trash the place then try to blame ME because they had to move. When a landlord makes it clear BEFORE a tenant moves in that illegal drug use will not be tolerated - and the renter chooses to break that trust, they are at fault not the landlord.
I am tired of being used and manipulated for other peoples personal gain. Just last week someone came to me claiming they were leaving their partner and had a crisis with their car payment. They stayed 2 nights and when they realized I would NOT dip into my money to give them what they needed they left and I have not heard a peep from them since.
Another put me in the middle of a situation that is NOT mine to begin with. I do not want to be in that mess but this person has zero respect for that and zero respect for my personal boundaries. A good example happened Friday. All I did was provide him a ride out here and drive him to the corner. When what he hoped to happen failed, I was forced to listen to his jealous rants about those on the hill using their money for alcohol and drugs instead of investing and being responsible with their money (in his eyes). He ranted for HOURS even after I repeatedly asked him to stop the negative shit. I mean say it once and move the fuck on no one wants to hear the same jealous bullshit over and over!!! It is total jealousy too because he seems to resent those on SSI because he has no real source of regular income and spews rage over how those getting SSI spend their pittance.
The funny thing is that the jealous one has put me in the middle of a fuss with those on the hill over an item stored up there. Those on the hill seem to think I want it. Personally, I would not have the item. I have one of my own! It may be smaller and need a little more work, but I have one. I do not give a rats ass what happens to the item in question - not my circus not my monkey! But I keep getting pulled into the middle of that fuss no matter how much I scream to leave me out of it.
The one who wanted help with the car payment dumped 3 cats off on me over Thanksgiving. While they were here last week the partner got upset that I rehomed the male cat. Apparently they had wanted me to hold the tomcat until they had found better living arrangements. GEE, ya dump them off, never provide not one single drop of food for them, no little NOTHING in the way of support for them and then have the audacity to be upset when I rehome one of them???? If you wanted me to hold them you should have said so instead of saying - you've inherited 3 cats!!!! Not only that, none of the 3 were litter trained and I most certainly haven't seen you cleaning up their shit when they do not use the litterbox!
I have so-called friends who promise to come out here to help and never show. One friend has a similar idea of what I hope to achieve out here, lots of words and zero action. I have other friends who only like me when they need something, then talk shit when they don't need anything. But where are any of them when I need something?
I have another friend, whom I have helped in the past, that seems to think I should practically give her mom the best camper I have out here so they get can her brother out of her mom's house and into a sort of man cave. She is not willing to take the fixer upper, even after I go through the expense of cleaning it up. She is not the only one with their hand stuck out wanting one of the campers out here. Those sticking their hand out do not want to help me clean them up after the asshats trashed said campers, nor do they want to give fair market value for them taking into consideration the condition after cleaning them up!
I have people who want odd jobs, but when a task is agreed on they find reasons not to show up. Others barely work off the trade item then skip after promising to return and finish the task that was agreed on, then some just want me to outright give them things with nothing in trade for it.
I have nothing of real value here. What I do have is an assortment of broken shit that I am trying to repurpose and make work.
I have come to the conclusion that if my boundaries cannot be respected then I have to step away from the toxic friendship and move on.
The fundraiser above will go to exactly what it is set up for. Receipts will be posted on JellyBean's page as funds are available. Pix and video will also be posted there. We were blessed last week with a wonderful trade for 14 boxes of laminate wood flooring! Some LP's were left in the motorhome so I traded them for the flooring. It should be more than enough to do my entire 5th wheel with plenty left over to repair the kitchen floor in the motorhome too! MAYBE even enough for the little camper on my driveway.
On the renovation project what I am in most need of is plywood - not OSB or presswood - actual plywood. Pieces are fine since the projects are not for full sheets. If anyone has any scrap pieces of plywood they want to get rid of just leave a comment here please.
Things have gone slow for over a year due to the above bullshit and me being down from the foot injury and 2 surgeries on the same foot. I am mobile now and back to tackling one thing at a time though, so be patient I have to get my body back into condition to do these things.
Thanks in advance and sorry for rambling.
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Churches, Money and Misconceptions (Catlady Bible Study # 1)
It is a sad fact that 99.99% of all churches are driven by their nee / greed for money. It does not matter which denomination you are with, they all spend a fair portion of their message begging for money or preaching about tithing. However, none of them grasp the true meaning of tithing or how a church should cover its cost of operations. This drive for money also drives away many people who are turned off by the constant begging for money, instead of focusing on the message they are supposed to deliver.
Matthew 6:24
KJV Dictionary Definition: tithe
tithe
TITHE, n. The tenth part of any thing; but appropriately, the tenth part of the increase annually arising from the profits of land and stock, allotted to the clergy for their support. Tithes are personal, predial, or mixed; personal, when accruing from labor, art, trade and navigation; predial, when issuing from the earth, as hay, wood and fruit; and mixed, when accruing from beasts, which are fed from the ground.
Notice it speaks of a form of physical labor, but in no way does it mention MONEY.
In the Old Testament to tithe meant to bring a portion of the crops, a portion of the sheep, a portion of ANYTHING made by hand or with physical labor to the temple.
Why then, or when did the church translate this into money / cash?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe
The Old Testament is very clear as to what tithing is and what it is to be used for.
"This mandatory tithe was distributed locally "within thy gates" (Deuteronomy 14:28) to support the Levites and assist the poor."
Tithing is NOT meant to pay electric bills with, it is not meant to pay musicians with, it is not meant to decorate the church with or any other frivolous thing. Tithing is meant to support the priests / preachers and assist the poor - within the gates. When it says within the gates it means the entire city inside the gates of that city.
This is how the antichrist has deceived the church, the very elect who are led astray by false teachings. The church treats those who do not tithe very poorly because they feel entitled to this amount from every person who walks through their doors. But this is not what is taught in the Bible.
In the New Testament, tithing is dealt with quite differently. Jesus taught that you give what you are able to, even if that amount is not the prescribed tenth from the Old Testament.
https://www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-10-the-widow-when-she-gave-all-that-she-had/
3. THE THIRD LESSON IS THAT HE SEES AND COUNTS AS PRECIOUS THE SMALL GIFTS GIVEN BY THOSE WHO ARE QUITE POOR.
In verse 42 we are told that ”a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny.” The actual monetary value of her gift was very small indeed - so small that we may well imagine the crowds probably did not even notice her gift. However, she received great praise from the lips of the Lord Himself. How gracious was His word of commendation! Many thought her gift was too small to count, but Jesus saw it as the greatest offering that had been given that day. Her gift teaches us that there are no excuses for not giving. We may say that our income is too small or that the church does not really need our money; but what a blessing would come to the Lord’s work everywhere if we would first set aside that which belongs to Him - which after all is His due! - look up 2 Corinthians 8:5.
Bu this time the church had already corrupted the meaning of tithing into money rather than fruits of labor. The widow put all that she had as a GIFT and the Lord said her gift was more precious than that of a wealthy man, why? Because she gave everything to the Lord, keeping nothing for herself.
It is when we realize that we have nothing without the Lord that we see what is due Him.
Proud people will boast of their deeds. Brag and demand some kind of praise from other people. Have you ever noticed in churches certain plaques, or recognition of contributions? Some print it in the Sunday handouts. There is no place in the Bible where it says for the church to do this. It is actually against what is written in the Bible.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
King James Version (KJV)
I Corinthians 10:31
King James Bible
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
'
Where does it say to give thanks to any MAN? It doesn't. This is yet another way the church has corrupting the meaning of giving thanks or receiving gifts.
When we realize that the antichrist already has possession of the brick and mortar churches, then we can see how the antichirst has been here all along, doing exactly what the Bible said he would do - deceive the very elect.
The antichrist has been with us since the beginning of time and has sought to turn the true message of Christ into Babble......
I will leave this study on that note and encourage you to research the word Babble for the next study!!!
Friday, March 10, 2023
Bank Failure's 2 down in 48 hours
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/08/silve
Crypto-focused bank Silvergate is shutting operations and liquidating after market meltdown
- Silvergate Capital announced on Wednesday that it will wind down operations and liquidate its bank.
- The firm has served as one of two main banks for the crypto industry, along with Signature Bank.
- All deposits will be fully repaid, according to a liquidation plan shared on Wednesday.
In this article

, a central lender to the crypto industry, said on Wednesday that it’s winding down operations and liquidating its bank. The stock plunged more than 36% in after-hours trading.
Silvergate has served as one of the two main banks for crypto companies, along with New York-based Signature Bank
. Silvergate has just over $11 billion in assets, compared with over $114 billion at Signature. Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX was a major Silvergate customer.
“In light of recent industry and regulatory developments, Silvergate believes that an orderly wind down of Bank operations and a voluntary liquidation of the Bank is the best path forward,” the company said in a statement.
All deposits will be fully repaid, according to a liquidation plan shared on Wednesday. The company didn’t say how it plans to resolve claims against its business.
Centerview Partners will act as Silvergate’s financial advisor and Cravath, Swaine & Moore will provide legal services.
The liquidation comes less than a week after Silvergate discontinued its payments platform known as the Silvergate Exchange Network, or SEN, which was considered to be one of its core offerings. As part of the liquidation announcement, Silvergate clarified that all other deposit-related services remain operational as the company winds down. Customers will be notified should there be any further changes.
Silvergate said last week it would delay the filing of its annual 10-K for 2022 while it sorted out the “viability” of its business. The company disclosed that the delayed filing was partly due to an imminent regulatory crackdown, including a probe already underway by the Department of Justice.
Silvergate also attributed the delay to Congressional inquiries, as well as investigations from its banking regulators, which include the Federal Reserve and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.
Crypto companies like Coinbase
and Galaxy Digital raced to cut ties with Silvergate last week after the bank warned that it was unsure whether it could stay in business.
Silvergate has been struggling for months. In addition to laying off 40% of its workforce in January, the firm reported a nearly $1 billion dollar net loss in the fourth quarter following a rush for the exits at the end of last year that saw customer deposits plummet 68% to $3.8 billion. To cover the withdrawals, Silvergate had to sell $5.2 billion dollars of debt securities.
The firm went to the Federal Home Loan Bank for an additional $4.3 billion. That loan drew attention from lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, who said this “further introduced crypto market risk into the traditional banking system.”
Investment firms Citadel Securities and BlackRock recently took major stakes in Silvergate, buying up 5.5% and 7%, respectively.
WATCH: Silvergate plunges in pre-market trading after delaying its annual report

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