Blood Pressure Rising

Two Out of Three

2009-03-25T02:58:00.001-04:00

It has been said that good and bad things happen in groups of three.

This week, the bad incidents are occurring more often.

The first notice of sadness is the Flint Journal announcing it will only be printing three editions a week – Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays – starting in June. The Journal has chronicled life in the Flint area throughout our entire lifetime, as well as the parents of us baby boomers (since 1876).

It is even sadder after hearing a third of the Staff either will be or has been laid off. I wonder what will happen to those of us who foolishly paid for a year’s subscription three months ago.

This is not the only newspaper casualty in Michigan. The Journal’s sister papers, The Saginaw News and Bay City Times, also will cut back on production. In addition, the Ann Arbor News recently announced it will publish its final edition in July.

The second event was the passing of baseball legend George Kell. Although I was not old enough to have watched him play, I did grow up listening to his voice on the radio and enjoying him on television from 1959 through the 2000’s.

Kell and Ernie Harwell are the voices of our generation for the Detroit Tigers.

Well, the third shoe will drop before the end of the week. Let’s just hope it is not a bad heavy thud.

Choking on Words

2009-03-23T05:15:00.000-04:00

Senator Carl Levin is as two-faced as a politician there is, sitting on the mount and preaching his stupid rhetoric. Our dear senior Senator is discussing his outrage over the AIG bonuses.

Please remember, Levin voted “yes” to all of these bailout packages which allowed the money to flow like mercury (with the same toxic effects). He now expresses his dismay that $165 million is being misused.

Levin has the audacity to compare AIG with the automakers’ plight all in the same breath. He just needs to hang on. For in the next year, we will receive notice as to how the banking industry is misusing the windfall.

Below is a quote from a man who needs to be ousted from office with lightning speed:

“I recognize that my disgust with this situation is not unique. But I want to briefly discuss the appalling double standard that has been revealed by the treatment of hundreds of thousands of honest autoworkers who are victims of the current financial crisis, compared to the treatment a few hundred over-paid financial executives whose poor judgment and greed helped cause AIG’s and our nation’s financial crisis.”

The man is an idiot if he truly believes the billions of dollars he and his co-conspirators have given away will be used prudently.

Term limits, on all elected officials, is in order. Please remember this politician and his brethren (including Chris Dodd) when the next election comes around. Exorcise these demons who are the real villains in this American tragedy.

Friday's Rambling

2009-03-13T05:45:00.000-04:00

Every computer I have ever worked with, up to and including this one, whether at work or home, has had glitches. Does anyone else have the same issues?

There have been times when the only use I see for the future of certain machines is as a boat anchor. This particular version of my discomfort is an HP Pavilion w1907 with Vista Home Premium.

Constantly, I find myself rebooting for proper Internet connection. It did not matter if it was cable or our new high speed DSL connection. When the Internet works, it is marvelous. As the situation goes awry, I want to pick the computer up and throw it through a window.

This blog has exhausted my fertile imagination to a dried up prune. Having stated that, I am going to scale back from an every day article and write as inspiration strikes me. I supposed that will occur two to three times a week, depending on issues that arise in the world. Anyone who would like to be a guest blogger is welcome to submit articles by e-mail (jasperjack.pressure@gmail.com) or through Facebook, where a majority of you have my contact information.

Until next week, have a wonderful weekend and hug someone close to you, preferably someone in service to our country.

Mind Your Manners

2009-03-12T05:24:00.001-04:00

Today’s world has witnessed the smallest amount of manners go by the wayside. There are numerous people that are in such a hurry it seems a modicum of common courtesy is lacking. Maybe I am just plain old fashioned, or somehow, the lessons my father taught me have stuck throughout the years.

When it comes to women, the acts of always holding a door, chair or even their coat, as they put it on, have lost their place in society. The glares from people in a public setting, as I hold my wife’s coat for her, are of disbelief. Holding doors for another person always has been the normal gesture for me, as well as a lot of my friends.

These common courtesies should carry over to everything you do – from telephone etiquette to driving an automobile.

Rather than flipping someone off just because they fail to practice your same values, courtesy and patience behind the wheel of a car will get you farther down the road.

Telephone pleasantries have become things of the past with personal people skills being lacked by most of the machines we all try to converse with daily. A simple “Hello” or “May I please speak with Mister or Mrs. Smith?” is all too uncommon. Instead, you are assailed with “yeahs,” “yos,” “ahs” and other assorted guttural sounds.

If a person you know acts in a way you find manner less, go ahead and remind them they will be treated the same way they treat other people. It’s the simple Golden Rule.

Bishop “International” Airport?

2009-03-11T04:30:00.001-04:00

Why does Bishop Airport find it necessary to refer to itself an international airport? The farthest you can fly is Las Vegas, Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers (in season) all located in the foreign countries of Nevada, Georgia and Florida.

To my knowledge there has not been an international flight in over 30 years. Even then, I believe it was from Mexico. MBS (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) International Airport, formerly Tri City Airport, is another case of misinformation.

After researching the subject, answers suddenly appeared. By definition, an international airport is a facility equipped with customs and immigration services able to handle international flights.

Some airports, especially in smaller United States cities, such as Flint, in fact have no scheduled international airline passenger service but do have customs and immigration capabilities, which are only available with several hours advance notice. Another example is the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids.

A few, such as Gary/Chicago International Airport in Indiana, are in fact not international airports at all. Instead, they aspire to become such in the future and have added the “international” status as a marketing tool.

Finally, other airports, which previously served international flights and now only provide domestic options, retained the “international” designation in their name.

Now you will have to fly to Detroit Metro or Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to arrive anywhere close to an international destination.

Someone in the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) should have to explain why an airport, the size of Bishop, needs 10 agents on duty for four flights. I am positive that in Atlanta or Detroit, they need 20 times as many. I witnessed a man drinking a large soda, from a McDonald’s cup, told he was not able to bypass the first security checkpoint. The result was a large gulp, followed by an even larger belch.

Just proves our taxes are being used to the maximum effectiveness.

Mac Attack

2009-03-10T04:41:00.000-04:00

A review of the Sunday night Fleetwood Mac concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills is in order.

Let me begin with the seats my bride and I were assigned. Although we saved close to a hundred dollars on the tickets through eBay, they left something to be desired. Our floor seats, the most expensive in the house, were neither on the floor, for we had chairs, nor were the seats of any use, as we stood up for the entire entertaining two and a half hour performance.

Mick Fleetwood, now at age 61, along with fellow band mates, founding father John McVie, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocal specialist Stevie Nicks, put together a tight performance of hits through the years. It was a nice change not having to listen to a new album with selected cuts no one has heard before.
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Fleetwood's and McVie's solid rhythm, as well as Buckingham's splendid no-pick finger playing were a delight to the ears. The vocals from Lindsey and Stevie were spot on as they showed some of their old personal chemistry.

They thoroughly left the crowd satisfied with two encores, a superb three quarter arena stage set-up and excellent lighting. Fleetwood Mac is a must see if you are a fan and have the opportunity.

LOL----BRB----BFF

2009-03-09T00:13:00.001-04:00

As promised to an avid reader – a short discussion on text messaging. First, let me make it clear I do not practice the art form. My daughter derides me for never learning the proper method of typing, yet she has the fastest thumbs in our house.

What is the difference between my chicken pecking on the keyboard and her two thumbs texting? I believe we will keep up this style of communication to the point of having our opposable thumbs evolve into an entirely new appendage.

As far as the assassination of the English language, there will have been new dictionaries written for the expressed purpose of deciphering this coded form of language. Wnt Tht B Gr8? The best one I have seen is *Ss (Starbucks). Eventually, classes like Ebonics will be taught in schools just for young children to learn the new dialects being transmitted on the small portable screens.

All of this comes at a price, as many parents are becoming aware. Service with unlimited text messaging is a must for anyone supporting a child with a phone under your roof. Text message rates on some services, for those of you with a child and active thumbs, can run into the hundreds of dollars.

As with talking on a cell phone while driving, a person texting while operating an automobile is the most dangerous behavior I have ever witnessed.

In the immortal words of my hero Winnie the Pooh, “TTFN.”

Friday's Rambling

2009-03-06T04:20:00.000-05:00

Pride in a job well done has become a lost art for employees working for other people. You will not find this to be true if a person is self-employed.

While having insulation work done this week, I was forced to listen to the head of the crew deride his employer, who happens to be a friend of mine. You would think a person would be happy just to have a job in the Flint, Michigan area, rather than spending work time complaining constantly about the boss and the job conditions. Sure, it is outdoor work, but the temperature was above freezing – deal with it!

The legislature will turn into an extremely ugly and stupid morass if things don’t turn for the better in the next six months. I predict this as a warning to all of the still sane people holding on to their collective breaths.

Whatever we do as citizens of America, we must present a united front in our demeanor and actions. The enemies of this country will swoop like buzzards on road kill at the first sign the American spirit is breaking. Panic is not an option for the times and the path that lies ahead for all of us.

Please always remember those brave and courageous men and women in service to our country. Hug a soldier,airman, sailor or, if you are brave, a Marine.

Enjoy a great weekend. See you on Monday.

Further Trials of House Husbands

2009-03-05T03:58:00.001-05:00

Let’s being this dissertation by discussing our walk-in closet. The enclosure measures 5’x 6’ with three five-foot racks for hanging of clothing articles. Compressed, I get 30 inches out of 15 feet. In my 30 inches, I have to hang two coats and all my shirts and pants.

My darling bride, of 36 years, has made use of the remaining rack space. In addition, there are shelves around the back and sides, all filled with everything from pajamas to shoes, which are all hers.

The basement laundry area also has been converted into racks of work scrubs, coats, and oh yeah, hangers full of drying brassieres. Out of 15 total drawers in the master bedroom, I am allocated six, all of which are stuffed, crammed and piled with my seldom or unworn clothing. After all, us guys all have items of clothing we will not or are unable to wear.

Shoes – good heavens where do you being to describe the difference between men and women and their shoes. I personally own four pair of shoes – two dress (black), two pair of athletic shoes (one black, one white) and two pair of boots (winter/work)which live in the garage.

Between the two women residing here, they must own at least 40 pairs of all shoe types. Our daughter owns at least eight pair of flip flops (useless footwear in my mind). My dear wife has athletic shoes for all occasions – treadmill, YMCA, walking, gardening, mowing the lawn and those special occasion shoes. She also has pumps, flats, sandals, and the list goes on and on.

Every spring, summer and fall, they are off to Payless for additions to the collection,cannot pass up a chance for buy one get one half off(BOGO). To accommodate the variety of shoes, we even purchased a special cedar chest. Now, the top on this furniture piece will barely close due to the over abundance of unworn footwear.

Blood pressure low – more to follow.

Please--- Lose The Insanity

2009-03-04T04:03:00.000-05:00

AIG (American International Group) has lost $61 billion in three months of business, in addition apparently to the government’s $150 billion bailout. They are now asking for $30 billion more in bailout funds

Is this insanity with AIG ever going to cease? When will the fools on the hill quit spending themselves rich? In America, by definition, we are far from even practicing socialism.

In order to classify our society as socialists, the people would require a share in the proceeds. The United States government is busy subsidizing all of these failing, greed-ridden corporations. The American people are neither benefiting nor receiving any of the so called “returns” of this mass wealth distribution.

Once again, the taxpayers, in all wealth brackets, are shouldering the burden of overzealous greed mongers. This makes my blood boil, as each day the stories keep being hurled at us with the velocity and lethal force of winter time ice balls. Our economy will wait until 2011 to turn around, just in time for the next election, with both sides of the political spectrum taking the credit.

The democratic President’s plan has worked, and the right wing will spout had we not banded together to straighten this out, we would be mired in the same rut.

There will be a slight improvement for the mid-term elections, but it will only be a fraction of what we as American citizens will need to stave off the depression we are surly facing.

Where Are We Headed?

2009-03-03T06:12:00.000-05:00

It was President Thomas Jefferson who once said:

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

Citigroup, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and the other Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) recipients are all guilty of not protecting their customers’ assets. They and their counterparts, who have fed from the federal money buffet, have lost touch with reality of personal financial dealings.

Bank of America’s CEO, using a $5 million Gulfstream G5 jet, at the cost of $5,000 an hour to fly to and from Washington D.C. to testify to the fools on the hill, is right out of “The Wizard of Oz.” He should just click the heels of his ruby Gucci loafers and save the taxpayers millions of dollars. Better yet, ask the Wizard for a brain, a heart and a soul.

The insanity is only going to increase until the government quits shoveling money on the fire. The banks have no fiscal responsibility what so ever and need to be broken until they are able to show the American taxpayer they deserve our assistance.

Possibly, they could take Jefferson’s quote to heart, uttered over 200 years ago.

Pressure is boiling over at the thought of this situation.

Phone Etiquette

2009-03-02T04:34:00.000-05:00

Back in the day, when one rotary phone served the entire house full of people, unless there was a death in the family, talking on the phone was not appropriate during dinner times or when company was visiting.

Now, it seems as though talking on a phone is perfectly okay under all circumstances.

While enjoying or trying to enjoy a quiet dinner with your spouse or family, the sounds of ring tones going off every five seconds invades your conscious thought pattern. If that wasn’t enough, the people, who just cannot go five minutes without communicating with the outside world, talk loud enough making you feel like you are being dragged into their conversations.

Numerous times, I have had the urge to ask those people, spending at least 30 minutes of their time on the phone, if they have a preference as to which body part they would like permanently attached to the phone.

It’s not only disconcerting, it’s downright rude. Certainly, employers feel the same way toward their employees who find it necessary to talk half a shift away.

In addition, driving and cell phones do not mix. Unless you are the passenger, all phone use should be outlawed (and the varmints hung) in all jurisdictions. Also, a driver’s decision of wearing/not wearing a seatbelt should be an individual choice. But eliminate their rights to talk on the phone, text or even play Tetris.

Friday's Rambling

2009-02-27T05:16:00.000-05:00

For all of you whom are working and searching for a new job, good luck. Just remember to make yourselves as valuable to your current employer as possible.

The job market, as you are discovering, is flooded with at least 100 applicants for every position being filled. The point being, hang on to the sure thing. And reach for the moon in search endeavors.

The City of Flint’s political scene has somewhat returned to normal with Michael Brown, a competent man, at the helm. The “Don” Williamson refuses to die a whimpering death, much to the amazement of the taxpaying public. Twenty-two Michigan cities require residents to pay income taxes. Flint is one of the few requiring the non residents, who work inside city limits, to pay a half percent incoming tax. The strange part is while you pay the half percent, you absolutely have no say in the City’s economic decisions. Talk about taxation without representation.

Sports sponsorships are taking a major hit. Companies having received Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) Funds are cutting back on sponsoring major events, most notably PGA Tournaments. Among these entities were the Royal Bank of Scotland, Wachovia and other government fund recipients. Someone must have realized a portion of the biggest financial deals have been brokered on golf courses throughout the world.

I would like to take a moment to thank this blog’s senior editor for guest writing for a couple of days. After all, he has the talent which makes this somewhat readable. He previously was an editor-in-chief for two college newspapers, as well as a reporter with two daily publications.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend. Don’t worry about a thing. Everything will be okay – recovery is just around the corner, yada, yada, yada!

Heal the Sick

2009-02-26T04:13:00.002-05:00

Currently, 46 million Americans are without health care. Countless others maintain the bare necessity health coverage. In other words, one week of intensive care will place those individuals and their families in debt for the rest of their lives.

A general surgeon earns approximately $6,000 for a one-hour procedure, such as a tonsillectomy or gall bladder removal. One can only image how much a heart or vascular surgeon makes for a three to eight-hour procedure. Health care professionals must consider all additional expenses, from a disposable glove to the CEO’s cut on each and every visit to a care facility.

You have all read about the retired auto employees starting to lose the benefits they worked a minimum of 30 years to receive. Stop and look at hospital employees, where everyone, from department heads to registered nurses to housekeepers, have no guaranteed health benefits upon retirement. There is no pension additives available to defray the costs of the decent insurance they enjoyed while working in their respective medical fields.

This is not just an isolated instance. It happens to be the norm at hospitals and care facilities throughout the United States. In some way, this trend affecting all Americans must be reversed. Please also consider the optical and dental industries in the equation, for they continue to prosper right along with the medical institutions.

How many times have you been in an office, where you are lined up like sheep in what I refer to as the mill mass production process of medical or optical care? Eight rooms available – have a seat, the doctor will be in to spend his allotted five minutes with you to discuss your problem(s). You leave their offices with your head spinning and blood pressure on the rise!

Treat the symptoms with a pill or a cream, and be on your merry way. Oh, don’t forget they will want to see you again in two to three weeks for a follow-up mill trip.

Down in “Jungleland”

2009-02-25T05:13:00.002-05:00

Guest blog by Christopher “Skippy” Miller, Senior Editor

Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 hit greatly details life in “South” Florida. Notice the word “South” in quotes? That’s because we reside in a completely different country. It’s as if this area, consisting of three counties, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade, succeeded from the remaining Florida territory.

Let’s take a quick look at the dynamics of South Florida. As of 2007, the three counties had a combine population of more than 5.5 million people. The number constantly fluctuates, as we live in an extremely transient area.

In addition, South Florida boasts a highly diverse community with the population coming from a large portion of Latin America, especially South America, Central America and the Caribbean islands. To name a few places, residents hail from Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and other countries across the world.

Another large factor includes the residents who were former snowbirds from the Northeast cities, such as Boston, New Jersey and New York. Many of them come from a variety of age-ranges, mostly retirees, and tend to be Jewish-American, Italian-American, Irish-American, Puerto Rican-American, and so forth.

To put it simply, there are a lot of freaking people living in a thin strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Everglades in the west.

For the past nearly three years, the City of Sunrise remains our temporary home. It’s only temporary because we rent an apartment. The price of housing has skyrocketed over the years. Here, the “American Dream” is owning a two-bedroom condominium or townhouse (otherwise known as glorified apartments) for no less than $250,000.

My wife and I laugh every time we drive past the four empty high-rise complexes, located by the BankAtlantic Center (home of the Florida Panthers). The word “empty” sticks out only because each suite starts at no less than $750,000. What a waste of money constructing these vacant residential towers!

Can you imagine the type of housing a single family can afford elsewhere for the same amount of money?

Luckily, property values are decreasing, but only thanks to continuing increase of foreclosed homes. However, as a middle class family, we still are unable to afford a “house,” featuring our own “yard” with “space” between the neighbors.

Fortunately, we are not considering South Florida as a permanent home. Besides, Broward County is frequently featured as a location for the hit show “Cops.”

Thanks to our faith, immense family values and through our church Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale, India Summer Jean Miller will never possess the “I won’t ever see you again, so why should I care?” attitude so many South Floridians consider as “normal” behavior toward all mankind.

"A Taste of Homesickness"

2009-02-24T04:27:00.003-05:00

Guest blog by Christopher "Skippy" Miller, Senior Editor

It’s February and 73 degrees outside. My wife, nearly two-year-old daughter and I just got back from a walk, of course in our shorts. Unfortunately, it’s not quite warm enough to run the air conditioner. Hence, the windows are wide open, allowing fresh air to fill our apartment.

Yet, this former Michigander still, in a sick, twisted way, misses the cold, snowy weather.

Don’t get me wrong, you can keep the unbearable driving conditions associated with winter. However, I am highly fond of and thrive well in the “cold.” It’s quite similar to my immunity to eating a favorite food enhancer, hot sauce.

This coming July marks four years since Heather and I decided to move to Florida. At the time, it was an opportunity for us to try a new place, featuring an essential element – jobs.

She quickly was offered a teaching contract in Broward County. I shortly found employment as a Public Relations Director for a nonprofit agency which provides services for the elderly. We have since maintained the same positions.

All things changed on April 29, 2007. Our daughter, India Summer Jean, was born. The yearning to be closer to family grew even more than before. We had hoped India was able to see and experience her grandparents more often. But, it’s difficult being 1,500 miles away.

Sure, we visit Michigan, and they come to Florida. But, living closer would equal an abundance of free babysitting opportunities. There is only one major issue for us moving closer – a lack of jobs. During the past year, I continued to apply for open positions to destinations elsewhere in Florida, Michigan and even North Carolina. I have had a handful of interviews, but no takers.

One big issue in Florida, particularly South Florida, is my inability to speak a second language. Most employers seek bilingual candidates. Unless Cyborg is considered a second language, I’m up a creek.

The problem in Michigan is too many other, more than qualified people are applying for the same posting. One job yielded over 120 applicants. I was one of them.

Heather is another story. Teaching jobs are even harder to come by. It took a close friend, after college, five years to land his first teaching gig. Even if Heather was hired, there is no guarantee she would keep the job in a year or two. School districts constantly are creatively managing budgets, including ousting experienced instructors.

In our case, we must stay put, or just follow the wisdom of the great Red Green, “Keep your stick on the ice.” We continue to pay our bills, raise our daughter and make the most of the situation. Do we regret moving here? Nope, but homesickness does occur more often.

Negative Feedback

2009-02-23T03:52:00.001-05:00

Many readers of this blog have expressed their feelings by e-mail, instead of using the comment feature. I have chosen not to copy and paste them as comments. My only hope is, in the future, your responses would be posted in the comment forum.

It does not matter if they are negative or positive. I will publish those just the way they are sent, without editing.

It seems the e-mails all have been negative. To paraphrase a majority of them, people have said this blog is too depressing to read. That is fine, if you feel that way, although, I have taken strides to cover a variety of topics. I will continue to express my opinions regarding current events. If they are heavy handed, well, so be it.

Often, current events are not happy go lucky topics to discuss. The political scene can be depressing, but should be brought to light, as the decisions these clowns are making will affect the future our great, great grandchildren.

On a much more light-hearted note, Sunday’s Flint Journal reported former Flint mayor “The Don” Williamson has asked for his $500,000 salary to be paid in full. So much for our dollar-a-year mayor. He undoubtedly will go down in Flint history as one of the wackiest mayors ever to hold office.

May the good Lord have mercy on us if he were to ever be elected Governor of Michigan.

Friday's Rambling

2009-02-20T00:22:00.003-05:00

R. Allen Stanford, Bernie Madoff and the list will continue to grow as long as greed rules the land.

Stanford, charged with an $8 billion fraud scheme, has gone as far as attempting to charter a jet the last few days to leave his mess behind. U.S. Marshals seized control of his company’s offices Tuesday, including all documents pertaining to Stanford’s particular scam.

These individuals are to blame. Even more to blame are the investors who were just as greedy, jumping at the chance to make twice the money on their investments as with conventional measures.
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Stanford Financial cooked the books throughout the 1990’s to show non existing profit margins on investments. This includes, as late as November, citing the ability to produce a 5.35 percent rate on a $100,000 CD, when the national average was just over 3 percent.

In 1996 and 1997, Stanford boasted an identical return of more than 15 percent on investments. Anyone who has an investment portfolio with any sense knows this identical year-to-year return is an impossible scenario.

As long as we can unearth the greed of people, “Mad Dog” Madoff’s $50 billion Ponzi scam and people like R. Allen Stanford will continue to exploit the situations created by greed on both sides of the fence.

Common sense, as well as the ability to remain for the long haul at a slow and steady growth, will pay off in the end – the old tortoise and hare tale.

Time

2009-02-19T02:59:00.001-05:00

The only thing different from childhood to being an adult is the passage of time.

As a child, events take forever to arrive and last an extended period of time. During adulthood, anticipated events still take an inordinate amount of time , and then seem to pass in a flash. The older we baby boomers are the faster time seems to slip away. Days turn into weeks, weeks into years, etc.

Now, a three-week vacation, which has been planned for nearly a year, takes forever to arrive. Then, before you are able to blink, it has passed, and you are back to the daily grind waiting for the next momentous opportunity planned in your own little world.

Can anyone remember sitting in a classroom, watching the clock and wondering how long it would take for 55 minutes to pass? Even more frustrating was taking a test, in the same room, and then realizing your 55 minutes quickly have expired.

A 30-hour visit with my family Monday and Tuesday reminded me just how fast time, especially with loved ones, flies. Here for a brief fleeting moment, then gone, but not forgotten.

The point being made is obvious – please make the most of each precious second you have in your lives. For the quickest way to squander time is doing nothing, such as watching hours of mindless television. It’s the best way I know to lose track of time.

Go – Do – Be

What Honeymoon?

2009-02-18T05:12:00.002-05:00

The sweet, harmonious marriage of ideals ended in less than two weeks. President Obama has tried everything from cocktail parties to talking tough, or at least trying. It truly is amazing to see the right wing conservative Republican unify – a concept they failed to grasp during the last eight years under “King” George II. I suppose all it took was some good Democratic cattle prodding to spur them into unification.

What in the name of Reagan (the Republican equivalent of God) are the politicians trying to accomplish, except running the American people, especially the middle class, into oblivion?

We are not in a recession or a depression. We are heading into the land of suppression under the weight of bureaucracy.

Now that these fools on the hill have come to some sort of agreement, the trillions of play money required to fix our economic problems is anyone's guess.

The financially sound will not stimulate the economy, only hoard the riches they have acquired, leaving the economically challenged society to fend for themselves. These nouveau rich will not get off a dime unless they profit from it. This attitude exemplifies the greed which is rampant in the United States.

When will it end? In five, ten years? Will it take a repeat of World War II to jolt the economy back to its feet? Or will it take the rich getting hurt very badly for a little trickle down effect to have any hope of help?

Again, please address your lawmakers, jam their phone lines, and overload the servers they use with your concerns! Maybe they will get the idea they work for us and not the 100 plus voices helping them get re-elected every term.
Term limits for all lawmakers should be a law, especially Senators. Plenty of veteran lawmakers have overstayed their welcome. Let a new breed of corruptible souls in every six or 12 years.

The Tune Of Life

2009-02-17T07:57:00.001-05:00

After the last 100 years, and maybe for eternity, one thing holds true – the gift of music. With this gift, you have the unique opportunity to introduce a child to the wonderful world of music.

I never have met an instrument I did not try to play, most with modest success. This comes from someone with one of the tinnest ears ever to grace our planet. I have no clue what life would
have become if not for the gift of music which my parents allowed me to experience.

The doors opened for a child are endless, whether it be a saxophone, trumpet, or just a beautiful voice. Wouldn't you reather hear your child practicing and participating in a world of music, instead of some of the alternatives provided by society's youth? There is nothing wrong with computers, iPods, and the gaming world we reside in today. All that is suggested is give them other opportunities to enrich their minds and souls.

Some of the youthful readers with young students tend to complain about the cost of instrument rentals, music lessons, etc. Compare the price of a new laptop, gaming system, and a Blackberry. Music may be the cheap alternative. A fourth or fifth grader has access to a computer, if not your home system, at least a majority of schools may offer the service.

As far as an expensive gaming system, most children have friends who possess the latest – Wii, Xbox, or even a vintage Nintendo system.

The Blackberry and related cell phone equipment is cannon fodder for an entire other blog.

“Music has charms to sooth the savage beast.” Giving it a try will lower your blood pressure to a manageable calm and allow you or your child to discover talents you never imagined existed.

Friday's Rambling

2009-02-13T02:07:00.002-05:00

The late Steve Goodman said it all in one of his songs:

You better get it while you can. You better get it while you can. If you wait too long, it'll all be gone and you'll be sorry then. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, and it's the same for a woman or a man. From the cradle to the crypt is a mighty short trip, so - you better get it while you can."

These lyrics may be interpreted in two ways. The first being the way very greedy corporate and political figures have taken what they can while the taking is good – only with thoughts for themselves and no one else in their narrow, greedy hearts.

Or, you can view it as making the most of every opportunity available – to positively interact with people and situations encountered in everyday life. The latter is the path which will garner the greatest rewards in life.

The adage of reaping what you sow always seems to hold true, at least it has to this writer.

Goodman was the man responsible for the hit “City of New Orleans.” For years, he battled leukemia until his untimely death at the early age of 36. I urge you to explore his music – common songs by a very uncommon man and one of the finest guitar pickers you will ever hear.

The news from the Flint Mayor Don Williamson’s office has been mighty strange over the last two weeks, culminating in his retirement announcement on Monday. Mike Brown, recently appointed City Administrator, will assume the reigns as mayor until a special election is held in August.

This whimpering political death to one of Flint’s more fiery characters is not the end most people expected, especially after Williamson recently repeated, “I plan to be the mayor for another eight years.”

The Don may be sick, as he also has removed his picture from Patsy Lou’s newspaper ads. Williamson announced Thursday that he would rest for eight months and continue his run for governor.
This blog will be on hiatus to celebrate President’s Day on Monday. In addition, my Senior Editor and family are coming for a 24-hour visit. Talk to you again on Tuesday, and don’t forget to support your Presidents!

Desolate Wasteland

2009-02-12T03:15:00.007-05:00

The desolate parking lot remains empty in front of Factory #36 at Buick Motor Division. But for all who worked in that motor plant, the memories remain alive and vibrant.

Plant #36 is all that is left of the once mighty Flint Buick factory complex. The rest, including the blood, sweat and tears of thousands who worked throughout the Buick complex, has been removed and bulldozed into history.

Personally, I know two men from my childhood, both supervisors, who were carried out dead from heart attacks during the middle of the shift. Men and women sacrificed and left a lot of themselves in those factories – all in the name of providing a living for their families.

Chevrolet in the hole, as it was known, is a desolate wasteland. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)will never allowe anyone to build on these factory sites without complete clean-up of everything toxic that lies underneath the concrete slabs.

My grandfather spent more than 35 years working for Chevrolet, learning his welder/repairman skilled trade. Funny thing is he said although the union provided him with a good living and a comfortable pension, he always thought a man should be able to work one-on-one with the employer without a middle man.

He was raised in an orphanage in New York City, where the survival of the strongest ruled in the early 20th Century.Society amongst men was bully based. Working out one’s problems was a task unto itself. This philosophy carried over to farm life and then to the factory floor. He always said things were rough; however, there was never a day when he was asked to do more than he was capable of handling. Before the sit down strike, many Flint workers felt a union was unnecessary. Of course, I am relaying this information secondhand, as my grandfather relayed it to me.

My father worked both sides of the fence and pretty much felt the same way as an hourly rate employee and as a supervisor, he always felt more at ease working one-on-one with management, as well as with the laborers under his oversight.

We should never look back in anger or despair at the demise of Flint’s factories – only with admiration for the countless thousands employed. Let our spirit always look forward to what we can do in Flint, not what someone or a company can do for us.

Factory Demo Derby

2009-02-11T03:06:00.004-05:00

Alvar K. Ternstedt, a native of Sweeden, is best known as the inventor of the first practical car window regulator. In 1911, Ternstedt applied for a patent on his invention. It was finally granted in 1916.

Now, instead of a plant site in Flint, Mich., named after Ternstedt, as well as the Fisher Body, sits a storage facility for parts gondola. The Fisher plant was named after the seven Fisher brothers, four of whom were on the company’s Board. They were all sons of Lawrence Fisher, a carriage maker in the late 19th and 20th Centuries.

This once bustling factory, where several of our neighbors and friends worked, slowly left the General Motors family as GM dissolved Fisher Body in 1984.

Albert Champion would be amazed if he only could see what became of his beloved firing kilns used to fire the ceramic spark plugs and tiles his company once produced. Originally, he sold it to Dallas Dort, and then gained back control when Dort’s health failed. Eventually, Daddy GM bought Champion out and the rest is history. The Harriet Street plant was raised in 1975, until the Dort Highway and Flint East operations ceased after Delphi failed.

This, along with numerous others in Flint, are but wispy memories and future archaeological dig sites for scientists 2,000 years from now. “Wow, will you look at the size of this bolt I found.” “You should see this ceramic piece I discovered, must have a primitive eating utensil.”

All of this is just a rambling piece of trash, unless we remember that General Motors is in business and does not owe Flint one single job or any more plants. One should reflect on the countless thousands who thrived and raise their families through the oversight of GM. And please don’t criticize the slogan of “Generous Motors,” for I have heard the term throughout my life. It’s as true now as it was when I was a young lad.”

Tomorrow: Chevy in the hole (Delphi West) and Buick City.

Press “1” for English

2009-02-10T01:17:00.000-05:00

Are you sick of automated phone systems treating you as a non-entity? A majority of large, well-known companies are notorious for leading their customers through these systems. AT&T probably is the worst. Immediately, you are directed to answer a machine questioning whether your call is regarding phone services, Internet, mobile services or television.

After you have said “yes” a half dozen times, and the computer generated voice tells you he (or it, as the case may be) will connect you to a live person. That is if one is available, and you are not subjected to being placed on “Ignore” while drowning in elevator Bach music.

Upon talking to a live person, you are lucky to be able to understand someone who barely has grasped the basic rudiments of English – a second or third choice of dialects. This person will then direct you to someone who may or may not help, but will be able to provide you another 800, 877, 866 or 888 number to repeat the entire talking to a machine routine.

You also get the systems which require you to punch in several combinations of numbers in order to contact a real live person. By the time you have dealt with all the nonsense, you are ready to bite the head off anyone breathing on the other end of the phone. Such as, “The heck with you, give me your supervisor, I need to vent.” For a hoot, call your local Lowe’s and listen to the 20 options you are given just to address someone about your warped 2x4 kayak paddle.

AT&T probably is the grandfather of these automated systems we have learned to accept as normal speaking to anyone about any potential business issues. They now own 11 of the original Bell Companies with 150 million customers. Was it not the intent to break up good old Ma Bell in 1984? Similar to pay phones and the 10-cent phone call, telephone operators have become a thing of the past. This is why I believe they are unable to find enough people, who speak fluent English, to answer the calls.

It will not be long before 911 is automated. Wouldn’t that be fun, especially when you are dying of a high blood pressure-related heart attack?

Mere Suggestions

2009-02-09T02:55:00.000-05:00

Countless times, I have witnessed school buses, police cars and of course, other drivers traveling 10-15 mph over the posted speed limits. In the case of school buses, what sort of example are they exhibiting for those students who just received their licenses in the last year?

As for police vehicles, it was proven to me, by a judge in a Grand Blanc court, officers are subject to the same laws as everyone else (got out of that ticket because two witnesses testified the officer had broken speed limit laws). The exception is if the car’s lights are flashing and/or a combination of both siren and lights.

Law enforcers constantly are speeding, passing on the right, abusing their status to get through red lights, and countless other offenses a normal person would be fined for, as well as lose points on driving records – double standards in place at all times.

As for the rudeness and manner of the general public, behavior behind the wheel is reprehensible. From Florida to Michigan and Maine to California, you witness daily the witless tactics of motorists. I thoroughly am convinced cell phone use, eating, drinking, smoking of anything, etc. should be outlawed while a person is behind the wheel and heading down our streets.

How many times have you witnessed a driver reading, texting, putting on make-up or all these things at the same time? That’s quite a balancing act.

My grandfather said it best as advice he passed on, “It only takes a second of lost concentration for an accident to occur.” This came from a man who never traveled over 55 mph, no matter where he was heading or the condition of the roads. I might add the man never received a citation or was involved in an accident in 55 years of driving.

In regard to highway cruising, Michigan expressway drivers may be some of the worst. It seems 76 mph feels like you are dragging an anchor.

My intelligent daughter-in-law said it best, “Traffic signs, lights and speed limits are mere suggestions for most drivers.”

Friday's Rambling

2009-02-06T01:52:00.004-05:00

There are tree murderers out there destroying the beauty of trees in our community. Yes, the limb butchers are cutting the tops and sides out of our neighborhood foliage – all under the direction of mighty Consumers Energy. As you drive through Flushing and outside the city, take notice of the familiar blue dots designated for pruning and the dreaded blue “X” for complete removal.

Now, I am not a tree-hugging type of person. However, the manner in which these subcontracted “pruners” work has no rhyme or reason. They just spend eight hours a day, lopping and chipping our trees. You are able to drive through areas where there are whole trees resting on the wires overhead, as witnessed in the Genesee County Park on McKinley Road.

Amazingly, we encountered the same company in Asheville, N.C. in October. These workers, along with their eight trucks, were staying at the Best Western seven days a week courtesy of the utility company Progress Energy, which is headquartered in Raleigh. Similar to Michigan, they were performing the same hatchet job on Asheville’s trees.
Read what Consumers' policy states at the following site:

http://www.consumersenergy.com/welcome.htm?/eninfo/index.asp?ssid=114

The other news this week, something which should come as no surprise, is General Motors and Chrysler offering their highest seniority personnel a new round of buyouts. GM has prepared a cash buyout and a $25,000 voucher toward the purchase of a new vehicle.

Of course, this is done so it can fly back and again take advantage of the federal money buffet. In addition, GM is able to hire new employees at half the pay and benefits. This again makes one believe Ford may have made the wise decision in spite of massive fourth quarter losses. At least they are not dancing to the federal piper.

Featured in a blog next week – the General Motors ruins with photos: a true archaeological dig for the future.

Responsibility

2009-02-05T03:38:00.002-05:00

Nadya Suleman, 33, an unwed mother of six children ages 2 through 7, gave birth to octuplets last week. All eight children were implanted embryos from the process of in vitro fertilization. The grandmother currently is watching the six children in the home, and she has informed the new mother she will be gone once she gets home.

Fundamentally as a Christian, I am against abortion; as such this is a touchy subject matter in regard to what should have happened with the woman’s leftover embryos. This mother has done nothing short of completely insuring she will depend on government intervention for the duration of the children’s lives. She will rely on every benefit unknown to the American public for the simple sustenance of the children.

Where was the responsibility of not only her, but the physicians and nurses who agreed to implant that many babies in an obviously disturbed woman? Child Protective Services should have taken control of the situation from the beginning, starting with this woman’s fascination of bearing children as a young teenager.

Where was the common sense the grandmother is now willing to exhibit? What does anyone know concerning this woman’s father? Suleman is not a run of the mill baby machine. She earned a bachelor’s degree in child and adolescent development from Cal State Fullerton and is working toward a master’s degree in counseling. Would you want her counseling your daughter on the aspects of child birth?

In this case, the doctor(s) should be held partially responsible for allowing this woman to conceive another eight children. In closing, at least now she can field any major sports team with the requisite number of players needed.

Open Enrollment

2009-02-04T03:07:00.001-05:00

For several years, Flushing Community Schools has been exploring the possibility of introducing an open enrollment policy. As a taxpayer, parent and grandparent, I totally am opposed to any such notion. The district has sighted its need to bolster enrollment figures to offset dwindling funds due to the diminishing number of students.

The current enrollment policy reads: “Non-resident students who have been expelled at any time from any school district will not be considered for admission as tuition students. Non-residents who have been suspended at any time during the past two years may be refused admission as a tuition student.”

You only have to read the current guidelines to realize the only students Flushing would be gaining are those with severe problems Flint and other districts are willing to depart with. All this in search of the almighty dollar, the continuation of extremely high administrative salaries and the perks associated with them.

Is it really worth a few dollars – accepting problem students and all they embody into our district?

What would be so bad about reverting to a Class B school? Would our superintendent have to relinquish being the highest paid administrator in Genesee County? For more than 40 years, as a smaller Class A school, Flushing has struggled to be competitive in sports and other extracurricular activities. For example, 1967 was the last year we competed in basketball at the state level.

While 40 years ago, teachers were grossly underpaid. Now, they have the support of two of the strongest unions and lobbying organizations in the country – the NEA (National Education Association) and MEA (Michigan Education Association).

These organizations should be against a move which would jeopardize the quality of teaching a majority of these decent people provide.

In the last 20 years, Flushing Community Schools has gained much diversity. It is a delicate balancing act to keep harmony in the district without introducing a group of malcontents to upset the apple cart.

Nuts to NAFTA

2009-02-03T01:06:00.000-05:00

We currently are in a world of hurt, for we have offended Canada by announcing the United States will not be importing as much steel as in previous years – up to 40 percent from outside our country.

However, American citizens are still flocking to the borders to purchase cheap pharmaceutical drugs. The fact of the matter is a lot of countries are starting to get mad at the “Buy American” plan, being the counterproposal is claiming we are in violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement Act (NAFTA). Whoopee – it's about time we got our heads out of the sand!

NAFTA is the worst document ever to be dumped on the American worker. It was a good idea for the major corporations which spent millions getting the treaty enacted, but bad for the auto and steel mill workers who continue to lose work every week.

The key conspirators, with lobbyists in their pockets, not to mention fistfuls of dollars and pesos, were Brian Mulroney of Canada, Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico and Bill Clinton of the United States. The year was 1993, which worked out great for Clinton, who undoubtedly used the windfall to help finance his re-election campaign and continues to profit even today from contributors to his nonprofit fund.

Chinese workers are losing their $120 a week jobs because America is not buying as much of the junk they produce. They are being forced back to the farms to work the land.

Capitalism is a hard mistress, and only the strong should embrace it! Democracy in the business world is not for the meek or weak willed.
Time for a trip to the medicine cabinet.

Undercover?

2009-02-02T03:43:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday, the City of Flint’s new interim deputy police chief, Sgt. Tim Johnson, took control of the new task force recently installed by Mayor Don Williamson. The announcement was made during a story aired on ABC12 News. It was very strange to see two of Flint’s officers, dressed in full uniforms, standing behind the Don and Sgt. Johnson with their faces pixelated because they are undercover police.

These brilliant law enforcers had to know they were going to be on television given they were surrounded by Channel 12 News cameras and lights. You just wonder how bright they could possibly be, or were they just vying for an excellent photo opportunity with his honor and the new chief. “Hi mom!”

I would not trust this new task force to solve shoplifting crimes, let alone anything major. They will be working between 8 p.m.-4:30 a.m. to ferret out the crime problems currently facing Flint. Maybe they should be working undercover, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., throughout our high schools and city streets.

“I’m going to continue to work very hard to suppress the crime that’s actually in this city, to move it out,” Sgt. Johnson said during the interview. “That’s what we’ve been doing. That’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

Move the crime to where Sgt. Johnson? Grand Blanc? Flushing? Clio?

General Motors again stuck it to Flint – pulling the plug on the new Volt engine plant. UAW Local 599, once the organization which held the fate of all Buick workers, has been jolted by the Volt decision. Mayor Williamson and Local 599 President Bill Jordan continue to show its members confidence the engine will still be manufactured in Flint.

GM is equal to a spoiled child. You provide the child with all the cake, ice cream and gifts he or she wants, and they still let you down. Mark this writer’s words – that engine will not be produced in Flint, or even in the United States. Williamson will soon be history, and Jordan, along with his union brothers, will be waiting for their checks in an unemployment line.

Flint needs to realize manufacturing jobs are gone. Get over it, and let’s move in a positive direction. A college community with an emphasis on medical education seems to be a reasonable solution to revitalize downtown, once again making Flint a vibrant, thriving community.

The Premio Dardos Award

2009-02-01T22:40:00.001-05:00

This blog has been awarded The Premio Dardos Award. It recognizes blogs that are deemed worthy of acknowledgment.
With it comes a bit of responsibility to pass the award along.

In keeping with the rules of the award:

The rules are:
1) To accept and show the distinct image of the Premio Dardos Award.
2) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his/her blog.
3) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment, remembering to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.

Congratulations! The complete list of award winners are listed on my Michigan Quilts! blog.

Caron Mosey

Caron's personal blog: http://blog.caronmosey.com/
Brookside Creations: http://brooksidecreations.blogspot.com/
Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/cmosey/
Michigan Quilt Resources: http://miquiltresources.blogspot.com/

Friday's Rambling

2009-01-30T04:04:00.003-05:00

In need of a semi-used jet? Citigroup has two for sale – $27 million is all it will cost you per plane. Seems they won’t need the aircraft after all.

On Monday, the company announced replacing them with a brand new $50 million Dassault Falcon 7X business jet. Now, up to 12 overpaid executives will enjoy a cruising range of 5,950 miles and luxurious seating. By Tuesday, under government pressure reaching all the way to the White House, Citigroup decided it would not be a prudent idea and decided to rescind the order.

This spending of our tax dollars should make even the calmest of you experience a rise in blood pressure. It was reported the order’s cancellation will result in heavy penalties to be paid to Dassault. It had to be cheaper than $50 million for the new plane, right? With million dollar bathrooms, $100,000 trash baskets and overpriced perks galore, what is next for Citigroup? Then, one could only expect this and other blatant misuse of our tax dollars when the faucet is broken and Joe the Plumber is nowhere to be found.

Citigroup is no stranger to controversy. More than 15 years ago, then Chairman John Reed abruptly fell in love with a flight attendant. This prompted the following quote and joke among Wall Street circles – when the company’s jets prepared for landing, passengers were advised, “Please buckle your seat belt, stow your tray table, and put your stewardess in an upright position.” Not really funny, but you have to find a bright spot in this bleak picture.

Each day, this blog is e-mailed to Senator Carl Levin. I doubt he reads it, but the blog is received. Senator Debbie Stabenow has set up her e-mail to reject it as an “unknown address” or “not coming from a real person.” Several times, I wrote to her explaining I am a person. Maybe she refuses to accept that little fact after she failed to receive my vote in her election.

On Monday, it was reported 71,400 people lost their jobs. That is 9,600 jobs less than have been lost in the Flint area from General Motors and their suppliers in the last 25 years

Unemployment figures are highly misleading. Only considered are the people collecting or filing for benefits. It does not take note there are countless millions who are without hope of work and have exhausted the benefits. These folks have become a non statistic, excluding them from the total count.

Even sadder is most of those people have abandoned all hope of finding gainful employment. You cannot survive with a family of four and one minimum wage job. Desperation sets in, and you either rely on government assistance or turn to crime.

Once again, I strongly urge all of you to please write, call or ambush your legislators with questions and express the outrage at this deplorable situation and abuse of America’s funds.

Trigger Finger

2009-01-29T03:19:00.001-05:00

The Second Amendment reads: "a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Gun control and the liberals go hand in hand – just as members of the National Rifle Association are in partnership with the right wing conservatives. Debates as to how to curb the gun violence we experience daily in our society rages on and on.

The simple solution lies in the common sense of thinking clearly on the subject.

My personal knowledge of weapons began when I was seven with my first BB gun. It continues today with practice and hunting using weapons of my choice. Education now, as it was 50 years ago for me, is the answer.

The important education from my father, regarding the care and handling of my first firearm, was the best solution. Despite what the urbanites (all races) think, guns are not toys! My father was a stern task master, drilling into us once you pull the trigger, you can’t take it back. From a man who had experienced war and killing first hand, safety always was the first concern. My father-in-law taught his four boys the same values, setting up a range in their basement which instilled responsible respect for the handling of firearms.

One would think people carrying and using weapons, of every description, would learn from the war waged on each other on our streets. You never read stories about responsible gun owners, such as hunters and shooting enthusiasts/professionals misusing their own weapons. The training process can only begin at an early age. Kids, introduced to young hunter safety courses, are not the same children hanging out in school parking lots and our city streets, wielding deadly weapons as if they were water pistols.

The law enacted, known as “one with a gun will get you 10 in the pen,” has not had the slightest effect on the problem,nor has any of the so called gun control laws on the books. No, the satisfactory solution must start in the home. As with any endeavor, responsibility begins and ends with the parents. Right or wrong, I chose not to expose my children to guns. They never expressed an interest or fascination, which was prevalent during my youth.

One final thought: do you often wonder why a professional athlete feels the need to carry a weapon for personal protection? To my knowledge, no pro sports figure has ever been assassinated. One can only imagine what these so called “role models” are conveying to the kids who view them as some sort of god.

Guns in America will never disappear; however, the ignorance should.

Common Sense Discussion

2009-01-28T01:43:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger: Garrett Farmer
(January 7, 2009) To Craig,
There is no such thing as common sense. Common sense implies that everyone has some inherent shared knowledge. This cannot be true as we are not born with knowledge, and we have not all experienced the same things. Even in the event of a shared experience, we all react to things differently depending on our prior dispositions. We all add to our knowledge base separately. We are not a unified consciousness. Saying people lack common sense is silly.

(January 8, 2009) To Garrett,

I have been giving a magnanimous amount of thought to your idea that there is no such thing as common sense. I have to disagree, because if there is no common sense then we have can't have common ground, common bonds, common purposes, or anything else that falls under the disguise of being in common. Your argument will hold liquid only in the fact that everybody perceives things differently, however I use the term in relevance to people exerting good and sound judgment in all of their actions and decisions.

I am sure you have met people with this trait (maybe in your own family).

Hope I didn't make you mad with my warped logic --I seem to have that unique talent recently.

(January 23, 2009) To Craig,
We don't have common purposes and goals as a society. There are a multitude of goals and ideologies that people hold dear. That's why we have government. They listen to the ideas of different groups of people then act for those groups. If we all shared the same common beliefs and goals, there would be no need for government.

Logic. Reason. Judgment. "Good sense." These are not common attributes in people. Most people do not have a background in logic, reason, or good judgment because these things are not taught anywhere close to universally. Good sense is a term relevant to the person with or without it.

To use common sense in argument, as you have, is to make a poor argument. Although it may be true that most people have some "common sense" (it's a bad idea to stick one's hand in a fire), it is unfair to assume that people share common beliefs toward complex problems. For instance, you have no way of knowing how the common American feels about a GM bailout. I would guess that, since it has been such a huge topic of debate, there are many opinions.

Furthermore, even if a large majority did feel one way about a bailout, it is not a good idea to make policy based on that majority's opinion. Most people don't have a background in economics, business, etc. Why should they be trusted to make sound decisions in such matters? Let's say you're in the E.R. with a broken arm, and twenty patients said there was no way to repair the bone. They suggest you amputate it to save yourself from gangrene. There are also three doctors in the room. They say they can put your arm in a cast, and you'll be fine in a month. Whose opinion will you trust here? In the 60's a lot of people said it was common sense that black people were not people- they were animals that didn't deserve the same rights as whites. This was a commonly held belief among a lot of people. I'm glad we got past common sense and looked at the issue more thoroughly.

None of this is meant to say that we should blindly trust in our leaders- I am always of the opinion that we should be questioning the reasoning of government. We should question it based on solid logic and reasoning though- not on what we perceive to the publics’ "common sense."

Thanks again for writing the blog. I read it every other day or so. I enjoy listening to your views and stories.

Army Politics: Left-Right, Left-Right

2009-01-27T03:54:00.001-05:00

Today, I am going to tear apart two people – Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olberman.

Rush Limbaugh claims to be the conservative voice of America, and he has the audacity to call his show “Education in Broadcasting.” As you will read, it does not seem possible he remotely is qualified to educate anyone. However, conservatives eat his rhetoric like a diabetic craves candy. These people believe they can quote him chapter and verse.

A college dropout, Limbaugh was lucky enough to draw 175 as draft number, when only 125 birthdays were called during the Vietnam War in 1969. I am positive his 4-F rating, due to either a football knee injury or a diagnosis of Pilonidal disease, and high lottery number kept him from fleeing to Canada. He also was charged with doctor shopping – illegally obtaining prescription drugs hydrocodone and oxycodone in 2003.

This pompous and cowardly man, who sits in this studio, hid behind the microphone with the gall to say to his listeners, three days before the inauguration, “I hope Obama fails.” Thank God our nation gives him the right to say such a thing to a man who was yet to take the oath of office.

As a true, supportive American, who is granted the right to daily spout his nonsense, for three hours nationally, and earn $33 million a year to do so; Limbaugh can afford to be a conservative. A book should be written on all the stupid stuff he pulls out of his (oh, that’s right, I promised to keep this clean). Rush never gives his callers a chance. If he disagrees with their premise, he cuts them off with his constant pooh-poohing and babbling.

Limbaugh’s personal life also has been a mess with three failed marriages. However, he owns a really nice set of golf clubs and smokes quality cigars – two of his passions. In 2007, a survey was conducted, as results showed he held the worst approval rating, with a 2-1 margin against, among 18 talk show hosts. His only true radio competitor is now the junior Senator from Minnesota. Limbaugh should put his money where his mouth is, stand up and be counted, or at least get involved with more than his voice.

Keith Olberman is the polar opposite of Rush. A Cornell graduate, with a bachelor’s in communications, Olberman is liberal to the point of being fanatical. His nightly, thrice aired show on MSNBC is stated to be a “news show counting down the day’s top five stories.”

Of course, it is nothing of the sort. Olberman turns his chosen stories to pursue his own political platform. Also, he is into name calling – a popular theme among these types of political commentators. The other night, Olberman suggested President Obama should pursue charges against President Bush for abusing those who planned the Sept. 11 attacks. Olberman and Rush are given this privilege through the efforts of President Bush, as well as all men and women who have died to insure they maintain their freedom of speech.

Whenever possible, he seems to enjoy invoking history lessons to compare what the conservatives have done wrong and how things will turn out. He is quite fond of using the Nazis as an example. By the way, Olberman makes approximately $7 million a year, almost enough money to be a conservative.

He should get off his (oops almost did it again) and run for city council somewhere to learn the responsibilities involved in politics. At least Jerry Springer once served as Mayor of Cincinnati!

These two men are counter productive in our society and do nothing but stir their collective cauldrons with askewed views of the situations before them.

Think for yourselves people,draw your own conclusions, and use your brains and the good sense God gave all of us.

Trickle Down Greed

2009-01-26T02:58:00.001-05:00

The Latin phrase “carpe diem” translates to English as “making the most of present opportunities” or “seize the day!” This appears to be the case of the middle class over the last 10 years.

Middle class families, with annual incomes ranging from $50,000 to $120,000, were homeowners who were able to secure three and four mortgages on their houses and properties. Instead of paying off credit card debt or making improvements to add value to the homes, they foolishly spent the extra money on trips, cars and other luxuries.

They made the most of the opportunity provided by the housing bubble, taking advantage of inflated property values to secure these loans. Now that it’s time to “pay the piper,” they gather in large numbers before the federal government to seek a piece of the money pie – the old adage of what is good for the goose, etc.

You have to believe while engaging in these home equity loans, at the same time, these people were maxing out three or four credit cards. The concept of living within one’s own means has been lost by the generations of today. The “wants” of these people heavily outweigh the “needs” to a zealot extent.

Take no pity on these people and their situations – for they made the bed in which they now lie. Where was the common sense and foresight to know they would never be able to pay off the debts? My educated guess is the idea was spawn from a higher authority (and I don’t mean God).

Losing one’s job and the idea of losing a home because you have no money to pay off a mortgage is a different situation than the greed driven consumer who over burdened the system with their wants.

Please urge your State Representatives and Senators in Washington to help the needy and forget the greedy, for they deserve what awaits in their financial futures.

Seize the day!

Friday’s Rambling

2009-01-23T01:24:00.002-05:00

Last week, Circuit City Stores, Inc. announced it was closing all stores and relieving 30,000 employees of their jobs. This is not a remarkable fact, as several more companies probably will be doing the same in the coming year(s). What is surprising is what the company founder Samuel Wurtzel’s son, Alan Wurtzel, had said.

Alan previously stated Circuit City didn’t take the threat of rival Best Buy Co. seriously enough and, at some point, were too focused on making a profit in the short term instead of building long-term value.

Very strange words from a man, as the family took the money for their company and ran all the way to the bank, leaving the common shareholders to twist in the wind with what will be worthless stock.

Knowing a former Circuit City employee and avid reader of this blog, I hope he feels vindicated in honestly answering customers’ concerns while employed, instead of taking said customers on the “Full Journey” – a term store managers were directed to drill into all employees.

Doesn’t it make your blood pressure boil just thinking about the corporations interested only in short-term gains with no foresight of what that mentality has wrought? Now, and in the future, they will be paying the price for the avarice ruling our economy for the last 20 years.

Speaking of greed, for any of you unlucky enough (such as myself) to own bank stocks, it’s getting close to the time when we are able to repaper the dining room walls. The equities in our financial institutions continue to plummet. Similar to the rest of you, I thought the $700 billion was supposed to fix this problem. It seems the problem was solved when the bank officials and wise fools on the hill needed to assure their wallets were fat enough to cushion the blow of the fall.

As the weekend is upon us, please remember to spend time with others, whether it is your family, friends or neighbors. Let’s hope and pray the key leaders in the new administration be guided with a modicum of wisdom and common sense.

Sloppy Ears

2009-01-22T00:46:00.001-05:00

It has been my good fortune to have been associated with three generations of Bassett Hounds.

The hound of my youth, Boompa Aloysius Miller; the hound of my son’s youth, Beauregard “Beau” Henry Miller; and the hound of my daughter’s youth, Generosity “Genny” Mae Miller – all of them proud members of the great organization known as the American Kennel Club.

Yes, they all had proper papers, and each of them were unique in their own way.

Boompa was an engaging animal to say the least. He would engage the leg of any unsuspecting stranger with a multitude of gyrations. He was the only Bassett we would take hunting. Funny dog, Boompa was not afraid of a 12-guage shotgun blast. However, he had the most peculiar hunting style. His method was to follow the last hunter, until he felt it was time to lie down. At which point, the hunter would unload the shotgun, pick up the dog, throw him over a shoulder and carry him home. Great canine instincts had taken over. By the time he was five years old, the only thing Boompa ever managed to flush were cars. This is until one day a van ran him over. My father took him to the veterinarian, and a half hour later, he was back to humping things. Boompa never again chased cars.

Beau was as gentle a soul as I have ever had the privilege to encounter. For the first couple of years, the poor hound was left in a basement all day until we could get home to play and let him outside. He continued to believe our unfinished basement was his personal bathroom the rest of his life, sneaking down there when he felt nobody was paying enough attention to him.

When Beau was two, our son was born. There never was a dog as loyal to a baby as Beau. He would guard him every second, while playing with him during his waking hours. Boy and dog became best of friends, spending many happy hours together. Did I mention I learned from the dog of my youth and had Beau fixed (no humping).

Without a doubt, Genny was the most cantankerous beast I have ever known. Before she was a year old and we had her fixed, she experienced false labor, beginning a life long habit of nesting. Genny was not dumb by any means. She taught herself tricks when mere mortals failed at all attempts. Come, sit, stay and heel were meaningless jabbering to her. She did manage to master opening all doors both inside and to the outdoors.

Funny thing about opening the outside door, she never taught her self the fine art of closing it. Genny easily was able to unwrap Christmas presents and open boxes containing all edible items. “No” was a foreign word to her, as it became to our growing daughter.

After viewing the movie “Marley and Me” the other day, I remembered one of the main reasons we decided to never get another dog. It’s the heartache on a child’s face, when the decision is made to have to put your pet – really a member of your family – to sleep.

In the case of Beau, my son and very young daughter said their goodbyes at the vet’s office. In Genny’s case, her unwrapping of things was her undoing, as she ate an entire $100,000 candy bar – wrapper and all. Her stomach twisted, at the age of 13; there was no chance of recovery. On a Christmas Day, at an emergency veterinary clinic, my son and I said goodbye to our last Bassett Hound.

Alas all is not lost, for we have two of the best Bassett's ever Spartacus and Peanut. They stand vigilant guard in our front yard, of course they are concrete and never need to be fed, walked, or cleaned up after.

After all has been written and said, whether you own dogs, cats, hamsters or turtles, pets are good lessons in life, for any age and generation.

Pressure Idling Nicely No Meds Needed

Missed Opportunity?

2009-01-21T05:06:00.000-05:00

President Obama may have used all his verbal ammo too soon. His acceptance speech yesterday lacked that brain grabbing rhetoric of previous soliloquies. He could have addressed the masses with the phrase which would be echoed for millenniums to follow. Alas, I fear he wasted his best words along the campaign trail.

In no way am I condemning Obama’s valiant attempt. It is a necessity Americans can work as one, as pleaded by the new President. The vast majority of us walk in the middle of the road, looking for the traffic signals to guide us on our American journey. It’s the fervent hope all of us will come together in an effort to reunite toward a common goal.

MSNBC reporters laughed when the crowd chanted, “Na-na-na-na, hey- hey-hey, goodbye,” to President Bush's helicopter; and the right wing FOX News began criticizing President Obama before the man could even enjoy his first lunch. This is not the best way to help heal the wounds long suffered in this country.

We all plan to support our new President, just as we backed the men who preceded him. As Americans, that is our duty. We may have the right to disagree with decisions made, but we should resist the attempts to stifle our efforts to unite as one nation.

As Americans, we all have to share our heritages and beliefs, not contemplating what should or would have been the case if we had listened to the right and left wing zealots attempting to guide our thought processes. For the love of country, think for yourselves and do the common good thing for you and your neighbor(s), disregarding their race, creed or color.

Regardless of political views, please say a prayer for Senator Ted Kennedy. Cancer is a hideous disease. I speak from personal family experience – prayers are all some patients have to hang their hats on.

God Bless and protect President Obama and all those who serve America!

Coffee Break

2009-01-20T00:27:00.001-05:00

While out on an early mission of mercy Friday morning, I observed a police convention in progress.

What a sight to behold. In the Mount Morris Township Speedway station, located at the Elms and Pierson Road intersection, were: two Mount Morris Township cruisers; two Flushing City Police vehicles; a Flushing Township Police car; and one Genesee County Sheriff’s patrol car.

The mass of law enforcement vehicles were lined up (maybe preparing for a parade?), as the officers were inside imbibing in life’s simple nectars known as coffee and soda. Amazingly, the parked vehicles were still running. There was no thought to save gas, or heaven forbid, the officers might be late for an actual crime because it only takes a nanosecond to reach over and start a car.

As a law-abiding, City of Flushing and Genesee County taxpayer, one would think these law officials can and should make better use of their time.

Please do not misunderstand this tirade as a denouncement of the police. Just consider it a friendly reminder that citizens overall desire their law enforcers remain awake and on the job, not discussing the merits of a nine millimeter over a 357 Magnum or the girl in her undergarments hanging upside down out of the kitchen window.

Surely, the discussions entertained war stories regarding last night’s drunk drivers, abusive husbands and possibly the occasional stray puppy – which falls under the jurisdiction of animal control.

None of this helped the encounter I experienced with one individual speeding 47 mph in a 35 mph zone or the driver who made a left turn where it clearly was marked “Don’t Do That!”

Having known many police officers, it requires a certain mentality to perform the job duties. Some men and women, especially at a younger age, live the life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They do seem to mellow with age or promotion.

All of us would feel better, if only they would show some common sense. By the way, you will be pleased to know that particular Speedway Station did not have one drive off or shoplifting incident that morning.

Loyal To The End

2009-01-19T04:11:00.001-05:00

Drive anywhere in Genesee County, Mich., and look closely at the vehicles traveling in your vicinity. Notice that eight out of 10 are Detroit products. This County and the City of Flint are loyal beyond reason to American made automotive products.

The same cannot be said for other parts of the country. While traveling in South Florida, I observed the opposite numbers held true. The roads are loaded with Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Lexus and BMW products.

Surely, this is the case in other parts of the United States, where the Big Three (Chrysler, Ford and General Motors) have not sustained a manufacturing base. In addition, people and their communities never have had to rely on the tax base these facilities provide to fund the municipal operations of towns and counties where they reside.

Retail operations in other states, where the automobile plants are not located, find the customers from other walks of life. Why should people living in these areas worry or care what brand of car they drive?

Why has General Motors not been equally loyal to us? In one week, they announced batteries for new vehicles will now be produced by a Korean company, LG Chem, and the gasoline engines, which were to be made in Flint, will be produced in Austria.

Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman of General Motors, who has worked for Chrysler, Ford and BMW, said, “You cannot keep importing everything we use and not produce a thing that benefits American workers.” He also stated, “So what if you can buy a DVD player for $19.95, but in the long run, who will buy the product if it’s not produced here in the United States?”

Many people will argue the foreign automobiles simply are superior in quality and overall performance. I would only ask them to strap in and put their foot into a 396 Big Block,426 Hemi, or a 351 c.i. Cleveland to feel what living the American Dream really is like!

Long live the Big Three! My father and others said it best: “What's good for the American Automobile industry is good for America!”

Friday’s Rambling

2009-01-16T03:05:00.006-05:00

In a follow up to the blog published Monday, Jan. 5, titled “Crooks in the Backyard,” I have chronicled incidents that have taken place in the last seven days.

It appears Sheriff Greg Bartlett, in Morgan County, Ala., withheld $210,000 earmarked for food purchases for county lockup inmates. Is this what is meant by “living off the fat of the land?”

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted for accepting illegal gifts while serving on both the City Council and during her tenure as Mayor. She allegedly used travel vouchers, fur coats and gift cards intended for the poor to engage in a personal shopping spree. Why would the poor need fur coats? She, like all good politicians, claims ignorance and total innocence.

Flint Interim Plice Chief David Dicks was indicted in federal court for receiveing $46,000 while working for a private security firm connected wiith Career Alliance, I guess being able to be in two places at one time earns you a trip to the federal money buffet.

In other news, President Elect Obama is learning the words to the Ernie K- Doe song “Mother-In-Law.” After it was announced First Lady Elect Michelle's mother, Marian Shields Robinson, will be moving into the White House with them.

Courtesy of Simon and Garfunkel:

“Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)”

At least the Obamas will save themselves some babysitting costs.

The American automotive manufacturers, otherwise known as the Big Three, are singing the old Rolling Stones hit “You Can't Always Get What You Want.” On the other hand, the financial institutions are whistling “We're in the Money,” while the American middle class families are reprising the old depression song (with a new twist) “Brother Can You Spare a Buck.”

Retired General Colin Powell proposed that people should work on Monday, which just happens to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He then stated a majority of the population plans to take off Inauguration Day, which is Tuesday. Why waste a holiday, when people were already skipping work the following day. Do you really think government employees, post office workers, etc. are willing to give up a paid holiday?

I have the impression a lot of folks will utilize the entire week to celebrate. Of course, that pertains to people still gainfully employed.

News from the Backyard

2009-01-15T02:00:00.001-05:00

Flint Mayor Don Williamson has bought the farm.

That's correct, he has let yet another of his minutia filled ideas go up in smoke. Formed in August of 2008, the Political Action Committee (PAC), designed to stop local political corruption, has faced a whimpering death.

The Committee to Stop Corrupt Government, which The Don stated he would sink $8-$10 million of his own money to ferret out corrupt local politicos, is over. Mayor Williamson sought local donations to support his cause. However, the only money ever recorded was the $500 which Williamson contributed himself.

What appears to be the case is “Donald in Wonderland” discovered the Looking Glass – boom, end of search, corruption found.

No one really expected anything else. Williamson promised the PAC would provide up to 20 jobs involving lawyers, secretaries and various law officials. He managed to produce: a Web site (www.thecorruptionmustend.com); some really nice red, white and blue signs; and a large “Elect Mayor Williamson for Governor” sign adorning the headquarters’ front window.

This fiasco of brainless wisdom comes on the heels of what may have been one of the Don’s better ideas – “The Dragstrip,” located by the old Chevy in the Hole on Bluff Street, also known to some as “turn left on blind man's Bluff Street.” The only problem is Williamson used City of Flint funding to repave the one eight-mile strip and install the guard rails.

One can only believe voters will likely recall the Mayor, but don't lose any sleep. He is sure to appear in the news with his next great midnight reform innovation.

On a sad note, Archie Bailey, a man who I have had a personal distaste for nearly 40 years, announced Monday he has chronic leukemia. Personal feelings aside, my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

Internal Combustible

2009-01-14T02:43:00.004-05:00

Lord Mr. Ford, you would be pleased the company you started did not feed from the federal money buffet!

It seems there are restrictions galore attached to the funds granted to General Motors and Chrysler Corporations. The Treasury and Congress (aka The Fools on the Hill) finally decided it would be a wise to try and make somebody accountable for billions of dollars.

It appears the liberal slanted Congress created the stipulation – if the UAW goes on any sort of strike, bankruptcy will result in very short order. Does it sound as though they are trying to break the union with such a rule of spending?

Where was the accounting of the $350 billion doled in shovels full to the financial institutions?
Congress has all but tied up the automotive industry this country mostly has relied on for the last 100 years by setting almost unachievable standards to meet in such a short amount of time. Three months is just an impossible time frame to turn around an industry, which despite having made mistakes is still a great manufacturing and job resource in our nation.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger stated he is willing to bargain wages and benefits, which according to the government, are not even close to being in line with similar foreign auto manufacturing working standards.

The CEO's have agreed to do whatever it takes to stay competitive in the world market.

If only the money hungry banks were this closely scrutinized, they would not be at a loss for words when asked, where did it go and who has it now!?

I warned Michigan Senator Carl Levin that when he and fellow conspirators opened the federal wallets, people would come out of the woodwork. Not only the woodwork, but they came from rat holes at the bottom of the walls. Larry Flynt and the Girls Gone Wild franchise jets headed for Washington looking for a $5 billion feast from the buffet.

When the economy continues to decline, the first things to flourish are peoples’ bad habits (yeah, I guess porn might be a bad habit). But drinking, smoking and drug use will increase as the country looks for temporary relief!
One final note, State Lottery sales all over the country have shown a dramatic increase over the last months,this will not solve your financial woes or augment your retirement fund.

Learned Addiction

2009-01-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

This tome is solely based on personal experiences, and in no way is intended as a “how to live your life” guideline. The truth learned, from growing and maturing over the last 56 years, is that addicion is an acquired trait, not a genetic inheritance.

Observations to this end are numerous. Let’s begin with alcohol abuse. This and other addictive habits are gained from two main sources – our families and the peer groups we choose to associate with.

Within our family, it was a common practice to be allowed, even encouraged to enjoy some wine, beer or crème de menthe (on crushed ice) during the holidays. This led to experimentation with alcohol, on our own accord, without parental supervision and at a fairly young age. When you grow up in a home that features the abuse of such beverages, to a point of passing out 2-3 nights a week, you naturally think this an acceptable behavior pattern.

Other people learned alcohol abuse at a much later stage in life, such as during their teen and college years when binge drinking on campuses around the Country is accepted as the norm.

My personal knowledge of substance abuse, in the form of drugs, solely came from my peers. While I may not have stayed a babe in the woods forever, it would have required a greater push to find these illegal drugs on my own. One substance being abused caused a thought process of “why not try this, then some of those sound like a good idea.”

From a sober point of view, for more than 10+ years, some people can handle all that life throws at them without becoming addicted to a substance. The best example I can think of is the person who is able to have two drinks, while the rest of the weak folks (such as myself) get swallowed up in the pure pleasure of self destruction.

Having attempted a rehab treatment session 25 years ago, I observed everyone couldn’t wait for the session to end, so they could go out and score from each other. When directed to the counselor, he stated, “Well we have to try something.” The person also singled me out to inform me, “You cannot do it by yourself.” Thank God proving him wrong for the chosen substance turned out to be the correct move on my behalf.

Nicotine was the greatest challenge faced when confronting personal demons. However, similar to everything else in life, you can succeed if you establish a goal to do so.

I have great compassion for smokers, having been one for more than 30 years. In no way should they be classified as second rate citizens or should their integrity or fortitude be questioned. The pleasure they derive from the habit is a true enjoyment which nonsmokers may never understand. To this day, the want of a cigarette, with a cup of coffee or after a meal, still lingers in the deep recesses where no one should travel.

In conclusion, I tip my hat to the people who are able to enjoy a social drink. I pity those people who believe there is such a thing as a “social” drug user. Finally, best wishes in your endeavor to any smokers who are trying to quit.

Traveling Medicine Show

2009-01-12T04:04:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been in an office surrounded by people who appear like they just arrived from an inbound flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport? They are young, very well-dressed people toting roll-around carry-on type bags.

There usually is a cell phone glued to one ear with a pen and pad attached firmly to the other appendage. Reality – you are not in an airport. Rather, you are in your physician’s office.

These people are the hip upwardly mobile drug pushers of today. In a recent visit to my urologist’s office, there were four patients and three drug representatives (hereby known as drug reps). The doctor was an hour late, and all four patients claimed the same 9 a.m. appointment. We all had our flow checked and filled the required specimen cups, while the drug reps passed out donuts and chocolate to the staff.

On another occasion, I was one of two patients in my personal doctor’s office, while there were four drug reps waiting. What was amazing regarding this occurrence is the doctor chose to see two of the reps before the patients.

These drug reps push their wares utilizing a multitude of gimmicks, including pens, calendars, wall posters, pads of sticky notes and the biggest prize of all, “The Free Lunch” for physicians and staff members. The only benefit to the average patient is the free sample drugs which are left for trial purposes (saves some people hundreds of dollars).

The price of these over prescribed medicines is astronomic. Research proved that a 30-day supply of the drug Lipitor priced out at $203 - assuming you only take one pill per day. Some of these “wonder” drugs will cost you upwards of $400-$600 for a 90-day supply (the recommended way to have your prescription filled). A majority of health plans only allow the purchase of 100 pills at a time. Therefore, if your prescription calls for three a day, you must travel back and provide the co-pay every four weeks.

Understanding research and development on new medicine is an extremely time consuming and costly process. There is something wrong with the system – allowing these representatives an open expense account for the purpose to wine and dine doctors to use their products.

Of course, this is only just one of a multitude of issues with our current health care nightmare. In the coming months, I will examine several facets of the problem.

”And up through the veins came a bubbling crude – blood pressure that is!”

Friday’s Rambling

2009-01-09T04:33:00.002-05:00

A friend and avid reader of this blog recently gave me a Rick Edelman book titled “The Lies About Money.” This book, which I had the pleasure reading, is filled with a variety of common sense tips regarding your finances. Now, having stated that fact, I must confess reading economic-related books is not easy for me.

A majority of the time, it reads similar to how the teacher sounds on the Charlie Brown cartoons, “WaWah Wah Wa Wah.” I highly urge you to read this no-nonsense, easy to understand book about your money and how it should be working for you.

Have you noticed the biggest rip-off in this country is not Bernie Madoff. However, it’s what happens at the gas pumps every time the world is in a tizzy. How that translates into raising prices, of already paid for gasoline in the tanks under each station, by as much as $.40 per gallon overnight, is a true scam.

You can understand why traders become nervous, which causes oil and gas futures (that’s the keyword) to rise. Can the American middle class catch a break? Congress should form a million dollar panel to investigate this scam, instead of squandering millions (billions) on other non entities.

Speaking of uneasy moments in time, there are reports that Saudi Arabia is one of the major contributors to Hamas. You remember Hamas – the terrorist organization which takes pleasure in blowing up things, people and property in the name of religious freedom. My wonderment comes from the fact that Saudi Arabia is heavily involved with the financial support. I’ll give you one guess as to where the Saudis acquired all that money from (Mmmm).

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank radio personality Mr. Dave Elliot, a close friend who graciously posted my blog site on his FM Talk Show site. Dave and I go back further than either one wants to admit. You can stream his show live, daily from 3-6 p.m., at (www.daveontheair.com). That’s 98.9 WGUF if you are traveling in the Naples, Fla. Area. Give him a buzz; his show is always topical and well-informed.

Way to go GATORS!

Next week – medical issues from my point of view.

Blood Pressure Normal

House Husbands Unite

2009-01-08T03:22:00.001-05:00

As a House Husband, I must comment on the job . Unless you live in a roommate situation,like college or bachelorhood, it appears nothing you ever accomplish is correct in the eyes and mind of your spouse. On paper, the job seems simple enough, with mundane tasks of cleaning, cooking, shopping, paying and mailing bills and the impossible chore – doing the wash.

Let's start with the wash. It seems that wash and wear does not apply to women’s clothing. Delicates must be treated like an endangered species – without proper treatment they will be become extinct. Shopping for new items will soon ensue. Based on experience, bras never, and I mean never, get put in the dryer, and other undergarment articles are unable to stand being in there for too long either (seems the radiation is just to much for them).

Women’s “Wash and Wear” is a different matter altogether. You stand sentry over the dryer and snatch the offended items of clothing before they wilt to an unmanageable mess. I can only imagine what rules of behavior ironing would bring.
Heaven help the man who hasn't a clue to what detergents, fabric softeners, presoaks and dryer sheets to use. Personally, I have given up all hope of trying to perform this task.

Cleaning the house presents its own unique challenge. The Do's: wash the dishes; vacuum; dust; make the beds; clean the tile floors; and swab out the bathrooms, including sinks, tubs and showers.

The Don'ts: excessively run the water or use too much detergent while doing dishes. In addition, what ever you do, forget about air drying (they must appear back in their respective “homes,” pronto).
Cooking is an area where a man can excell,as long as he is outdoors burning food on the grill while learning to singe the hair from his arms, eyebrows and nostrils.

When running the vacuum, you are instructed the hose “thingy” works just like the big “thingy” with wheels. Do not be afraid of unhooking it from the holster to clean along wall edges and in the furniture.

Dusting can never be done to a woman’s satisfaction. You dust the tops of all the wood furniture, and she will point out the edges of the drawers and legs also need dusting. Once you've mastered this activity, she will ask, “why didn't you dust the baseboards, and the tops of door sills have an edge on them?”

If that isn't enough for you to call the committee man, than she will politely explain the plastic flowers are as dusty as a country road. I think plastic flowers should come under the “doing the wash” heading!

Bathroom maintenance takes a college degree in sanitation. The bachelor days of swishing the toilet with a brush once a month are over. You start with dumping a couple dozen toxic, fume-emitting chemicals in every orifice in sight. Then, commence the process of scrubbing, rubbing and rinsing all surfaces until they gleam and smell strangely like a hospital.

The making of the beds process is just never quite to her satisfaction. This is evident when she arrives for inspection. Women always tend to tug and straighten one of our faux pas.

Paying and mailing of the bills manage to create dilemmas of their own. After all the housework is finished, how can a man think straight? The best advice is to stay far, far away from checkbooks, envelopes, stamps and most of all, the dreaded 3-inch calculator, which your fingers are unable work anyway.

Good luck, you are on your own!

Love Thy Neighbor

2009-01-07T00:47:00.004-05:00

In today’s broadcast and print media, there is an air of unrest that has never before existed. The more well-known personalities reporting to us and our children are just plain rude and obnoxious. They place themselves on a pedestal and make judgments that are to be followed, or else we the listener are wrong.

Let ‘s examine a few of these top professionals violating our thought process. One of the worst offenders is Keith Olberman. Nightly, at 8 p.m., on MSNBC, Olberman rails against the right wing and Republicans by the score, this of itself would be okay. However, Mr. Olberman deems it necessary to resort to name calling when his opinions would suffice. Constantly referring to the conservative point of view represented on Fox as those “talking heads,” and attacks Bill O 'Reilly as “Billo the Clown.”
Olberman’s tagline is “Saving the Democracy.” Honestly, he is tearing it down, instead of praising the concept for giving him the opportunity to do so.

O 'Reilly, while being a seasoned, well-traveled journalist, is just as bad, conferring his own brand of “Fair and Unbiased” reporting by calling the people on the left “Pinheads.” Almost nightly, he will single out one of the liberals and pick them to pieces in the name of good journalism. O'Reilly will go as far as to invite comedian Dennis Miller on air to report. Miller, while being a good actor and an intelligent person, also resorts to name calling at every corner of his interview.

What happened to reporters who had the integrity and the fortitude to refer to each other as colleagues? You never heard David Brinkley or Walter Cronkite call each other let alone other people names. They were able to concentrate on the news itself. While it may be true the times have changed, the rules of good manners and etiquette have remained the same. Political commentators, such as Olberman and O’Reilly, are no more than glorified versions of Jerry Springer.

Is there anything in the news coverage today considered unbiased under the pressure of either politicians, or big business feeding the information directly to the mouths of the press? The dollar always rules over the common sense exhibited.

This is not to say there are no hard working, honest reporters in the field. It’s just those practicing this brand of “yellow” journalism only improve ratings and bring in more advertising revenues.

The problem we are witnessing today is the examples being taught to young people who watch and care about the news. College students in this country can only believe this is the way journalists should behave. I only hope, in our universities, broadcast and print journalism professors are teaching their students the important values of reporting an event, instead of introducing their personal political leanings to the story in hand.

There should be an effort made to lead us down the path of being good Americans and not people who want or need to call each other names. As Red Green (Steve Smith) says, “Hang in there we're all in this together.”

Can we all just get along?

Jinxed

2009-01-06T04:26:00.007-05:00

Burger Chef
Cornerstone Engineering and Surveying
Dawn Donuts
Flint Candy and Tobacco
Hamady Brothers
Helmac Products Corporation
Krogers (before it came back in the 1990’s):Remember Krogers pulled out of Flint when workers tried to unionize
Leisure Time Products
Mr Gibbys Inn & Restaurant
Save a Child Foundation
The Holiday Inn Downtown Flint
The Sheraton Motor Inn
The Voyager Inn
The Warwick Inn
Vehicle City Truck Works

You may be asking, “What do these companies have in common?” Well, they are all out of business. I have had the good fortune of being employed by every one of them! Yes, if you need your business to fail, just pick up the phone or e-mail me. I am willing and ready for the job!

Helmac is a little different. The company is still in business. However, it has changed names to The Evercare Company. In case you are not familiar with the original name, formerly Helmac is the world’s largest producers of lint rollers.

It was located in Flint, where Nick McKay, Sr. and his wife, Helen, started the company in 1958. Helmac blossomed from a family-run, garage/basement operation to a multi million dollar enterprise. In 1998, McKay, Sr. decided it was time to retire.

He then sold the company to his son, Nick McKay, Jr. and a consortium of investors. The elder McKay made a bundle. To announce this momentous switch of power, and his good fortune, he hosted a party at Flint's Gateway Holiday Inn. During the event, McKay, Sr. shared the wealth by giving every employee a bonus check. Being a supervisor paid off handsomely that day.

That afternoon, the new owners, along with the company executives, presented speeches concerning Helmac’s future. McKay, Jr. ended the program by fielding questions from employees.

Naturally, the only supervisor to ask a question was yours truly. The query posed was, “Nick are you and Helmac committed to staying in Flint?” Nick, Jr. assured me, as well as the other employees, that the answer was a definite yes! All to no avail, former Flint Mayor Woodrow Stanley had offered tax break opportunities of a lifetime for the continuation of this operation and the jobs it provided.

Three months later, Helmac announced it would be relocating all operations to Georgia, with manufacturing, shipping and receiving to be located in Waynesboro and corporate offices in Augusta (suppose someone desperately wanted to play Augusta National Golf Club).

It was revealed, after the fact, that the proper paperwork already had been signed to move the company, when I asked the committed to Flint question. Let’s play the old TV game show " Who do you trust"!

Please remember, if your business in on the verge in Genesee County, I can help push it over the edge.

Level Pressure Readings

Crooks in the Backyard

2009-01-05T03:01:00.004-05:00

The American’s patience is wearing thin with all the corruption discovered on a daily basis.

In Flint, MI, you don't have to gaze far to find the inmates running the asylum. Mayor Don Williamson, a convicted felon in 1962, currently is running the show. The “Don” served a little over three years in prison for writing bad checks and purchasing items that were never paid for.

Mr. Williamson has managed to run the City similar to a crime boss with an attitude of “my way or the highway.” Heaven help the people who have tried to block his path. They have been publicly scorned and left to blow dry in the wind by the Mayor.

Williamson’s criminal past has never been expunged. As a result, under the law, he has lost these rights:

1.The right to bear arms
2.The right to vote
3.The right to serve on a jury

Keep in mind, in the State of Michigan, a convicted felon’s rights to vote are restored once his or her prison sentence is completed.

Does it make sense that when you have lost these basic freedoms, you also should lose the right to hold public office? When elected, officials have moral obligations to the citizens who have elected them. With the current status of our Country, the right for convicted felons to hold public office, at any level, should also be rescinded.

The Don has made his millions riding the coattails of General Motors, under the disguise of his cheerleader wife, Patsy Lou, as well as his company Colonel, Inc.

Over the last 35 years, Williamson’s hair brained schemes, to win favor, have never come to fruition. Examples of these include a plan to convert the old (now demolished) Winchester Hospital into a Veterans Center and open the great Casino/Racetrack complex to be located at I-75 and Mt. Morris Road (now an aggregate producing site).

Now that the Mayor is facing a recall election on February 24, 2009, he is plastering his goodwill throughout the media. One means is by appearing in full-page ads in The Flint Journal (a publication he once vowed he would never spend another cent with) twice a week. Each solicitation informs Flint’s residents how Patsy Lou plans to keep jobs in the area by residents purchasing vehicles from her dealerships.

For those of you not residing in the Flint area or in Michigan, I am assured, you have read or heard stories of corrupt elected officials in your own backyards. The corruption may not involve a mayor. It may have featured a school board member, a council person or an elected law official. The point is – these incidents occur at all levels of government.

I leave you with one burning question. Have you ever filled out an application for employment or been offered a job that asked if you were a convicted felon, had a criminal past or were subject to a criminal background check? Should our public officials be held to the same standards of a person working for Mac Donalds?

Our beloved Mayor will,in the near future, make the perfect candidate for Governor of Michigan!

Fridays Rambling

2009-01-02T06:48:00.005-05:00

Blood Pressure needing a relief valve, In an Associated Press article in today's newspaper, a 15 member government panel urges a 50% fuel tax increase to fix Americas roads.The panel named The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing( bet that coming up with that name cost a half of million dollars) urged an increase of 10 cents a gallon for gasoline and a 24.4 cent a gallon for diesel fuel.

In the article there is a picture of Highway 225 in Deer Park Tx,in the background is a large Shell Oil Refinery. Wouldn't it make more sense to tax the oil companies ,that made billions in profit last year, rather than saddle the American public with more of the burden.
The Rolling Stones sang what we all should feel-
"I'll never be your Beast of Burden"

It was announced today that two of your tax dollar backed acquisitions were completed.
Bank of America Corp. spent $19.4 billion in its all stock purchase of Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo & Co. finished spending $12.7 billion in its purchase of Wachovia Corp.Can't you feel the credit relief spreading through your wallets and pocketbooks?

Every able finger and hand should be writing or calling your "Lawmakers" and thanking them for this no accountable spending of your tax dollars.Is this constitutionally legal?

Time to visit the doctor for an injection of large quantities of Blood Pressure
medication!

Reflections

2008-12-31T01:45:00.003-05:00

As “Baby Boomers,” we have some selected years that stand out in our collective memories.

1963: It was a year that, for everyone of the age of reason, remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing as President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It seems we all lost our innocence on that fateful November day.

1968: The infamous 1968 included two more assassinations (Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.). More than that, it was a year when our Country had never experienced more division among the people than since the Civil War. Also, the majority of us tasted the political waters for the first time. We felt our voices could make a difference. It turns out maybe they were just idealistic dreams.

1974: We witnessed a President resign and leave office in shame – the experiences of Nixon and Vietnam were over.

1992: The year we grew sick of listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow,” as we elected the great Governor of Arkansas, William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States.

2008:
We will vividly remember this year with a sense of doom never felt before. The gnashing of teeth will not cease for years to come, and we will regret the decisions that were made on our behalf.

This year has seen the amount of individual’s retirement funds and personal investment portfolios drop 40 percent in value.

The housing market prices also have decreased 10-20 percent, and the Federal Government’s debt is estimated to be at $9.5 trillion by year’s end. That’s a ridiculous number.

Oil reached $146 a barrel, and gasoline at the pumps hit an American high of $4.35+ per gallon, all in the name of greed and excess profits.

The cost of the war in Iraq is at $582 billion and climbing by the second.

Health care costs have risen 6 percent this year, with an average cost of $9,144 per employee. This figure would significantly be higher if companies had not drastically reduced benefit costs by increasing co-pays, while lowering the expenses and quality of both dental and optical care.

The average cost of health care for every American was $2,295, and $4,635 for every working person.

For the first time, since the Depression, the middle class was forced to make tough decisions, such as buying groceries and paying energy bills rather than affording medicine and health care.

Additionally, we have an elected President with the lowest approval rating in the United States history, as well as possibly the most powerful Vice President ever to hold court.

We may be on the verge or onset, if you please, of another major depression in the United States and possibly across the world.

Only the very wealthy will survive by relying on the shoulders of the lower and middle class populations.

This blog will delve into each and every one of these issues in depth during the upcoming year.

Please have faith in the new year, all is not lost, we have elected a new generation with hopes and dreams of their own. We may be surprised by the outcome of decisions to be made in the coming years. They say hope does spring eternal.

May God Bless and keep you in the coming New Year.

"You are a socialist"-email comment from a reader

2008-12-30T19:41:00.001-05:00

Call me Ishmael, or better yet, call me a progressive, the label that I prefer. I never understood why so many shrunk from being labeled the "L" word, that is, a liberal. I'm proud to be a disciple of "fightin' Bob" LaFollette and everything he stood for, in fact fought for. Lately, in the true spirit of "only the name's been changed" propaganda, the new pariah is the socialist. Pre-election rhetoric was full of allusions to our president-elect as a socialist.( Is this what you want for our great democracy?). The warriors of Bill O'Reilly et al have been convinced that they alone pay their own way and that the scofflaws of our society have been nothing short of an anchor tied to a noose around the head (if not the dick) of America. It would be very easy to cite hundreds of examples of how these folks are indeed socialists. With my limited time and abilities I'll try to point out just a couple. Do you participate in a health insurance program? Don't confuse this with a health savings account, which is definitely not socialist, except for tax savings incentives. Why do you contribute to a fund that is distributed to others based upon their "needs"? Let them take care of themselves.All the insurance premiums paid over a lifetime will not begin to cover the cost of what you call a "much needed" heart transplant. Pay for it yourself, or get out of our way. The ditto-heads must be fed up with paying for schools that they don't use, airports that the elite overuse, national and state parks that they can't afford to use,

Who Is Minding The Store?

2008-12-30T01:38:00.002-05:00

As you are aware, the Brain Trust (oxymoron) in Washington voted to allocate $700 billion for the relief of the financial crisis. These political leaders deemed it fit to immediately dole out $350 billion and give the other $350 billion out down the road.

Henry Paulson, the Wise Old Owl, urged the President to push this with all of the backing he could muster. The Big Bad Wolf Mr. Bush said you must do this or else the country will fall into disrepair and the economy will collapse.

Each week, since this massive bailout was passed in October, the Feds continue to change the rules of how the money is spent. Now, at the end of December, the major banks have produced reports on the use of the funds.

The emergency bailout provided JPMorgan Chase with a hefty $25 billion. In a recent Associated Press article, Thomas Kelly, a spokesperson for JPMorgan, stated, “We’ve lent some of it. We’ve not give any accounting of, ‘Here’s how we’re doing it.’”

He added, “We’ve not disclosed that to the public. We’re declining to.”

A representative from Sun Trust Banks in Atlanta stated, “We're not providing dollar in, dollar out tracking.” The corporation was awarded $3.5 billion.

Regions Financial, which received $3.5 billion, exclaimed, “We manage our capital in its aggregate.” These words were undoubtedly crafted by a Harvard M.B.A.

A total of 21 financial institutions, each granted a minimum of $1 billion, were asked by the Associated Press four basic questions: How much was spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings? What’s the plan for the rest? The majority of institutions questioned immediately provided stock answers carefully prepared by their public relations departments.

Enough quoting the Associated Press, you can read the article. What they should have asked, but are afraid of the answers, is how much went to the corporate officers? How much went to the principle preferred stock holders? Also, how much went right back into the pockets of the morons who gave it to them in the first place?

When the financial institutions are squandering money like water, then it's perfectly okay to use $17 billion off the top for the auto industrys"Bridge Loan".When it all comes down on March 31, the automobile heads will be right back on the hill asking for another"Bridge Loan”.The sad aspect, is that they still will not have a viable plan to resurrect the industry in America.

It does not take a doctorate in finance to know that when you toss around that kind of money, nobody can control the spending or flow of bushels of $100 bills. This should be enough to motivate, every hard working tax payer in America, to impeach all politicians and jail the crooked bank officials involved in this debacle.

Where is the COMMON SENSE?

Blood Vessels Bursting

Mondays Rumbling

2008-12-29T04:36:00.004-05:00

Not A Regular Feature

Reviewing sports this year, who would have guessed the Tampa Bay Rays would have been in the World Series? Who would have ever thought that the Detroit Tigers, the best team Little Caesars money could buy, would finish in last place. There is always next year!

Since the miracle on the frozen tundra known as Lambeau Field failed to materialize Sunday, the Detroit Lions set a record that probably will never be broken, unless the National Football League, in its infinite wisdom, expands the season to 18 games.

Fifty One years, and only one playoff victory, seems like a long enough wait for some resemblance of a winning franchise. William Clay and Bill Ford, Jr., should bow out and let an owner, who is willing to strive for excellence instead of mediocrity, take the helm. Again, there’s always next year!?

The New York Yankees, better known as the best team any amount of money might buy, has spent $423.5 million on three players – CC Sabathia (seven years, $161 million), A.J.Burnett (five years, $82.5 million) and lastly, Mark Teixeira (eight years, $180 million) – in one week.

It seems the Steinbrenner Kings, George III and Hank, have an inside edge with the Treasury Department. One only has to remember, that King George was convicted in a matter involving illegal campaign contributions to King Richard of Nixon, to realise he knows how to manipulate the political system.

Speaking of the Treasury Department, it will single-handedly keep all employees busy in the upcoming year. The Department also will continue utilizing the people in charge of that unique blend of fabric and paper we print money on, as well as the ink suppliers busy.

Turning to the matter of Bernard “Mad Dog” Madoff, his dealings already have resulted in one of the people, who previously associated with him, committing suicide. One can only wonder how many other cohorts will follow the same path by taking the coward’s way out. The greed mongers on Wall Street and in the banking industry should be that lucky – that jumping out of windows is an option. Those guilty should all be prosecuted with fraud and swindling charges and sentenced to hard time in real prisons, not country clubs with tennis courts and swimming pools.

Last but not least (corny hey), on Christmas Eve Day Wall Street staged what was called a Santa Rally. The Dow Jones increased a whopping 49.88, and oil fell below $36.00 a barrel. Can the good times be far behind with amazing numbers like these? Or was this really only a twinkle in the fat man’s eyes?

“Come on baby let the good times roll”

Christmas Stockings

2008-12-24T06:26:00.001-05:00

These gifts are for all the good little girls and boys. All holiday wishes will be granted, and they will reap what they have sown.

U.S. Companies continue the battle to remain manufacturing in the States, even with the pressure to stay afloat looming overhead each and every day. The list is not enormous, but the American consumer will and should reward you. Some of the companies that would qualify include: Broil King; Chefs Choice; Kitchen Aid; Charhartt; All Clad; and American Racing Products.

Before you call or write a scathing critique, there are a plethora of companies in America performing the same admirable job. Surviving, without government bailouts, is a feat that should be envied by every company that sold out to higher profits, hence losing American workers their jobs.

The various charities/nonprofit organizations, working 24-7-365 to make their communities and the Country stronger, should be applauded for their numerous accomplishments. A few that come to mind are: The American Red Cross; Salvation Army; Goodwill Industries; United Way; and all other local food banks for providing food and clothing to the underprivileged individuals. Again, there are several other worthy organizations which could be mentioned, but this blog calls for brevity.

The men and women serving in our Armed Forces , who with vigilance constantly watch over our liberty, should never be taken for granted. For at all costs, they give the ultimate in personal sacrifice. Remember to hug a member during this Holiday season.

Lumps of coal (if that is what they really deserve) go to the people who have made this a Blood Pressure Cooker year. We'll just make a list and forget to check it twice. This group includes:

~President Bush, Hank Paulson and the Federal Treasury for spending our great grandchildren's money on greed driven bailouts for money-hungry corporations.

~ Vice President Cheney for all of his endeavors in the name of security with Blackwater and assuring our troops are equipped with the best technology money can buy from Haliburton.

~General Motors, and especially Chrysler, who in March will be appearing (remember they are selling the corporate jets) back in Washington to request more funding. By then, thanks to Cerebus, Chrysler will be traveling on bicycles.

~Bernard “Mad Dog” Madoff for the bilking of so many trusting and stupid people. The real crime is the worthwhile charities he swindled.

~Those in Congress who have supported Tariff Suspensions. You have them to blame for the poison that comes from places like China.

~PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for protesting and spending money on stupid campaigns against the cruelty to fowl used by Kentucky Fried Chicken. Do they really want us to eat live chickens?

Once again, there are many more candidates for these dubious honors. Please let me know your choices.

Well folk, guess it's eggnog time. As Clement Clarke Moore famously wrote, “I heard him exclaim, 'ere he rode out of sight, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Back on Monday!

ReplyReply All Move...

School Daze

2008-12-23T04:30:00.001-05:00

The Flint Journal’s Sunday edition reported there were 75,515 disciplinary referrals that occurred in the Genesee County Public School Districts during the 2007-08 school year.

The breakdown of these actions was as follows: Bullying (1,720); Physical assaults (2,776); Vandalism (404); Drug use (116) (?); Possession of weapons (117); Alcohol (66) (again?); Robbery (51); and Arson (85). These numbers, while appalling, should come as no shock to anyone who remotely knows the public schools situation in this country.These figures of course do not include detentions,disciplinary writing assignments, or trips to the principals office.

We virtually have no disciplinary control in the schools. Teachers wring their hands and pull what little hair they have left out by the roots – all in the name of being politically correct while not showing discrimination to minorities. We have handcuffed teachers into being little more than babysitters for those parents refusing to take responsibility for the actions of their children.

There is little doubt in this writer’s mind the majority of these incidents were reported in the Flint Schools. It is a travesty that teachers are unable to control their students in the classrooms.

The children who create such problems are only spoiling the chance for students, encouraged at home by their parents, wishing to take advantage of the educational opportunity being provided for them.

This is not saying that we fail to produce a good amount of finely educated kids from our high schools. However, one just has to look at the dropout rates in the Michigan’s major school systems to see that there is a growing problem with the entire education process.

During the Baby Boomers days in school, a paddle did a pretty fair job of handling ADD, ADHD and Ritalin swallowing students. Today, a teacher easily would be in jail facing assault charges and human rights violations for even pondering the use of physical discipline on a student.

Teachers earn every cent they make in today’s academic environment. It’s a testament to the dedication they show that more educators don't just snap and use a child as a battering ram against classroom walls.

God bless each and every one of you.

Christmas American Style

2008-12-22T04:02:00.013-05:00

The other day, one of my blog readers phoned to inform me his coffee maker had met its demise.

The avid coffee consumer had made up his mind – to pursue the purchase of not only a new caffeine provider, but an American manufactured product. To his utter amazement, every brand of this device, retailing at all major department stores, were manufactured overseas. Surprisingly, a majority of the products originated from the environmentally sound, worker friendly country known as Red China.

Price was of no object to this consumer. In his pursuit of an American made device, he considered all price ranges. The bottom of the line maker, which when used would probably leak from every pore, to a high end deluxe super model capable of everything but adding the cream and sugar. Alas his search was in vain. So he settled for a foreign made product under the disguise of an American name.

This information should come as no shock to anyone who has tried to buy American and failed in their attempt.

The Big Three (or is it two) import the majority of the electronics enhancing the “American Made” automobile. The large portion of the clothing we adorn is made by third-world countries, where the labor practices are deplorable. The computer, keyboard, speaker, monitor and phone on this writer’s desk are all manufactured, with American names, overseas.

It should come as no great surprise to us we have a massive trade deficit. It has been years since we led the world in the trading of manufactured goods. Remember, we once topped the world in the production of steel, automobiles and other consumer goods.

Is there an answer to this ever expanding dilemma, or are we doomed to be dependent on the rest of the world to provide the goods we need for everyday survival? This is one of the root causes of the financial problem we currently face. Let's see what the new Congress and Administration can do to change this trend.

Check the link provided today. You will absolutely be amazed just how many American companies import the goods we consume daily. The amount of companies listed that make coffee machines is impressive. Why Black and Decker makes a line of home appliances is baffling. Do the blenders double as a circular saw or a variable speed drill?

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/popups/exporting.america/content.html#a

Friday’s Rambling

2008-12-19T01:18:00.006-05:00

To lighten up the mood, let’s take a glance at this week’s news. The President provided us with the insight of just how cat-quick a 62-year-old’s reflexes can be.

Of course, this serves as a reference to the ducking of shoes hurled toward his upper extremity. President “Nike, size 10” learned the infamous move from ducking answers to pertinent questions thrown at him throughout the past eight years.

If the journalist had been of American descent or if the incident occurred in the United States, he would be sitting in a Federal penitentiary waiting trial for attempted shoe assassination charges and facing at least 30 years behind bars. The price he would pay is listening to ye olde George ramble and stumble through his many Presidential speeches and news conferences.

On the other hand, Vice President Dick (I am only a heart attack away from leaving office) Cheney, has decided it was time to “come out of the closet” (in no way a reference to his daughter). During his eight years of public service, V.P. Cheney traveled wherever George sent him and remained low key, except for a slight mishap with a shotgun. Now, especially in the last week, he continues to appear on every news show to extol how all the great decisions, made by this Administration, were sound and wise. Dick undoubtedly will next hit the various talk shows in preparation for his not yet written upcoming book tour.The book will undoubtedly be named "how I made millions of dollars engineering military contracts for Haliburton and Blackwater Security"

Meanwhile, President Elect Obama continues to learn some new dance moves. He spent the week on describing how he, in no way, had any dealings with long-time Chicago Buddy – the great Governor Rod Blagojevich

As a lawyer, Obama already has a majority of the dances memorized. He just needs more pairs of dance shoes and of course practice in front of a mirror.

The Presidential Ball has just begun. It also is being reported President Elect Obama's honeymoon with the American press and the Congress will not last for his entire first year. Apparently, there are a few U.S. Representatives and Senators not quite warm toward Barack’s plans for the Nation’s reconstruction progress. Notice, I was able to sneak in a Lincoln reference?

One last note to end the week – the blog has added a new Team Member with an extensive background in journalism. Hopefully, he will help improve this blogger’s 8th grade writing skills by smoothing the rough edges and pointing out when the hell to use a comma. For those of you, who know my new Senior Editor; please extend a warm and hearty welcome.

The weekend can only serve to relax us all.

NOTE FROM SENIOR EDITOR: Hey, if I can teach an Indian (dot not feather) college student to write newspaper articles in his second language (English), then I think I can help this old fart create masterpieces!

Parallels

2008-12-18T03:21:00.003-05:00

There are some interesting comparisons that can be made between 10 years before the Great Depression and today.

During the 1920’s, people flocked from farms and rural settings to urban environments to take advantage of the blossoming industrial growth. Manufacturing jobs lured immigrants and the people involved in agriculture. Basically, this transition created the middle class as we know it today.

Families were upwardly mobile, in pursuit of all the modern luxuries the era could afford them. Many people were considered extremely wealthy, mostly due to their investing in the stock market. However, their wealth was largely based upon buying on margin. Therefore, when the market crashed, the rich were forced to pay up or face losing everything, which was exactly what happened to many hard working people.

In the past 10 years, leading to the financial crisis we face today, consumers have fled their urban settings in search of larger spaces to raise their families. The general population also has access to the best that technology has to offer. Similar to the 1920’s, these luxuries have been bought on margin. The difference today is the margin equals credit cards and unsecured loans. As was the case in the failing economy then, Americans face the same loss of possessions today. Hard working people continue to lose their homes and acquired goods as fast as if it was 1930 all over again.

As a whole, the middle class has historically been consumers for “want.” Reality is slowly setting in that we must transform into consumers for “need.”

The coming time will not be an easy one. New President Elect Obama will face the same challenges Roosevelt faced when he assumed office. Our new President has set in place, massive public works projects, just as we had during the Depression.The employment opportunities that these public works create will be swallowed up in a battle for survival.

Remember, it’s not a crime to gift your child or a relative something they need as opposed to something they want. As needs, briefly, will out weigh everything.

Level Pressure

Social Disease

2008-12-17T07:34:00.002-05:00

Today, Michigan faces a crisis – both social and financial in nature – caused by the worst that society has to offer. With unemployment rates constantly rising, not considering those capable people who have given up hope of finding a job, we are faced with an astronomical increase in crime of all varieties.

The State is burdened with the cost of providing food, shelter, and most expensively, medical care for the prisoners committing these crimes.

Michigan’s prison population has skyrocketed since the enactment of its “Get Tough” crime laws. Our prisons currently house a population of 50,200 inmates, and experts are predicting an estimated growth to reach the 56,000 mark within five years.

It is reported that the State spends about $2 million a day, or $2 billion each year. The cost of feeding, housing and providing medical care is approximately $32,000 annually per prisoner. As an inmate, you can expect to receive better medical, dental and optical care than over a third of the general population. It is, without doubt, the surest way to obtain top notch health care.

We are spending 20 percent of the State’s general fund to pay for the services provided to these criminals and the law enforcement charged with maintaining the prisons and parole cases.

It certainly should come as no surprise when you watch a dead eyed defendant appear in a courtroom. They obviously are not worried about being homeless, or in even owing debt to pay for any essential medical treatments needed during their prison sentence.

Currently, Michigan has the 11th highest incarceration rate in the United States, higher than Mexico, Canada and South America.

Law abiding taxpayers should be outraged by these figures. After all, it’s our taxes paying for the disease that will undoubtedly get much worst before it gets any better. America – the land of opportunity – rears its head in some very ugly ways.

(Facts courtesy of Detroit News)

Pressure On The Rise

Make Up Your Mind

2008-12-16T05:34:00.005-05:00

Senator Carl Levin D. Michigan: Graduate of Swarthmore and Harvard Law School. Senator Levin is the longest serving Senator from the State of Michigan.

This impressive collection of college knowledge leads one to believe that Senator Levin is a reasonably intelligent person. Yesterday, during an interview that was broadcast from WDIV Detroit and carried by CNN, he advocated that President Bush should use a portion of the $700 billion, allocated to the T.A.R.P. Fund, in the amounts of $8 billion to General Motors and another $7 billion to Chrysler for a bridge loan.
In the same breath, he stated, “that the use of the $300 billion, given to the financial institutions, was dubious at best.”

Senator Levin, you cannot have it both ways, after all you voted for the $700 billion bailout and never questioned the use or the people who would be using the funds. This came after a majority of your constituency pleaded with you to vote down the bill. It has to make a voter wonder just who are you representing?

Three months from now, when the auto industry is back on the hill, pleading the case that $15 billion was not quite enough, will you waffle again and say that the use of the money was dubious at best? Senator Stabenow D Michigan: on the other hand voted against the financial bailout, and now doesn't regret it like

Mr. Levin – please note Senator Debbie Stabenow is a staunch advocate of helping the auto industry.

What happened to Ford in this matter? Did the dollar situation with them suddenly cure itself? Now, is all of their monetary woes forgotten? If all this isn't enough to raise your blood pressure, now Toyota has stepped up to the money buffet and declared that it will lose thousands of jobs in the United States unless it gets much needed financial help. The wheels just keep rolling merrily along. On the whole, the car industry has been duping the public in every conceivable way for so long that nobody knows what to really believe. Planned obsolescence is just one example – the Vega, Pinto, Chevette, Pacer, Maverick, and the list just goes on and on.

Hank Paulson has been recommended for the “Auto Czar” job. In its infinite wisdom, the government has seen what a splendid job Mr. Paulson has done with the financial bailout, hence the decision that maybe he can perform similar miracles for the auto industry. What nation is most associated with Czars?

For the most part, this writer agrees, for the money, good luck finding and buying better engineering found in certain products, such as the Corvette, Cadillac CTS, and Ford GT. However, can the middle class honestly afford to buy automobiles that cost more than $60,000? Between a mortgage, as well as the care and feeding of a family, it requires an average annual income of well over $100,000 to afford this quality.

A potential buyer’s option for the purchase of a new vehicle could be a Chevy Aveo or Ford Focus. Then, wait for them to disintegrate before they are paid for within a 72-month new car loan. The bottom line in this entire matter equals where is the COMMON SENSE?

Pressure needs a strong dose of Corgard!

Coming soon Honest Politicians:
Fact or Oxymoron?

Who Are You?

2008-12-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

Pressure on low

Notice: You are not Anglo American, African American, Italian American, Hispanic American, South Islander American,or Irish American.Neither are you Catholic American, Jewish American,Muslim American, or Hindu American. No, You are not any ethnic label of American.This brand of being politically correct is tearing at the fiber of our society. If you have not been offended by this statement,sorry your name group was omitted.As a citizen of the United States, you have an obligation to the country and to yourself to be part of the team. This branding of groups does nothing for the cohesive bonding of our nation.

The only exception to this rule, might be Native Americans, they have a right to lay claim to the exclusive use of being able to name themselves pratically anything they like. As for the rest of us,set your mind to the fact, that you are first and foremost AMERICANS! The fact that we are as diversitfied as we are, should only enhance the stucture of the country.You are, and should be extremely proud of your heritage or religious beliefs, but keep in mind that because of our constitution, declaration of independence and the sacrifice of our Armed Forces, you were granted that right.We make strides everyday to insure that you are not discrimated against and the right to believe and think of yourself as a special entity are protected.Ultimatly, in the long haul of continuing to be a great country,joining forces with each other, will serve only to strengthen our being.

Democracy can be a wonderful and enriching experience, but please remember to declare yourself as a member of it,in the words “I am an American” and then you may qualify it with your ethnic or religious background.

Time for that deep breath of freedom.

Fridays Rambling

2008-12-12T08:13:00.000-05:00

(A Regular Feature)

“No good deed goes unrewarded and no bad deed goes unpunished”, this phrase should be the cornerstone of our thinking in the events of the last few weeks. There is just no good way to phrase the stuff that is taking place in our world. It has been tumultuous at best, what with enormous monetary mistakes being made by government and the alleged deeds of the representatives of those bodies. You just have to take a step back and breathe a sigh of relief that survival has taken place for another week.
Do you, like myself wonder what effect this all is having on the next two generations. The role models that they are observing don't measure up to any standard of quality There are very good people in this land who do and accomplish good deeds, but the people that make the news and headlines , that gain ratings or sell newspapers and advertising on the Internet, are the people you least want them to look up to. Every way they turn, they hear bad things involving sports stars, entertainment figures, and politicians. The children that I observe sometimes exhibit no concept of reality in regards to what is taking place around them.

It is this blogs position that the only real role models the next generation and their children have are us. As parents and grandparents we have the opportunity to show them what things like responsibility, manners and etiquette are. My grandfather always told me, until the day he passed, that honesty is the best policy. This may sound old fashion and a little hokey to be telling a child or grandchild in today's world, but it will hold them in good standing for a lifetime. We all have a little larceny in us and the ability to lie, didn't you steal a fresh baked cookie when you were told not to, or didn't you ever purloin a quarter for a bottle of soda from your fathers pants. For the most part the people we know and call our friends are decent, honest, hard working people. If the leaders we count on to make the decisions that effect our future cannot be entrusted with providing the direction for the upcoming generations, then we have to shoulder the load ourselves.

After the nation lost over a half of million jobs last month, remember when your out doing your holiday shopping this weekend, to buy American produced products when ever possible. We as citizens can make a difference in the situation, by being aware of our buying trends. It may cost a few extra dollars, but the rewards will be worth the investment.
For all of you who will be visiting friends and co workers this weekend, for parties and get togethers, have a safe and happy time, until Monday keep the pressure on a low simmer.

Anyone Want The Job?

2008-12-11T02:23:00.000-05:00

Pressure At Boiling

1)Rod Blagojevich (Democrat, 2003-present)—charged with, among other things, conspiring to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat
2)George Ryan (Republican, 1999-2003)—currently serving a 6½-year sentence in federal prison for fraud
3)Daniel Walker (Democrat, 1973-1977)—convicted of bank fraud after leaving office
4)Otto Kerner (Democrat, 1961-1968)—convicted on 17 counts of bribery
5)Lennington Small (Republican, 1921-1929)—indicted for embezzlement

Well what would a good blog be without diving into the political scene, never mind if there is not any water in the pond. Illinois has the unique distinction of having five Governors in the last 100 years that have been indicted on criminal charges.Three of them were convicted and one is still in prison, although since he decreed that all death penalty criminals would not face execution in that state,He is probably making out okay in the general prison population.

The baby boomers have seen a vast array of corrupt politicos in our lifetime. The old adage “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” has never been more true than in our lifetimes. Richard Nixon was so corrupt he should not have been allowed to sell used cars. When he was Vice President, we should have seen that after ten minutes in the view of the public you could power wash a house with the sweat coming off of his upper lip.As for his Vice President Spiro Agnew,He was as crooked as a mountain road(tried and convicted of fraud and bribery).
The current President may be a intelligent man, but he comes across as the dumbest Texan(yes including LBJ) to ever hold the office.You have to wind him up to have an intelligent sentence come out of his mouth.Vice President Dick Cheney, in this writers opinion,is a thug and a thief. Haliburton has the money in bags waiting for him at home.
Democrats are no slouches either when it comes to scandals. Ambassador Joesph Kennedy Sr. who made his fortune the old fashion way, by selling illegal liquor during prohibition, was able to cement the ties with organized crime that help elect his son to the presidency. President Kennedy and his brothers ran wild through Washington ,like Hugh Hefner running wild and naked through the Playboy Mansion.The successor to the Kennedy legacy is President William Jefferson Clinton(see below) Charles Keating, not a politician just a political player, gave millions in campaign contributions ( made by scamming the public in the savings and loan scandal) to Democratic Senators.It is truly amazing how much the Democrats have done and not been convicted or even caught in some cases.
Bill Clinton
RECORDS SET

- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly
- First president sued for sexual harassment.
- Second president accused of rape
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court

Your local politicians that have been caught up in scandals, are only mimicking what they have learned from the top. Should we ignore it, or shrug it off as a few bad apples. You can do the popular thing and start a recall petition against whom ever you choose, after all they or one just like them will just run again!
More of these fun political observations coming soon.

Well this situation calls for complete bed rest!

Homeless Yet?

2008-12-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

Pressure being controlled with deep breathing exercises.

Back in the age when becoming a home owner was a stern trial of ones financial stability and character in regards to how well you would be able to meet those financial obligations imposed on yourself, The American dream of owning your home was an achievement of a lifetime. In the last 15 years , thanks to the government telling institutions such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that the implementation of the affordable housing policy was to take precedence over the financial ability of the buyer, has caused the greatest housing crisis America has ever faced. Freddie and Fannie have become , thanks to the bailout, government agencies. The unscrupulous people who ran these companies into the ground, while raking in millions of dollars in personal wealth, had neither a care or a worry about the borrowers plight.

Upon examination it has been revealed, that with the governments urging, mortgage loans of all types were granted to lower middle and lower income families, with the federal governments urging,

People attacked the chance to own a $75,000-$125,000 home. People without the means, and with incomes of sometimes as low as $20,000 a year , have found themselves out of luck on the financial wheel of fortune.
Of course the Feds are claiming innocence and letting the institutions that provided these loans take the fall. Telling Americans how wrong the mortgage companies were for granting them in the first place.
It is like being on a merry -go- round that will not stop and continues to spin faster.
These families further eroded any chance they might have had by using credit as fast as it was approved,purchasing automobiles,electronics,home appliances,etc.As good as that was for the short term economic situation, the backlash of that is now coming home in the form of massive layoffs.The old saying of slow and steady growth somehow got lost in the mad dash to huge profits.

Now that the Feds, and yes, you the American taxpayer are in the mortgage business. Will there be a way out of this mess? Remember only you can make this country great, for the politicians are absolutely useless bureaucrats with personal agendas. More on politicians tomorrow and in the coming days.

Medication time!

Tuesdays Trash

2008-12-09T07:54:00.000-05:00

Pressure Out Of Control

He's making a list – He's checking it twice.
Where do you begin to start stuffing the trash bag with garbage this holiday season? Why don't we start with one of the biggest thieves, Citigroup. They are in such dire straits financially that not only can they only sponsor a college football bowl game,but they can proudly use your tax dollars to name a professional sports stadium after themselves(CitiGroup Stadium home the New York Mets).Then announce that they will need another $300,000,000,000 to survive. When the Auto Industry is asking for a miniscule 34,000.000.000 one can only ask ,“what the heck, why not?”Bank of America is no slouch either with American tax money. Instead of opening up the credit markets as they promised would happen, They went and purchased all the assets of Merrill Lynch and are looking for more mergers and acquisitions.They also are not new to the venue naming game, with the Bank of America pavilion in Boston and the Bank of America stadium( home of the Carolina Panthers) The rights to do this costs millions of dollars( just ask ENRON).How many of you make out your credit card payments to Bank of America? We will save AIG for another day!

A couple of more thoughts on yesterdays subject. If any of you haven't noticed, the credit card companies have begun to show up in high schools to try and entice graduating seniors to sign on. Every fall college campuses all over the country have representatives with the major card companies setting up a booth to sign on incoming freshmen . Where will it end? Soon the companies will begin early education for junior high students to prepare them for the magical day they turn 18 and can legally enter into credit agreements.
Do some research yourselves on the companies listed below. This list only contains those companies that have received a billion dollars or more.There are 72 other banking and financial institutions that have received millions of dollars in TARP allocations for the cure of the credit crisis(ho ho ho) . Well we can only hope they all have a very joyous holiday, for the American public will not.

TARP Recipients
Citigroup -25 billion
JP Morgan Chase-25 billion
Wells FargoLoading... & Co. (San Francisco) — $25 billion
Bank of America Corp. (Charlotte, N.C.) — $15 billion
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (New York) — $10 billion
Merrill Lynch & Co. (New York) — $10 billion
Morgan Stanley (New York) — $10 billion
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (Pittsburgh) — $7.7 billion
US Bancorp (Minneapolis) — $6.6 billion
Capital One Financial Corp. (McLean, Va.) — $3.55 billion
Regions Financial Corp. (Birmingham, Ala.) — $3.5 billion
SunTrust Banks Inc. (Atlanta) — $3.5 billion
Fifth Third Bancorp (Cincinnati) — $3.4 billion
BB&T Corp. (Winston-Salem, NC) — $3.1 billion
Bank of New York Mellon (New York) — $3 billion
Keycorp (Cleveland) — $2.5 billion
Comerica Inc. (Dallas) — $2.25 billion
State Street Corp. (Boston) — $2 billion
Marshall & Ilsley Corp. (Milwaukee) — $1.7 billion
Northern Trust Corp. (Chicago) — $1.5 billion
Huntington Bancshares Inc. (Columbus, Ohio) — $1.4 billion
Zions Bancorporation (Salt Lake City) — $1.4 billion

Fantastic Plastic

2008-12-08T05:58:00.000-05:00

Pressure Percolating

On February 8 1950 Frank MacNamara,Ralph Schneider, And Matty Simmons made the first credit card charge at the Major's Cabin Grill. This launched the company then known as Diners Club and the age of plastic was born. Mr MacNamara was bought out by Alfred Bloomingdale and for 20 years these four men were the only participants in the club.
Of course this was only the start of the industry, it went on to spawn Master Card, American Express, and Visa. Today people are absolutely sure that survival would be impossible without their credit card within inches of their grasp.
The financial crisis we face today in due in a large part to this innovative way of gathering debt.
The credit cards that the majority of people use charge between 9- 30% interest rates. ( which should be considered usury or loan sharking ) and allow the borrower the luxury of making "minimum" payments. 75% of people will max out two through five credit cards for an average of $2500 - $5000 debt and only be required to make monthly payments of $10 - $15 on the accounts. They have very little hope of paying these balances off and resort to either getting additional cards or filing bankruptcy.
Every major retail store in this country will try to get the customer to sign on to their credit card by using discounts upon approval . One of the main problems is that you will be approved as long as you have made your minimum payments.Credit card debt is astronomical and most people are drowning in it. People tend to use credit cards like they would a rental automobile, with the attitude that what the heck it's not mine.Let me drive (or spend) it like we stole it.
In my house, as a child, the mantra that was preached was that your best friend was the almighty dollar and pay your own way.It seems that most people can't enjoy life living within their means.The financial bailouts being so generously provided by the federal government will not help the individual, it all comes down to Common Sense.
One of the most sensible things to do, is to open a debit card checking account. Most financial institutions offer these and the majority of these accounts will even pay interest. You will be spending the money that you have and not what isn't yours.

So teach your children well!

Fridays Rambling

2008-12-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

Pressure Moderately Low

40 years or so ago , a wise older person put his arm on my shoulder and said " See that person over there ? He is an educated idiot" Over the last 40 years , it has been my experience that there are such people out there. A higher education does not at the time it is earned or later in life gain the person Common Sense. This seems to be particularly true with politicians, for the decisions they make do not show any resemblance of common sense at times. Common sense is a delicate blend of education , logic ,and experience. The least educated person you may know will have the common sense lacking in a person with a P.H.D.

This blog is intended for expressions (or relief of pressure), it does not have a political agenda. It is neither Liberal or Conservative, Right or Left Wing, or even Middle of the Road. Your comments on the blog page are welcomed and you are encouraged to express whatever side of the political fence you choose to ride.Please feel free to send the blog link where ever you like and let others express their views on the subject matter written about. The word "I" will be used as little as possible as we are all in this together. Teamwork amongst all Americans will play a big part in the very near future.

On that note, This blog encourages all of you, with means to do so, please give to legitimate charities . They will be hardest press to continue the services they provide to your community and the Country. Also please remember to thank those friends and family members that are serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Have a great weekend!

The Golden Goose will lay no more.

2008-12-04T05:55:00.000-05:00

Blood Pressure
Moderately High

Forbes reports that the current financial bailout stands at 6.3 trillion dollars. What office supply store did the Federal Government get the calculator to compute a figure that large? Let us put that figure in some kind of working perspective. The planet has just over 6 billion people , the United States is nearing 300 million people. Will you just for a moment imagine what 300 million people could or would do with 6.3 trillion dollars.

We only assume what the pyramid builders on Wall Street and the largest banks are planning on doing with it.If that's not enough food for thought today, how about the big three in 2 1/2 weeks time have upped the asking price from 25 billion to 34 billion. Did inflation hit their books or is it the cost of driving the hybrid cars to Washington to appear humbled by it all.

This insanity must come to a stop before the Federal Government owns all the free market business in the United States.
The credit crisis that we face is the fault of the government urging lenders to supply the American dream to everybody, no matter if they could afford it or not.
When instruments of credit such as ARMs' and no interest loans came due the people who were told that everything would work out and that the investments they made in real estate would appreciate overnight, were left with no choice but to default on the loans. We will discuss credit card lenders at another time.

The time has come for the medication to kick in on the PRESSURE

JasperJack

Auto Bailout

2008-12-03T11:05:00.000-05:00

Its going up again,
(The Blood Pressure)

The auto industry is rolling into Washington with its latest sob story. Do you think the fools on the hill will fall for it this time? The industry is in business- unfortunately for my state of Michigan and the rest of country that relies on the big three to provide jobs and security they are not the least bit interested in you. They do care about the plants they have operating in Mexico- China- South Korea and coming soon Russia. The UAW ( a great idea in the 1930s ) has priced themselves and the American worker right out of the picture. I urge all of you who have legislators that are leaning to the support of this bailout to write and urge them to reconsider.
For any of you that disagree feel free to write and enlighten and lower my Blood Pressure, if you would like a guided tour of a place called Flint Michigan ( the birthplace of General Motors) Write me I can arrange the tour through the ruins. You may ask yourself why does this fool feel qualified to even talk about this, well let me give you a little history. My Grandfather moved here from Illinois in 1924 and hired into Chevrolet and worked until 1959. My Father hired into Chevrolet in 1941 went off to defend this great nation until 1946 and returned to work at General Motors until 1978. I hired into Chevrolet in 1976 and Walk ( or Ran ) away in 1978 after seeing the futility of workbook there. In other words I have ate and slept G.M. for a lifetime. I respect anyone who worked for and retired from any facet of the auto industry I only hope their future is secure. The Bailout will not help them, they will be offered up as sacrificial lambs to save multi million dollar executives and the perks that go along with their respective positions.

Please feel free to comment.
JasperJack