"Just Doin Business" Using Extortion To Avoid Doing The Right Thing

The government passage of  a bill forcing airlines to let passengers off the plane after three hours is a step in the right direction. The weak excuse that it will create more delays is  ironic.-how much more delayed can one get?
America has become the land of extortion-
complain about banks playing with your money by charging overdraft fees on the largest amounts first, or credit card companies jacking up your interest rate, "just because" and they will threaten to raise rates all around-claiming, "Well, if we have to follow laws that protect consumers the consumers will just have to pay more for the practices"
Credit card companies? "Well, if we have to play fair, we'll just charge the consumer more"
Services which can hold us hostage used to be regulated-
airlines, banks, credit cards, utilities, water, communications-
The argument for deregulation -then? Oh, deregulation will create all kinds of competition and the consumer can  only  benefit- resulting in lower prices and more choice.


When one can be held against their will for 7, 10 or even 24 hours on an airplane, when hard earned public dollars are literally stolen from bank accounts in the bankers little shell games, when consumers are charged exorbitant amounts for electric in a little town of Vero Beach, Fl. because the city government passed a little known ordinance to double the cost of utilities for those living directly outside the 17 mile city limit, with no choice to change, we can all see what deregulation has done for the consumer.

Since US companies and businesses choose to treat consumers like mindless cash cows, disregard any imperative but the dollar sign, and use the opportunity of deregulation to monopolize instead of compete,
the time to regulate is here.
It is time business recognizes their value is only commensurate to the value of those they service, and not the other way around..

There Will Be No Christmas Presents This Year..

This holiday season do yourself a favor-don't buy into it.
Who says Christmas a'la Santa has to be celebrated on December 25th?
I am going to start a tradition at my house-Christmas is in March.
I am going to buy my presents in January when sales are slow.
We will put up our tree in March.
In the meantime, we are going to celebrate the religious holiday by honoring only those religions which practice non exclusivity, teach  and practice kindness, love and concern for humanity . We will seek out religious practices which do not make up their own rules of condemnation-choosing who in this world, according to religion, is "bad" and who is :"good".
I wonder if Jesus wants our world to continue honoring him in the way in which we have transformed him?
According to christians in the US, all should worship him on the dollar bill, in schools, and in public. No other religion should be allowed the same freedom. No other form of deity should be recognized. In fact, it is Satan who planned these diversions from the "true" religion.
Now isn't that just like America?
To consider themselves so special that only they have the right to dictate others religious beliefs as right or wrong?
March. Tree. Santa.

Workforce Investment Act Wastes Billions of Dollars-Still No Jobs

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides increased flexibility for state and local officials to establish broad-based labor market systems using federal job training funds for adults, dislocated workers and youth-


Recently 500 million dollars was added for unemployed adults to obtain training and education. Another 50 million was added for unemployed youth ages 17-22. Is it working? 


Millions of dollars are being provided to states to help the unemployed find jobs, pay for education or training and or relocation fees for those who find employment in another region of the US.


But what really happens to that money? Some people are actually assisted . So many unemployed US citizens and so few jobs.
The Tampa Tribune recently did a little digging and you can read the article here-http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/nov/23/tampa-bay-workforce-alliance-spends-20000-food


We need to start asking where this money is going?
This article is a drop in the bucket compared to the waste going on in our country of these WIA dollars. 


Questions to be asked?


Who are on the Workforce boards?
How many of these businesses are benefitting from these relationships?
How many people are actually employed vs the dollars allocated to states?
What are the qualifications and competencies of those hired to assist the unemployed and how successful are they at placing individuals?
Who are the individuals recruiting jobs for the regions and how successful are they at placing individuals in positions?
How are employees at Workforce treated? What is the turnover rate? 


Workforce should be the shining star in employment!
Unfortunately, the turnover, the low wages and poor benefits for the employees actually doing the work result in high turnover and low employee morale.
Many Workforce locations hire temporary workers through Kelly, pay no  sick time, holidays, or insurance benefits
.One catastrophe, such as a sick family member, a need for time off for funeral or a business matter creates a financial problem.
Many of these temporary workers qualify for food stamps.


Is this the best we can do for our country??
Those dollars could create jobs .
They are wasted -
and as usual, end up in the pockets of those who already have rather than those who are in need.

Lobbyists vs United States Citizens-Buy USED!!

 "President Obama's special counsel for ethics and government reform Norm Eisen announced that the administration no longer wanted federally-registered lobbyists appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions."
And it is about damn time.
Faster, quicker, how about NOW?
This "too big too fail" mantra gave Big Business the green light to keep screwing the American people.
Citizens are convinced if we don't bail out big business we lose jobs.
Wel, we bailed them out-
and the unemployment rate is 13%.
I want to know who out there believes Big Business Corporations are staying up nights fretting and handwringing over the millions of unemployed?
I say buy used!
We have enough product out there we can all sell to one another for the next ten years and then some.
Buy used. A small thing-but one we can control.
Quit buying big business products, let them suffer. Wall Street let us down. Let them down.

Why I Need Public Health Care

When did health care become a privilege for the upper class in the United States?
Did I miss some critical societal change in the past 56 years of my life working full time for someone else?
Last week a friend of mine took her husband to outpatient surgery to have a tumor removed from his back. The Doctor's office would not do it unless she paid fifteen hundred dollars up front.
She borrowed some from her daughter and he had the tumor removed.
Two days later he complained of chest pain and numbness in his arm. The debated whether to take him to the emergency room.
Can you imagine that?
They had all these other bills from his surgery and didn't have any money for additional care.
SHe took him to the emergency room. He was admitted.
She came to work after the night in the hospital. She had to leave him there to come to work because we work for a temp agency.
You see it saves corporations a lot of money f they use a temp agency rather than hire and pay full time
benefits. She could not afford to miss another day.
The hospital called her at the office and told her they would not do a stress test on him unless she came to the hospital and paid four hundred dollars.
He has insurance but the agency he works for chose a 2,000. deductible.
I have no insurance. I keep getting tachycardia  and irregular heartbeats. I can't go to the Doctor at all. I have no money. I make just enough to keep me off Medicaid. I could just quit my job, apply for medicaid, cash assistance and food stamps. I would have good health coverage, then.
Oh! I have an MSW and a teaching license. The first year I can't find a job.

Pig Out Day In America

250 million turkeys were raised in the US in 2009-weighing in at about 4.5 billion dollars.
An average of 13.8 pounds of turkey are eaten by Americans each year.
709 millions pounds of cranberries have been raised in the US in 2008. 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes.
1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins have been grown in the US
65% of American people are overweight in America. Obesity in children has tripled since the 1980's.

The map above displays the states with the fattest people.

We Americans love overindulgence. We love the big, the better, the first, the best, the largest, the lowest, the dumbest, the first..
Our TV is full of realities dumbest, fattest, ugliest, 
Our favorite book is the Guinness Book of World Records.


We roll in our own.
If we go down blazing, it will the biggest, fattest, ugliest, meanest, sorriest, most awesome trailblazin' mess the world has ever seen.
We Americans love that stuff!
Enjoy your stuff-fest
By God, enjoy it...

Applying For Teaching Jobs With PATS-Just A Suggestion

Paperless Applicant Tracking System (PATS)


PATS seems to be a universal software preferred by school districts in the state of Florida and many other states.
It takes at least an hour to complete. It also requires many downloads of documents.
Connecting PATS software into a state wide software site would sure make it easier to apply for jobs.
A teacher could enter all the data into one place and when applying online at a school district, the application could be pulled, updated if necessary and submitted.
It would save hundreds of hours and probably streamline the application process for the districts.

Of course, PATS would lose a lot of money on the software-but they wouldn't need to-they could charge the districts for it and a small fee for connecting to the common application site.