Dying for A Drink...or Maybe Killing for One?

Some of what I wrote below is excerpted from a blog article I wrote earlier this year. But here it is almost New Year's Eve, and I feel compelled to beg all of you to please drink responsibly. Please don't drink and drive. Please don't take your life, or that of my family or friends, because you just couldn't put down either the alcohol or the keys!

I know, you don't feel impaired. Maybe you'll feel like a super hero who can do anything after the booze gets into your bloodstream. Or you'll feel quiet and pensive, but still feel you're okay to drive. Or, maybe you're one of those people who believes they "never get drunk" so they just go on drinking, and never really appear drunk, at least so they think.

But somewhere, after you get behind the wheel of that metallic monster that turns into an unguided missile, all sensibility and reason loses contact in your brain. The neurons fire wrong and your logic fails. You think all is wonderful as you swerve down the road, cursing other drivers for coming too close, or driving too slow. Maybe you even notice the fools are all heading the wrong direction on the freeway...just before impact! The impact that changes everything forever, for you, for the other party, for your family. Maybe ends life as you knew it, and maybe life just ends...for you or someone else.

Tell me...how would you feel if you were drunk driving, and your wife and child were in the car with you, and you had a really bad accident? In your haste, you failed to properly restrain your child in their safety seat, and they were ejected and were killed. Your wife is horribly disfigured, and you, the drunk, come out with minor injuries. How would you live with that? It happens, all too often, folks, all too often. My spouse sees it in the Emergency Room, and I saw it on the streets before the people made it to the ER...or the morgue!

Then what about the person you kill or maim in the accident who was simply there, doing nothing wrong? The innocent victim you deprived of their life, or if they live, a decent life, all because you didn't know when to stop drinking, or when to have a designated driver.

From my August 2008 Blog: Alcohol and drug policies are the law of the land. But many people don’t seem to understand the absolute necessity of a driver behind the wheel, who is not impaired by any substance. When you’re traveling at 70 to 90 feet per second down the highway, you simply cannot allow any substance to cloud your thinking, nor your reaction time. But, in all too many cases, we find alcohol and/or drugs related to the accident. Alcohol can act as both a stimulant and a depressant. It stimulates the psyche into doing things that might not otherwise be considered, and it depresses common sense, that usually overrules foolish and dangerous acts. And, that is frequently where the problem starts. Many people believe they can use alcohol or drugs and drive safely. That’s because they have lost much of their cognitive sense when they are impaired, and believe they can do nothing wrong. Some even believe they are invincible. Believe me, I have been at enough wrecks in my career to assure you there is no such thing as an invincible driver. Serious injury, and often death, does occur in virtually every alcohol or drug related accident. And, unfortunately, it often happens to the innocent victims of an impaired driver. Some people believe coffee can ward off the effects of alcohol. Not so. Drinking lots of coffee after you drink, or take drugs, creates a wide awake impaired person. Just as dangerous, but usually more determined than ever, that he or she is okay to drive.What are the consequences for drinking and driving? Well, that depends upon how much you have had to drink, state laws where you are caught, and how much damage or injury you cause. Recent studies have found it can cost up to $10,000 for a first offense conviction of driving while impaired or drunk driving. Much of that money goes to an attorney to keep you out of jail, if they can. You’ll lose your license, perhaps for good! And wait until you get your insurance bill, if you can even get insurance. Nobody wants a drunk or drugged driver on their policy. NOBODY!. Then, let’s look at your livelihood. Even if you get your license reinstated, if you drive for a living or have to drive a company vehicle at any time, NOBODY wants a drunk driver on their payroll. How can you expect a company to trust you with a $75,000 truck and trailer, and a $100,000 load, when you drink or take drugs? You can’t, and they won’t! Face it, you can really ruin your life by drinking, or taking drugs, and driving. Add to the economic impact the injury and misery an accident causes, and it’s a pretty dismal picture.

About 40 years ago, I knew a man who used to drink and drive. Although it’s not his real name, in deference to his family, I’ll call him Bill. He was in his early twenties, the prime of life. He had a new job, a new car and a good family life. One night, Bill stopped off for “just a few” drinks, then proceeded to get in his car and drive on the freeway. He hit a bridge abutment at an estimated speed of 75 miles per hour. Bill became an instant statistic. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, having his family feed him through a tube, wiping the drool from his chin, and changing his diapers. He remained that way, unable to communicate with the outside world, a prisoner of his deteriorating body, until he died 25 years later. Imagine that, if you can. The anguish of a family over having their husband, and father, vegetate in front of them for 25 years. If that’s not enough, think about Bill’s mind, if it was even the least bit functional. The anguish of living every second, every minute and every hour trapped in that horrible situation, unable to get out. Wanting to tell his family how sorry he was, and how he wanted to go back and live that day over again. No, he wouldn't take a drink, ever again. And, this was a single car accident. Bill didn’t injure an innocent family in another car. Bill just destroyed his life, and with it, devastated the lives of his family, forever. In my career, I’ve seen too many Bills. I’ve helped extricate and resuscitate people, after alcohol or drug impaired drivers have struck them. It’s not a pretty sight. It’s heart breaking to notify a family their loved one has been killed, or maimed, in an accident. It’s even harder to tell them their loved one, or the other driver, was impaired. Law enforcement and insurance carriers will continue to make, and support, every effort, to get the drunk, or drug impaired driver, off the street. But, as a human being, a father and a grandfather, I ask each and every driver to think of the consequences of taking that drink, or those drugs, and getting behind the wheel. It’s a chance we both cannot afford for you to take.

Botton line is if you drink..don't drive. If you drive..don't drink. Don't be fooled into thinking the chart you get with your registration or driver's license will keep you sober if you only drink according to body weight. Driving while impaired can come under the .08 limit for many due to medications, body mass vs. body weight, metabolism, food consumed, etc. Don't take a chance. Plus, stainless steel may be in for fashion, but those made by Peerless and Smith & Wesson really aren't comfortable when worn behind the back!

Please Drive Safe, Sober and Sensibly. Thank you and be safe out there!

Happy New Year 2009!

Why Shop at Ralph's Supermarket and Deal with Attitude and Bad Service?

In preparation for Christmas dinner, we shopped at our local Ralph's Supermarket. Ralph's is owned by The Kroger Company and is a relatively prolific chain out here in California. Their prices, we have found, are higher than some other markets, so we shop there for convenience as it's only a few blocks away, and also for items that can be purchased with cents or dollars off by using the Ralph's Rewards card.

As most of you know, shopping turns into a high-cost trip that fills your grocery cart with needed and frivolous items, but what the heck, it's almost Christmas, so let's get that spiral sliced ham, especially since we can save some money using our Rewards card. We fill up our basket with what should have been about $158 dollars in items total, but wait...there is a problem. The ham won't scan. The cashier tries to enter it manually, but it seems either she can't get it to take, or it simply won't go. So, she sends the bagger back to the meat department for a new label that will scan.

Here's where the trouble begins......

The bagger comes back with the ham and now the price is higher than when she left with it. Same ham, and the new label is pasted over the old one! When I questioned why the price was higher, nobody could tell me why, and the cashier started getting an attitude. I told her I was not paying an up charged price simply because they put a new label on the ham. So, she makes a big show of trying to punch in numbers and swiping the ham across the scanner again...and finally says my total is over $163. At that point I thought she finally had gotten it right. We paid and left.

Then as we're driving home, we discover the cashier screwed us. Yes, screwed us by charging the full price for the ham, by somehow overriding the Ralph's Rewards reduced price on the label. In return for her inability to scan the ham and not accepting a higher price for a new label (San Diego County Weights and Measures will love that!!) she simply charged us full price to get us out of her line.

I called the store twice to speak to the manager. Terminal hold, followed by rollover to terminal ringing both times. Finally called their corporate offices and spoke to a customer service person, who didn't seem all that concerned, but said she would place $5.00 on our Rewards card to make up for the overcharge. Big freaking deal. We'll use that card to get the money off and never shop Ralph's again.

As for the Rewards Card, Ralph's allegedly sent our $9.00 reward to our daughter who lived with us up until several years ago. But sent it to this address. We never saw it and we still get some of her mail. Personally, I don't think they ever sent it as she has a completely different card number. Great excuse that doesn't fly!

Don't stores get it? With times getting tougher, consumers not only have a choice where to shop, they're more likely to exercise it faster and tell others about their experiences bad or otherwise. We've suggested to numerous people they not shop at Ralph's and they agree. The new store is beautiful and it seems they let it go to their head and they're just not equipped to handle customer service like a normal business. This is not our first poor experience at this Ralph's, but it will be our last. We'll be headed over to Stater Brothers for our future shopping. No cards and no bull.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, et al

Merry Christmas to all and a safe and joyous holiday. Happy Chanukkah. And, Happy Kwanzaa starting December 26. If I have forgotten a holiday, remember I am not politically correct, but believe everyone needs to believe in something.

Most important is to believe in yourself, and to believe that in the end, everything will play out according to the grand plan. We have a fate that, I believe, is pre-determined at birth, and while we make decisions that create bumps and twists in the road, that plan remains generally unchanged. If you think that's not so, look back at your life, the decisions you made, and things that have happened, and see if there has not been a deep underlying reason for them. The moves, jobs, locations, and so much more. Found your love, your soul mate, marriage, divorce, cross-country, never left your hometown?

Whatever the plan, it always was there. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

My wish for all of you is that your plan brings you love, health and happiness and a safe holiday season!

Don't Be a Good Samaritan Says the California Supreme Court!

On December 18, our illustrious, albeit assinine state supreme court out here in the Granola State decided that Would-be Good Samaritans can be sued, for trying to do the right thing.

As one reporter stated, "Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, the state's high court on Thursday said a would-be Good Samaritan accused of rendering her friend paraplegic by pulling her from a wrecked car "like a rag doll" can be sued.

California's Supreme Court ruled that the state's Good Samaritan law only protects people from liability if the are administering emergency medical care, and that Lisa Torti's attempted rescue of her friend didn't qualify.

Justice Carlos Moreno wrote for a unanimous court that a person is not obligated to come to someone's aid.

"If, however, a person elects to come to someone's aid, he or she has a duty to exercise due care," he wrote.

Torti had argued that she should still be protected from a lawsuit because she was giving "medical care" when she pulled her friend from a car wreck.

Alexandra Van Horn was in the front passenger seat of a car that slammed into a light pole at 45 mph on Nov. 1, 2004, according to her negligence lawsuit.

Torti was a passenger in a car that was following behind the vehicle and stopped after the crash. Torti said when she came across the wreck she feared the car was going to explode and pulled Van Horn out. Van Horn testified that Torti pulled her out of the wreckage "like a rag doll." Van Horn blamed her friend for her paralysis.

Whether Torti is ultimately liable is still to be determined, but Van Horn's lawsuit can go forward, the Supreme Court ruled.

Beverly Hills lawyer Robert Hutchinson, who represented Van Horn, said he's pleased with the ruling.

Torti's attorney, Ronald Kent, of Los Angeles didn't immediately return a telephone call.

So, when the car in front of you crashes and burns, and the people are trapped and being incinerated, drive on past, because if you stop to help, and they find an attorney who says you injured them in your extrication efforts, you're screwed. Never mind that they would have died in the crash and or fire, but that you were not rendering medical care, so you might be liable.

Certainly, the correct thing to do when possible, is not to move a person until fully trained medical help arrives. But when there is concern that a greater danger is imminent, that there is exigent circumstances such as fire or explosion, or impact by other vehicles, you have to react to preclude further injury. There used to be, until now at least, what was known as the "reasonable person" test, in which the question was "did you do what a reasonable person would have done under the same or similar circumstances?" I don't know the exact details of the case above, but obviously the defendant had reasonable cause, in her estimation, to believe the car was going to burn or explode, and did what she believed was the right thing to do at the moment. And the person she rescued was a friend. Man, with friends like that, you don't need any damned enemies in my book!

What a bunch of bullsh*t this is. How much "medical care" can the average citizen actually render when they go to the aid of a person who is in a wreck? My spouse and I are perhaps different, having had medical training, but still I am now hesitant, since you're still liable to be sued, and if the court thinks you might have exceeded, in the most minute detail, the boundaries of that medical training, you're going to lose. And, even if you're not found guilty, the legal costs could ruin your life, cost you your home and life savings and everything you worked hard for.

This is the reason doctors don't stop at accident scenes. Because if everything doesn't go perfectly, some lawyer will say they didn't do enough, did the wrong thing, or otherwise caused more harm to the victim. In other words, drive on by, doc. Save yourself a lawsuit!

It's come to the juncture where citizens have to watch fellow humans suffer irreparable harm and even death in accidents and other situations, for fear of lawsuits. Doing the right thing makes you a victim in this state, if not this country. But what if you just stand back and watch someone die, or suffer horrible injuries, when you could have helped them out? Is there any repercussions there, save the terrible moral weight placed on your mind and spirit that you didn't do the right thing for them, but did the right thing for you? Not where accidents are concerned it appears.

Only in America, or perhaps California, could the judicial system ruin your life for saving another person's life. No wonder we've become such a hard-nosed society with a total disdain for our fellow man. You'd get less flak for kicking an accident victim as you passed by, than trying to help them, or so it seems.

As America continues on the fast track down the tubes and the judiciary lubes the tubes with bullsh*t!

Corporate Travel 2009

I don't know who the original author of this was, but it started out as several paragraphs about fifteen years ago, and I've added to and embellished upon it over the years to fit the mission. Here's this years tongue-in-cheek "corporate travel" memo:

DATE: December 19, 2008

TO: All Employees

SUBJECT: TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS


In conjunction with our planning process, the following guidelines are to be implemented for all levels and strictly adhered to. All planning for 2009 should reflect these new policies. These changes are effective immediately and I have asked Accounting to monitor compliance.

TRANSPORTATION:

Hitchhiking in lieu of commercial transport is the preferred choice. Luminescent safety vests will be provided to all company employees prior to departure on company business trips. Bus transportation will be used when hitchhiking is not possible. (Temperatures below -30, winds over 90 mph, or rain/snowfall in excess of 10 inches per hour) Airline tickets will only be authorized for purchase in extreme circumstances, and the lowest fare will be used. Cargo class is best. For example, if a meeting is scheduled in San Diego, but a lower fare can be obtained by traveling to Detroit, the meeting will be relocated to Detroit. Also, if convenient arrival/departure times are not favorable to obtain the lowest pricing, your entire schedule will be changed to allow you to shuttle cross country, and meet the flight times of the lowest cost airline.

LODGING:

All employees are encouraged to stay with relatives, friends or mere acquaintances while on company business. If weather permits, public areas such as parks, roadside rests and parking lots should be used for temporary lodging sites. Bridges and tunnels may provide shelter during periods of inclement weather. During extreme cold, the use of homeless shelters should be investigated. Home Office company meetings will be scheduled for the winter months, to take advantage of Father Joe's Mission, where lodging and meals are available. (Casual dress suggested)

MEALS:

Expenditures for meals will be limited to the absolute minimum. It should be noted that various grocery chains, such as Harvest Ranch, Von's, Ralph's, Costco and Sam's Club, often offer free samples of promotional items. Entire meals can often be consumed in this manner. Travelers should also become familiar with indigenous roots, berries and other protein sources available at their destination. If restaurants absolutely must be utilized, travelers should frequent the ones offering "all you can eat" salad bars. This will be especially cost effective to employees traveling together, as a single plate can be used to feed an entire group. Employees are also encouraged to bring their own food while on company business, Cans of tuna fish, Spam and Beefaroni can be conveniently consumed at your leisure, without the unnecessary bother of heating or other costly preparation. NOTE: This is not to imply that foraging at dumpsters is prohibited. However, be aware that illness resulting from such foraging is at your own risk and expense.

ENTERTAINMENT:

Entertainment while traveling is strictly discouraged. If such extravagances are required on customer/agent contacts, the contact should be encouraged to "pick up the tab." Such action will save company money and also convince the client that we are concerned about spending money on a good product, not on useless frivolities. If it is absolutely necessary to take a client to lunch/dinner, the "all you can eat" salad bar is again a good choice. Coupons for "buy one _ get one free" and reduced prices on fast food should also be used when possible. The hospitality provided to our clients who visit our facilities shall be tasteful, yet cost effective. In lieu of extravagant dinners, a picnic bench will be placed in the parking lot near the dumpster, and a garden hose will be made available so that liquid refreshment can be provided for our guests.

COMPANY VEHICLES:

Drivers are encouraged to plan their travel so they may take advantage of free car washes from early morning lawn sprinkling. Making productive calls on rainy days will also assist in reducing the cost of car washes. New vehicles will be ordered in two-tone color combinations of brown/beige to reduce washing requirements.(Those personnel in areas of red clay earth concentrations will receive red/beige color schemes.) For those personnel operating in urban areas, company cars will not be provided. Rather, a bag of bus/subway/trolley tokens will be issued monthly to reduce waiting at token booths. Bicycles may be rented in the event of bus/subway/trolley strikes, or to access risks that are over five miles walking distance from the bus/subway/trolley station. Van pooling is encouraged, as many times the van driver can get you within several miles of your survey location, and you can then "check out" the neighborhood as you walk through. This is especially helpful when in areas where, if you were issued a company car, it would be stolen anyway.

MISCELLANEOUS:

All employees are encouraged to employ innovative techniques in our team effort to save corporate dollars. One enterprising individual has already suggested that money could be raised during bus, train or airport terminal layovers to defray travel costs. In support of this idea, "Red Caps" will be issued to all travelers prior to departure, so they may earn tips by helping other travelers with their luggage. Small plastic roses will be made available to all employees, so that sales may be made as time permits. Please note that each baggage cart returned is worth a quarter, so hustle, and we can make this program work.

Have a Happy and Productive 2009!

Is it ALL the UAW's Fault?

First up, Bush bailed out GM and Chrysler today, and that will keep the plants running for another four months or so. Secondly, the UAW is still unhappy because it requires them to makes some concessions. More whining from Gettelfinger as he says: "We will work with the Obama administration and the new Congress to ensure that these unfair conditions are removed," said Ron Gettelfinger, president of the UAW.

A reader stated it's not all the UAW's fault that the automakers are in the tank and I couldn't agree more. But I still charge that the arrogance of Ron Gettelfinger, the head of the union, in stating they will make no concessions when standing in the face of God, the government and the American public, was absolutely idiotic and showed the greed of the union.

Maybe the top brass do make millions. Maybe they should make ZERO until the companies make a profit. But, again, someone has to run the store and it doesn't appear from what I've personallly seen, that anyone out there on the shop floor is qualified to do so, if their build-out of the average American vehicle is any indication.

Americans loved their cars! We have had a love affair with American iron since before Henry Ford made the automobile affordable to the masses. Nobody, save a few who were possibly considered eccentrics in the 50's and 60's, wanted anything built anywhere other than in America. Oh sure, there was the ubiquitous VW beetle, but that was an icon that simply became associated with a generation, and sales of that vehicle along with the VW minibus never impacted Detroit or Dearborn a bit. Neither did the smattering of Saab's and Volvo's that found their way into the country, along with what was likely a handful of German cars. To see a foreign car was so much an oddity that everyone wondered what they were!

If the UAW built cars here in AMERICA that were built well, I don't think the public would have turned to foreign cars in the first place. The Japanese, Koreans, Germans and others would never have gotten the hold on the market that they have. But, the cars being built here were abyssmal. Simply put, foreigners built them better. Of about 30 full-size Fords, either Crown Victorias, Custom 500's or similar I've owned or driven, only 4 were made in the US, and those were pure junk, always in the shop. One spent more time in the shop than on the road and was finally traded in early. The others came from Canada and were great cars with virtually no problems. And, pardon me my Canadian friends, they were built by foreigners! Not US autoworkers! (Yes, I know the CAW has about the same costs and benefits as the UAW, but they must take pride in what they build!) The only decent GM car, out of the dozen or so I've owned, was made by foreigners in Australia, a 2005 GTO! The build, fit and finish on that GTO was stated to be the mark that all GM should be striving for. And it had to come from a foreign country. What a helluva shame.

Does anyone remember the expose' that 60 Minutes, or another investigative television program, did back in the 70's on the auto industry? They followed vehicles being made and interviewed autoworkers who complained that their jobs were demeaning, and even though their pay and benefits at that time was far above what an average American made, still produced cars that were problematic. Hidden cameras followed vehicles to the lots where they found transmission bolts missing and loose, installed by the same workers whom they interviewed earlier. Point being that nobody learned anything from back in the 70's, and management allowed labor to keep producing junk. And people kept buying junk until the light bulb went off. I guess it's funny, but the light bulb that Ford used as a "better idea" campaign, that went off in peoples' heads was the better idea to buy a foreign car that actually lasted a hundred or two hundred thousand miles.

I knew supervisors who worked at vehicle assembly plants who used to receive deep discounts on their new cars. Nothing wrong with that. But they would tell me they would tag their own cars, so the car would have to go back through the line at that time, so they knew it would be a good car. Those were supervisors, for God's sake; people who were supposed to assure EVERY car was good, yet they had to send their own car back through to assure it was okay? They KNEW the cars coming out were junk. The jokes about not buying cars made on Monday or after a holiday were more than jokes...for many it turned out to be nightmare.

So, try and tell me, who has owned more American cars than almost anyone I know, other than possibly a collector, why the autoworkers are not largely responsible for the demise of the American car industry. The only other way I can place all the blame on management is to say they are 100% at fault for not throwing the union the hell outta Dodge...and Chrysler, and Ford, and GM years ago. Years before it became the driving force that literally ran the companies.

Finally, when you talk about fairness in an industry, and the tail wagging the dog, why would an autoworker really care about being laid off with a deal like the "jobs bank" program? According to what the government has revealed, this program which was negotiated by the UAW and the automakers, allows laid-off workers to receive about 95 percent of their pay and benefits for years. And you wonder why American car pricing isn't competitive?

The dealers lots are full and nobody is buying. Interest rates are down, but when it's a choice between a roof over your head, food on the table or a car, the car loses. The love affair with American Iron appears to be over. I don't know whether the kids will ever have the same type love affair with the foreign cars, and I don't think a turn around is possible in the Big 3 in four months. Sadly, all I see in the future is a foreign car in the driveway, and that makes me very sad. It would make my father and grandfather sad too, but sometimes life and history just can't be changed.

The REAL corporate plan for older workers!

Dear Employee:

As a result of the reduction of money budgeted for department areas, we are forced to cut down on our number of personnel. Under this plan, older employees will be asked to take early retirement, thus permitting the retention of younger people who represent our future. Therefore, a program to phase out older personnel by the end of the current fiscal year, via retirement, will be placed into effect immediately.

This program will be known as SLAP (Sever Late-Aged Personnel). Employees who are SLAPPED will be given the opportunity to look for jobs outside the company.

SLAPPED employees can request a review of their employment records before actual retirement takes place. This review phase of the program is called SCREW.

SCREW (Survey of Capabilities of Retired Early Workers). All employees who have been SLAPPED and SCREWED may file an appeal with upper management.

This appeal is called SHAFT (Study by Higher Authority Following Termination).

Under the terms of the new policy, an employee may be SLAPPED once, SCREWED twice, but may be SHAFTED as many times as the company deems appropriate.

If an employee follows the above procedure, he/she will be entitled to get: HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel's Early Severance) or AIDS (Assistance Incentive Direct Subsidy).

As HERPES and AIDS are considered benefit plans, any employee who has received HERPES or AIDS will no longer be SLAPPED or SCREWED by the company.

Management wishes to assure the younger employees who remain on board that the company will continue its policy of training employees through our: CENTRAL RESOURCES ASSISTANCE POLICY (CRAP). We take pride in the amount of CRAP our employees receive. We have given our employees more CRAP than any company in this area. If any employee feels they do not receive enough CRAP on the job, see your immediate supervisor. Your supervisor is specially trained to make sure you receive
all the CRAP you can handle. They are experts at administering CRAP!

And, once again, thanks for all your years of service with us.

Doesn't this sound all too true? Sure sounds like my last employer!

The Arrogant, Greedy UAW Union Balks at Saving Themselves

I can't believe it! Or maybe I can believe it. Greed rears its ugly head and the face of greed is the United Auto Workers union, at the talks to salvage the future of the American auto industry.

The UAW brass refused to accede to wage and benefits cuts in 2009, and would only consider them in 2011 when their current contract runs out. In effect, they walked out of this meeting literally sealing the fate of hundreds of thousands of workers, who will be laid off permanently if the companies go bankrupt.

The buzz all across America is that the union is so arrogant and greedy that they would rather risk having the majority of their members lose their jobs permanently than agree to wage and benefit cuts. They think they're so powerful they can dictate to the government what the terms will be and it will be their terms or nothing. The Republicans walked out and I applaud them. Screw the union for their greed and arrogance!

Personally, I think the companies should go bankrupt if only for one reason...to be able to renegotiate their contracts between labor to a reasonable figure. The union has been the tail wagging the dog in the auto industry for far too long, and it's time somebody says "enough" and moved on. According to the Arizona Star "GM says its total hourly labor costs are now $69, including wages, pensions and health care for active workers, plus the pension and health care costs of more than 432,000 retirees and spouses. Toyota says its total costs are around $48." Is it any wonder the US automakers aren't competitive anymore?

Maybe it's not that we're not making attractive vehicles, but that the cost of putting them together, albeit shabbily in so many cases, has cost us the lead in the car business? While we were the envy of the car buying world in the 50's and 60's, now we're a laughing stock at best.

So, go ahead UAW. Fight for every last dime of that $29.78 the average automaker makes per hour, plus benefits such as healthcare, retirement, guaranteed layoff pay and everything else. And when all shuts down, and everyone is sitting jobless, as their homes foreclose, their new employee cost cars are repossessed, and they look for food at Detroit's soup kitchens, wondering how the hell this could happen to one of the biggest unions in the nation, just look at each other and your leadership and say..."we did it to ourselves...we arrogant, greedy bastards. We wanted everyone else to concede and give, but we wouldn't concede a dime. And now it's payback time and it's too late."

Of course, you won't think that way. It will all be someone elses fault. The car companies, the government, the taxpayers, the public for buying foreign cars, the oil companies, or anyone else but your leadership and you.

Enjoy the ride, for it's likely to be a short one. And build some decent cars as they might be the last ones you ever build with an American marque. I'm keeping my 2007 because I'm sure it will be a classic the way things are going now......

Update: From Friday's news conference by Ron Gettelfinger, Head of the UAW on the possibility of White House intervention into the current stall in negotiations: "I'm not even sure what this means, how much they're talking about, any terms or conditions that are associated with it," Gettelfinger said.

He said he doesn't think the union will be forced to negotiate wage cuts or other terms with the White House for the industry to get federal aid.

Once again, reinforcing the greed and arrogance. Standing on the corner with a tin cup, the begging man throws back the coins and only wants to hear the crisp dollars sliding into the goblet!

Diversity and Reversity

We're constantly being bombarded and bomblasted with the idea that we must embrace diversity. Fact is that I do embrace diversity, and I think I do it pretty well. But I am tired of getting it shoved down my throat that we must bow to every other ethnic culture to make them feel at home here in America, and then be criticized if we do not.

First, this is NOT their home if they are not from here or do not live here. They are guests and I expect we should treat them politely like guests. However, we don't need to learn their language or customs or ways of life so as not to "disrespect" them while they are here in our country for either a visit, or while here on an illegal immigration entry!

This crap about "Push 1 for English" is polarizing Americans faster than corporate America is sucking Congress' tail for a bailout! This is America, for God's sake, and we don't need to push anything to speak on the phone in our native language! If someone needs to speak in another tongue, let them push some other number, not the English speaking American! If the goal is unity, why are all these things done to keep polarizing the population, and fostering discontent? Is there some sinister plot to assure there will never be any harmony between peoples, so those who preach diversity will always be employed?

Diversity is good. Harmony between peoples of race, color, creed and national origin is good. Making another bow to accept and become part of the culture of another is not good, and is unacceptable in our society as a whole. Sure, we make exceptions. We eat ethnic foods and exchange customs and embrace some changes as our own. That has happened for centuries in this melting pot we call America. But we're not going to speak a foreign language simply to make someone feel at home, or look the other way because eye contact is unacceptable in their country, any more than we would self-mutilate ourselves because it's a custom in some third world country either.

So, get real with this diversity deal. If people want diversity, they will embrace it. But don't try shoving it down their throats because it won't work in the long run. People will resent it, resent the people it's supposed to accommodate, and make more enemies than friends. You see what's happening with the immigrants in California and other areas, and how diversity isn't working very well right now?

The bottom line is that people are sick and tired of being told to embrace change, and accept and embrace the culture of a group of immigrants who will not accept or assimilate our culture! That is a bunch of crap! If people come here, that need to assimilate into our society, like our grandparents and great grandparents did, and not expect us to become part of a foreign society that they bag along with them!

Bottom line: Welcome to America. If you don't plan to be an American, go the hell home, and don't expect us to become foreigners to accommodate your whims and needs!

Gasoline for a Buck?

There is speculation that gasoline could be selling for a dollar or less by the first of the year. I know, that seems far fetched, yet can you believe that the price of a gallon of gasoline is now at the lowest price in 5 years?

Yet the oil companies are still making money? Exxon-Mobil posted the biggest profit in history in the third quarter of 2008! And the local gasoline stations, get this...are actually making more money in some cases, than they did when gas was $4.50 or more per gallon. They are not passing along the full price cuts to consumers as they receive them, preferring to pocket the extra profits for themselves. Maybe a windfall for awhile? Or maybe making up for some lost profit earlier in the year?

They had better be careful, because consumers are looking for bargains in this poor economy, and the station charging twenty cents a gallon more just because they're near the interstate can screw the tourists all they want, but the locals will not buy there. And, the tourist season doesn't run for 12 months. Plus, people have a long memory when it comes to what they perceive as price gouging. So stations who are not passing the discounted prices along might find their pumps vacant when supplies are all too plentiful and their customer base dries up. And their business along with it.

Still, a dollar a gallon? That's the price gas was in 1979, thirty years ago! There also was a time from about the middle of 1986 to the middle of 1987 when gas prices also dipped to a U.S. City Average of around a dollar, but again, that's 22 years ago.

Now the question will be...can we continue to conserve and act rationally (pun intended) and save fuel, so the price will stay down, supplies will remain plentiful and we'll continue to be ecologically positive at the same time? Maybe the crisis will push the car companies to create better fuel economy cars that still give us the room and performance we want, like the imports seem to do so well.

(As an aside, why can a 6 cylinder automatic BMW 3 series go like a rocket and still get 28 MPG on the highway and we can't get the same performance and fuel economy from an American made counterpart? Maybe the government will finally make Detroit answer that question with the "Bailout or Bridge Loan" or whatever they choose to call it)

At least one thing is looking up, America. That is until BIG OIL figures out how to tell everyone there is an oil shortage somehow and puts the squeeze on the pipelines. The first hurricane, earthquake, skirmish, war, shutdown, multiple refinery offline problem, or anything else they can use for an excuse to get those prices up, will be thrown at us as soon as they can to get their profits even higher.

For some reason I don't trust them with the ability to treat us fairly, as they have been hosing us for all too long at the pump already!

PTSD...Just how "POST" is the trauma?

We've all heard the term PTSD..Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most people never really heard much about it until about quite a few years following the Vietnam War, although it's nothing really new. It's been around under different names since time immemorial, I guess, and in different vestments and colors. In other wars, people became "shell shocked" or simply traumatized or suffered "combat fatigue" but nobody took into account what happens when the horrors of war. or anything else that befalls a human being, for that matter, is bottled up inside and comes back to haunt you again and again.

As for Vietnam veterans, it just seems that it became more widespread, as they tried to cope with a society that for the most part, hardly welcomed them home with open arms, and who had little mental health services, or others to talk to about their experiences, and were thrust back into and tried to assimilate "normal" societal behavior once again.

PTSD comes in many forms and shapes and isn't limited to combat vets. It happens to crime victims, accident victims, and people from all walks of life. Some people say it sneaks up on you when you least expect it, with nightmares and visions of the past, and others say it's a living thing that you walk with every living hour. Everyone handles it differently, and nobody can tell another exactly what or how to feel when it comes along, since it, unfortunately, is one of those personal things each one experiences differently. Like pain, each has some different degree of tolerance, a level that can bury some, or all, of that experience in the subconscious, most or all of the time, but unfortunately again, not forever.

I once wondered why the veteran suicide rate was so high, and then started thinking whether anyone ever looked at an overall PTSD rate rather than just a combat veteran rate as a total? It's easy to look at numbers when you have a figure that is in hand, such as vets, as you know the numbers who were exposed. But how about others who have had episodes and experiences in civilian life, that rival the trauma of war? What is the rate of alcoholism, drug use and suicide among that group? I don't think anyone has ever done a study to see how that fits into the total equation! Plus, we see the numbers used by the VA may be more or less skewed, as they have been deemed unreliable for many years, while they denied many of the PTSD cases as factual, which were really true cases. Many more await in the wings.

So, how long does PTSD take to manifest itself? In some cases, it's almost instant. In some cases, years. In some cases, it just jumps out at no specific time, and in a very few cases, it remains dormant for decades, and then manifests itself and nobody can understand why the person acts as they do. Strange thing for sure. Remembering like it was yesterday yet wishing it was tomorrow.

Is it really POST? Or is it simply a reliving of the stress and trauma every day, in a mind that simply rewinds to that time or event over and over again? In your mind it reoccurs and it's now, moments ago, today. But even if you think it was yesterday, I guess that would mean it was in the past, but just how far is POST. Yesterday, last week, last month or for some of us, forty or fifty years or more ago? Or more? And for the returning veterans of today, it's likely going to be a lot sooner than later that they will see the effects of PTSD if they are prone to it at all. Maybe it should be Personal Traumatic Stress Disorder...as that's what it seems to be..very personal indeed.

So, it's a personal thing. I know many times I and others have said, just get over it. Move on, the war or the event is over. But frankly, it's like an ugly tattoo. Once it's there , it's forever. You don't have to look at it every minute, but it's not going anywhere. The best you can do is focus on the good things in life and try to filter out the bad. Find love and someone who loves and cares about you, and love and care about them. Find your soulmate if you can, and you'll find an inner peace you've never known before. Stress is a demon that takes a lot to tame and it isn't an easy fight. Kind of like St. George and the dragon I guess. But as I recall, St. George did win in the end.

Oh, yeah. Would you do me a great favor? Next time you see a veteran, especially one from the Vietnam era, tell him or her "Welcome Home." You might see a tear in their eye, or a grin, or smile, or even a shocked look. You see, we were never given a welcome when we returned home, and it's become a tradition for us to welcome each other home, even now, as a way to honor the service each has rendered to our country, and to say that welcome we never received when we returned. Of course welcome every service person you meet and thank them for their service. Because without dedicated men and women willing to lay down their life for this country, you wouldn't be reading this, nor would I have the opportunity to write it either.

God Bless America and keep safe our warriors!

Gouging and Then Gouging Again and Again

Remember when fuel prices went sky-high earlier this year? (How could you forget!) The airlines increased their fares dramatically, then started adding baggage charges for the second bag, then added charges for heavier luggage too. Why are the charges still in place?

UPS added a fuel surcharge to their delivery services about a year or more ago because the fuel costs were increasing. I shipped a package Monday..the charge is still there!

Costs for groceries skyrocketed because suppliers were saddled with additional costs for fuel for delivering the goods, and those costs were allegedly reflected in the costs of the products on the shelves and in the freezers, coolers, dairy and meat cases, etc. Why isn't the price lower?

Now that fuel has dropped to a price that is lower than it was 18 months ago, you're still getting charged for all of the items above. In short, you're getting screwed!

The explanation I heard the other day is ludicrous at best. One company stated they pay for their fuel ahead of time so their underground tanks are full of expensive fuel so they have to keep their prices up until they recoup the cost of it. Well, let me say this. bulls**t! I know they have twenty trucks with 100 gallon tanks which equates to 2,000 gallons rolling capacity. They have 10,000 gallons underground capacity which means only 5 complete fill ups or so and the tanks would be empty. Based on their radius of operations, I'd say that would be about two weeks or less of use, so they would be putting less expensive fuel in the tanks in about 7 days or so since they never let the tanks run dry. (If they do, that would be rather moronic as any mechanic would tell you!)

So, they're keeping the rather large profit they're now making until and unless they reduce the price to the stores, and the stores will keep the profit until they reduce the price to you. Strangely enough, it didn't take all that long for the prices to go UP, but it sure will take a long time for them to go down, if they ever do! The stores tell you they don't mark up until current shelf inventory is gone, but we all know that's a crock of bull, since they all use computerized checkouts, and the UPC is the same on new and old stock. They change the price in the computers and the computer can't tell what's old or new. Years ago it was true; your mother likely looked on the shelf for the can or package with the lower stamped price or label, as grocery stores actually priced up or down based on their cost, and profit margin. When computerized checkstands came into use, that went away.

As for fuel, sure, some companies thought they could beat the fuel price increases by buying huge quantities of oil at a fixed price in what is known as "key card" operations. They paid ahead for thousands of gallons of fuel at a set price on the day they paid for it. If the price increases, they still pay the same set price regardless of how high the price goes. Operations like this were featured on television news as innovative ways companies were keeping their costs in check a few months ago, when fuel prices were headed towards $5.00 per gallon. All well and good, except that fuel prices took a precipitous drop! So people who locked in fifty thousand gallons of $4.00 a gallon regular unleaded, were left holding the bag as fuel is now $2.00 or less in some places. But, they still want you to pay the difference in their product price, because they screwed up in their guesstimates!

It's no different than the futures buyers and speculators who caused the fuel prices to skyrocket in the first place. They made a ton of money when fuel went through the roof, and it was the skin off our backsides that made it for them. But hear them cry when the prices dropped and they lost their market accounts. Same with the Middle Eastern oil producing countries and their emergency meetings. My God, (or in their case My Allah, I guess) the price of oil is falling..how can we screw the world a bit more. After all, all we have to sell is sand if they don't buy oil! We need more luxury hotels and Mercedes cars..quick..help us..we're becoming underprivileged. If oil goes below $50 a barrel, can we ask Obama for a bailout too?

Once again, America, quit having such a short damned memory! Remember who screwed you, and quit being quite so forgiving! I believe it is Christian-like to turn the other cheek, to people. But NOT to corporate entities who do not care about people. Humans should have love and compassion for other humans. But not to corporations. Corporations are greedy, self-centered predatory entities that feed off people, and when the bones are picked clean, the person is discarded like trash. Don't believe it? Ask any of the workers being dumped by their long term employers. Downsizing, smart-sizing, right-sizing, or whatever they want to call it, it was caused by corporate greed, and the executives and CEO's at the top are to blame. Corporate executives who get fat paychecks while the others get laid off. One executive bonus that could employ many workers over the year. In my opinion, when a company has a layoff, there should be a law that any executive bonus or perks be distributed to the laid off employees and not to any company employees. And that the State or Federal government audit the company books to be sure it is done! Why should some stuffed shirt company brass profit from the layoff of a worker? If you can't afford to pay the worker you can't afford a damned bonus or deferred compensation, stock options, or phantom stock or anything else.

Of course, this is America. I guess it's okay to lay off a worker while the COO of a company gets a big bonus as he drives a nice car and lives in a big house after he lays off workers who end up living in a cardboard box. Hmm, I did say America, didn't I? This does point out my title for the blog...read it again....What's Really Wrong In America!

You Heard it Here...First!

Ever wonder why some companies tank? Why they slide head first into the toilet and then reach for the self-flush lever and pull it? Then close the lid on themselves, sealing their own fate?

Go back to my very first post, and it starts the litany of errors, or perhaps idiotic moves, that helped a giant like Washington Mutual run down the tube head-first. No, not the main reason perhaps, but just look at the number of companies who use offshore call centers and then look at those who tanked. Hmm...anyone else see a correlation here. AMERICA is starting to wake the hell up! We don't like dialing 1 for English, and we don't like talking to some freaking pidgin-english speaking asshole who can't help us one iota while our money, computer, appliance or whatever is a problem to us. U.S. Companies, are you listening? Get USA call centers before you end up with the same fate as those who have already fallen prey to the offshore lunacy. If I want to speak to Chandu or Rashid or anyone else who doesn't speak English, I'll do it on my terms and when I need to, not when I have an issue that requires technical assistance. And I'm not going to Press 1 to do it in some broken damned dialect either! If I find a need to speak a foreign tongue, I can go to a local ethnic restaurant or convenience store and have a nice conversation about the curry menu, or the merchandise, not about my bank account, thank you!

As for General Motors...as Carlos Mencia would say...Dee Dee Dee. Once again, if they only listened to the consumers, it would have been a smoother ride to profitability. But oh, no, like the rest, they decided to give the consumer what they wanted to give them, rather than what they really wanted. It's like giving a person one food one day, and then expecting him to eat the same thing every day of his life! It just doesn't happen. You can change the color, blend the shape and make it smell and look different, and raise the price, but it's the same old thing, and pretty soon it becomes unpalatable. Yet, when you can't feed it to the public any more, you just dress it up in a new manner, and continue to produce it and try and jam it down their throats. If you'll recall, it didn't work with broccoli and squash when you were a kid, and it didn't work for cars either.

GM screwed up when they decided that muscle cars like the real GTO and Olds 442 were out. They dumped the Camaro and the Firebird, and decided later on to revive the GTO with an Australian Holden type. Great car; I had a 2005. But it wasn't the original "Goat" and it wasn't really American iron anymore. They lost the kids and the muscle car addicts to the "Pony Car" people at Ford, who, incidentally, are also on their ass by trying to sell too many big cars and trucks and pay huge wages and benefits. Kids moved to the "Rice Burners or Rice Rockets" and all sort of tuner kits became available, that let tiny Hondas and Subarus run like the wind. They soon were punishing Mustangs on the street, and the tiny engines were good for 300+ horsepower and up. Yet the US car makers were still shoving the heavy bodied monsters on the market, with fewer and fewer buyers, all while paying the unions huge premium wages and benefits. (See another blog of mine on that!)

Pontiac will probably go the way of Oldsmobile. Sad? Yes, definitely. I've had Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, all of which were muscle cars. But when GM decided that they knew better than the public what we wanted, I quit buying their cars. When their dealers couldn't fix a car properly and took 28 tries at repairing a convertible top, then couldn't repair the brakes on another brand new car after many repeated tries, I quit buying GM cars. The last was the 2005 GTO and I bought that solely because I knew then that Pontiac was in deep trouble, that the molds for that car were wearing out and there would be precious few built in the future. 2006 was the last year for the car and no more will ever be built. Strangely enough, the GTO built in Australia was built better and with closer tolerances than any GM made in America. The car magazines, and all reviews, set that car as the mark GM should be striving for in fit, finish and excellence in all its vehicles. Alas, that never happened. I guess the Aussies just take a lot more pride in their work or something, or maybe just care more about what they give the consumer, as they know they won't come back for more if they get a crappy product?

Time to wake up, American companies. The oil companies screwed us every chance they got and now that oil is less than half the price it was a few months back, we're still driving lots less. The airlines upped their fares, started charging for second bags and now that fuel is way down, even less than 18 months ago, those same airlines are still charging for the second bag. What goes?

Time for another blog on gouging!

Stand Up Companies..and those that Fall!

I got to thinking about companies and how the way they treat their customers, and how that might equate to how they'll survive the economic slowdown, or..damned recession we're in today. Will those companies who told me, and others to "get lost" or worse when we had a problem over the past years weather the storm, or sink like rocks. Just from my experience, I'd like to nominate some companies that I believe treat the consumer well and some that should have an albatross tied around the CEO's neck and weighed down with concrete for good measure.

The List of Stars:

1. First is Hewlett-Packard. An all-star company if I ever saw one. Took several repair tries but they then replaced a notebook computer with a better model, and added an extended warranty to boot. First class service all the way. I can't pile on enough accolades about the quality of services received from HP.


2. Duraflame Logs. Provided replacement coupons for some difficult to burn logs, and they even sent a label for UPS to pick up a case of unused product for lab testing, and let me know the results! Then sent more coupons thanking us for helping them make a better product when they found the outer wrapper was over waxed a bit. A five star company!


3. OPPO Digital, makers of up-converting DVD players. When I purchased one of their players and found I had no way to connect it to my DVI equipped HDTV, I called to purchase a HDMI to DVI cable. They don't sell them, but did send, at no cost, an adapter that does the same thing, so I could hook up and enjoy the player within a day! Great save, OPPO and great customer service, thank you!


4. Duracell, part of Proctor & Gamble, makes things right when you have a problem with their products. Once again, no hassle, no haggle, just doing what's right for the consumer.


5. SC Johnson, makers of Scrubbing Bubbles, Glade and many other household products. Have a problem and they'll take care of it post haste. Another quality operation you can count on with fine products that are 100% backed up.


6. Colgate-Palmolive and Speed Stick. Once again, a problem is no problem to them. Fast replacement of ant defective product and even additional coupons. Nice company to do business with.


7. Ken Grody Ford. This dealer has always stepped up to the plate on repairs and done so intelligently and honestly over many years. Whether it was police vehicles or personal SUV's, they have always been great, provided excellent service and have gone "above and beyone" in helping get vehicles back quickly and done right. Special kudos to Mike Stevenson, Service Advisor who helps keep this machine running so well.


8. Price-Pfister. The pfaucet with the pfunny name. Takes awhile and they do fumble the ball sometimes, but they do go the extra mile to get the parts out to you to correct problems with their products. Quality products and good customer service. A big thumbs up!


9. Logitech. Computer gurus who want to help but seem to have problems understanding their product line. However, all comes out fine in the end, although it takes awhile and tests your patience to get your parts delivered. All in all, a good company.

Hall of Shame:

1. Pontiac. Bought a new GTO and the dealer told me I was eligible for the $500 military bonus discount. I signed all the papers and when i went back to pick up the car the next day, he said he had to re-do all the papers because he was wrong and I wasn't eligible; active only. He lied to meet Ford's current bonus then reneged. Pontiac Motor Division VP offered me a free oil change. I'd have left the car but it was the last black on black available. They even scratched the car "detailing it " when I told them not to; it was still filthy when I picked it up, that's how good a job they did on the car. So, I guess this thumbs down goes to North County Pontiac-GMC and Pontiac Division of GMC. But I've never bought another GM product and now they're headed down the tubes. Thumbs down!
2. Applebee's Restaurants. Made a big splash about offering a free dinner to military and veterans on Veterans' Day and then you had to dig through "participating locations." Although there are many locations in the area, the only participating one in all of California was a couple of hundred miles away. Applebees reply to an e-mail was basically it was a test but thanks for eating here. No more will we eat there. It will be Chili's! Thumbs Down!
3. Albertson's Supermarkets. When a Marine just back from Iraq couldn't buy a 6 pack of beer to go with the food he bought to go home and make dinner because he didn't have a valid driver's license, they wouldn't sell it to him. He had a license that expired while he was in Iraq (most vets have that happen and all states make the license valid as long as you're in active service without renewal and are in another state) and a current Military ID as well...but no, no beer. They wouldn't allow my spouse to purchase the beer for him either. Manager was no help at all. We've not shopped at Albertson's in about four or five years after that flagrant slap in the face to our troops. BIG thumbs down!
4. Chevrolet. Bought two new Camaros, and Chevrolet repaired the convertible top on one 28 times before declaring it was a lemon and deciding to replace it. Sadly, I traded it in for a brand new Z-28 Coupe with the G-92 competition package, and then, they couldn't repair the brakes so it would stop straight! It took then 6 tries to repair the drivers seat before they finally ordered a new seat cushion, preferring instead to constantly send it out to a local upholstery shop to mess with! After about a dozen tries with the brakes and no suvccess, I finally took it to a little shop where a mechanic fixed it in one afternoon, albeit at a cost of $300 to me, which was wholesale. You could then stop from 140 with hands off the wheel. 5 thumbs down to Chevrolet, but 5 thumbs up to Dara at C&D Auto Care!
5. Smart Solar and QVC. Smart Solar because they lied about replacing parts under their warranty several times and never did, and QVC because their stance was too bad, so sad, it's the manufacturers problem. That was until I blogged about the issue, and then they offered to refund if I would send the fountain back and they would credit $6.95 toward shipping. Pack it all up in the "original packaging" like that would be available, and ship it back for a refund and a stupid shipping credit. When the damned fountain weighs about 50 lbs waterlogged! It's cast resin and not supposed to water log I suppose, but then again, it was made by Stupid Solar. Instead, we've cut down our shopping by about 90% from QVC, won't buy anything from Stupid Solar, and passed the word around, so let's see how their bottom line looks next year.
6. Anden Homes and Warmington Homes. They won't care that they made the list, as they both went belly up right after building the last few homes I lived in. But they do deserve to be on the list as grab and run developers anyway.
7. Verizon Wireless. They spend so much money on commercials and the idiots who follow one or two people around, it's no wonder the rest of us get such crappy service. After a year of a really bad operating phone, that wouldn't ring, receive calls, couldn't hear the other party, etc. they finally replaced it piece-by-piece and it still wasn't right. I was with Verizon and their predecessors for over 20 years, and now I'm with AT&T and am very happy with the switch. Because I truly can say that I HEAR YOU NOW! Before all I could say was HUH?
8. Washington Mutual: You'd think after being a failed bank and being bailed out by JP Morgan/Chase, these people would learn something by now. No, not even that, but hell, no! Their primates closed an entire online account when requested to cancel a single transaction, and nobody in their offshore call center in the Philippines or India, or wherever the hell it is, could rectify the problem. Nor could anyone in any other place that was called. Even the local branch was useless since they are totally unable to handle any banking issue that might have to do with the Internet! Thus, an online business languishes while they screw up and tell you they need three or more days to try and correct a situation they, caused and maybe it will be fixed by then, and than again, maybe not. So, they just lost two more accounts. That makes 5 accounts they lost from us in the past three months ,and two more to go that are time deposits. Frankly, they are destined to fail again, and you can say you read it here in November 2008. Wasted Moo will fail again!
9. Car Companies, et al: I guess this is no surprise, but auto dealerships are going out of business all over the country. Some dealers that have been in business for 66 years, such as Bigelow Motors in Belleville, NJ are closing their doors. That's a shame. But wait, before we cry over the 700 dealers expected to go belly up in 2008 (up from 430 in 2007 according to the National Automobile Dealers Assn.) listen up. Some dealers who have laid off employees and cut hours are still holding out for top, over-inflated prices on specialty models that have become showroom queens for months. One dealer has a Mustang that they want way over 30K over the sticker price as a "Market Adjustment" on! And every other high performance vehicle has an upcharge that they just don't want to negotiate. Im that case, I wish them well as they sink to the bottom of the septic tank and wonder how they got there. Like Carlos Mencia says: Dee Dee Dee!! Stock your showrooms with super high dollar specialty cars and jack the price when America can't afford the economy cars!
10. There will be more as time permits...but as they say at the show...that's all folks!

Incidentally, I've highlighted the Best of the Best in Green and the Worst of the Worst in Red.

Veterans’ Day 2008

Once again, American families will spend the Veteran's Day holiday weekend enjoying the freedom to walk on the beach, hike in the mountains, picnic, take a drive in the country, watch a football game, relax in their home, secure in the knowledge they are relatively safe from the ravages of war in their homeland.

Yes, there will even be parades, with people marching, flags waving, and lots of military men and women waving at the crowd as they pass by. Some of them will be young, and perhaps not yet scarred from battle, and some will be old, having seen the worst that can be endured by a person and survived. Some will be wearing clothing with patches that signify battles that are from long ago, uniforms that you don’t recognize. Some will wear hats of organizations that signify they are veterans, a title they wear proudly, And some will wear clothing that seems strangely out of place, clothing with many patches sewn to the garments that signify their ties to brothers and sisters that may not have come home, or have died in some strange foreign land in the quest to keep your homeland free.

So, what is Veteran’s Day? As I look around, it appears so many Americans have forgotten what this day is really all about. It’s not just about the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of this great country. It’s about their sacrifices, heroism, dedication and unselfish dedication to the principles upon which this country was founded. It’s their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice, if need be, for the ideals they hold so high, so that each and every American can enjoy a life of freedom from tyranny and hostility and live in peace. It’s about sacrificing life to save others you don’t even know, so they might live in freedom and democracy.
Some years ago I wrote about what I believe Veterans’ Day symbolizes to me, and some of the difficulties faced by our warriors, and maybe it’s well to repeat it again. This won’t ever give you a picture of what it’s really like to be there, but maybe it will help you think about how much these veterans, those now in service, and those who have served, sacrificed for each of us so we can enjoy not only this Veterans’ Day, but each day of the year:

It's about giving their all that others may have freedom. It's about fighting in the mountains, jungles and deserts in a foreign land, in the hope the same battles will never have to be fought in their homeland.

It's about fighting oppression to allow others the power to express their opinions and views, without fear of reprisal and sanction.

It's about vowing to "leave no one behind" and carrying a comrade in arms from the battlefield on your shoulders in the hopes he will live, but knowing that at the very least, he will be buried in his beloved country.

It's about enduring the horror of war in the hopes your children will never have to do the same.

It's about lying in the mud, or sand or in a hole, and praying that the shelling will end. And looking at your buddies alongside you, and whispering words of hope and encouragement.

It's about being dead tired and still finding the strength to go on, sometimes when the odds are so heavily against you that it almost appears hopeless.

It's about the doctors and nurses who endure hell with you and work tirelessly tending the wounded. It's about visiting a buddy in the hospital and reassuring him that he'll be OK.

It's about writing a letter home for someone who will never return home.

It's about writing that letter for yourself, just in case you are one of the unlucky ones, and putting it in your pack where it would be found.

It's about cursing and swearing and praying and hoping. It's about crying and smiling, sometimes at the same time.

It's about working and fighting side by side.

It's about a common goal, where personal wants and needs are forgotten.

It's about the sharing of a smoke or a candy bar, or cookies sent from home.

It's about the looks on the face of a serviceman when he sees death and carnage for the first time.

And it's about the face and smile of a child, who has been rescued from the ravages of war, even if only for a while.

It's about the fields of white crosses and rows of simple bronze markers in cemeteries throughout the country, marking the graves of brave men and women.

It's about the graves on foreign shores where many died in the name of freedom, but who never were able to come home.

It's for the veteran shedding a tear while remembering friends and comrades from long ago.

It's for the prisoners of war who endured the misery and torture of captivity in enemy hands.

It's for the Missing in Action whom we will never forget and will never stop waiting for their return.

It's for those who venture out in storms because the book says they have to, but the book doesn't say they have to return.

And it's for the families of those brave men and women, who fight a personal battle every day their loved ones are gone.

And, It’s for the family standing at the grave of the recently fallen veteran, or perhaps the veteran from another war, remembering the unsung hero he or she was, and always will be.

It’s for the tear running down the cheek of the elderly man or woman, remembering the son or daughter, father or mother, brother or other family member who gave their all so that they might live in freedom.

It’s for those of us visiting the Wall, remembering our lost friends, touching the Wall and feeling the kinship, and almost feeling them touching us back. Yes, the bond was, and is, that close.

It’s for the disabled veterans, who endure pain and suffering for their sacrifice, whether that sacrifice was yesterday or over 50 years ago, who go forward one day at a time, with a vision that tomorrow will be better than today, and never regret their service to their country.

It’s the camaraderie felt by those in our Armed Forces; The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, all coming together to defend and protect the country we love, knowing we will sacrifice to whatever degree necessary, to assure our country is safe from not only enemy aggression, but terrorism as well.

So when you enjoy the 2008 Veterans’ Day weekend, take time to reflect why we celebrate Veterans’ Day. It’s not just another day in time, or just another holiday. It truly is a day of freedom, a day to honor those men and women without whom your ability to enjoy doing what you love to do most, with those you love, would likely not be possible. Give them thanks for all they do and have done.

Obama Wins the Presidency....

What can I say on the subject. We now have the first African-American president-elect and I wish him the best. Frankly, I didn't vote for him, but that's neither here nor there. He was elected by the American people, and whether anyone agrees with that or not, it behooves us to now unite, and stand behind him as Americans, to get the country up and running and strong once again.

No, I probably will not agree with many of his policies, and I didn't agree with some of the current administration policies either. I think the Democrats are too liberal with our money, and too willing to give it away to people who sit on their asses, while the rest of us have had to work our entire lifetime to scratch out a decent living. What worries me is the statements of "spreading the wealth" that were made during the campaign, and just how "wealth" is determined. To a millionaire, a wealthy man is a billionaire. To a beggar, it's a man with a dollar. To a man who's cold and homeless, it's a man with a warm coat and a cardboard box. The figure of $42,000 was bantered about and if anyone thinks that's "wealthy" especially in California or the west coast, they're an idiot..or a Pelosi or a Feinstein follower....

Maybe that will change. We can hope so. If it gets worse, those who didn't vote for Senator Obama can tell those who did that "we told you so" and curse till the cows come home. But, if things actually get better, we'll have learned a lesson that change does come hard, and sometimes surprises even those who believe it will never happen.

The bottom line for most Americans will be counting the folding green in their wallets now, and in four years, to see how much better or worse they are at that time. Maybe they would do well to count it often to take stock of how they are staying afloat or ahead, as the case may be, over the period.

The old adage...time will tell...certainly applies in this case. And, that's about all we have as we sit and watch the events unfold.

Annie Get Your Gun..and Extra Ammunition!

I was in a gun shop last week and business was brisk, to say the least. It seems the potential for a Democratic presidential victory is having more than a ripple effect on the populace, especially where firearms are concerned.

People have been more than a little concerned that the Democrats are anti-gun, which is pretty right on target, if you'll forgive the pun. Most of the anti-gun bills have been introduced, sponsored and pushed by the Democrats and it's expected that under an Obama presidency more gun control laws will likely be introduced, and possible passed.

Once again, guns do not kill people; people kill people! We don't take away cars because of all the carnage on the highways, we just build more and more. If every time a person died as a result of a 3500 pound missile hitting them on the highway being handled by a misguided idiot, an anti-automobile lobby screamed, we'd all be walking or riding skateboards. Except we'd be so restricted in our skateboard choices, and where we could ride, that we'd just be walking, thank you.

Do the naysayers have it right? Will there be so many restrictions that it makes sense to run out and fill up the cabinets with new guns and ammunition while you still can? I don't know the real answer, but I do know the gun dealers aren't frowning at the sales figures. They are one faction of American commerce that is smiling all the way to the bank as a result of the Democrats, even if just for a few months. Maybe not next year, but for now, the grins are ear to ear!

Apartment Rent - Hard Times for The Real Working Class

WTF?? When did apartment rents become so unaffordable that a full time working person could hardly afford to put a roof over their head? Oh, wait, that excludes the illegals and the unmentioned families who stuff eight and ten people in an apartment, and each chips in a couple of hundred for the rent, while they collect welfare and live on the dole! Forget about those losers!

I'm talking about the single income man or woman, or single parent, who works their tail off, full time, and maybe overtime, at a decent job, and tries to live in a decent place. They go to an apartment complex and are told the rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1200 a month! Plus they pay for their own gas and electric as well.

Lets do the math here. A person makes $14 an hour times 40 hours is $560 a week. After taxes, Social Security, health insurance (they don't get it free like the losers do!) it's probably around $475. That comes to $1900 a month and when you soak them for $1200 for rent, they now have $700 to live on the rest of the month. Subtract utilities ($50) gasoline ($100 at least!) car insurance ($60) laundry and cleaning ($20) Medical and Prescriptions ($30) it leaves them with $440 or less than $110 each week. That's with no credit card bills, no car repairs, no car payments, no doctor bills that are not covered by insurance, nothing else. They have to eat, pay all their other bills, and survive on a hundred and ten bucks a week. Folks, three meals a day at Carls or Mickey D's will blow most of that money, and that's junk food! You won't see the people from the apartment complex owners families living on the cheap!

We lived in a condo rental in Carlsbad, California about ten years ago and in the sixteen months we lived there, the rents went from $1200 to $1500 a month; we moved out as they were increasing to $1800 a month, and I understand they are now $2200 per month for the same 2 bedroom unit. That's insanity!

I believe the apartment complex owners are preying on those who cannot afford home ownership, and that it will continue to get worse. They all decry rent control, but I believe it will come. Those who have lost homes are now renting and have no choice but to move into apartments. The number of available, decent apartments is just not that great, and the owners are getting a premium price for the units. It seems to be whatever the traffic will bear.

Same with rental homes that can't be sold, yet are renting for obscene prices. I understand some might be high, as the owners need to make the high mortgage payments. But what about the speculators who buy homes simply to rent? In Harbor Pointe in Carlsbad, homes that originally sold for less than $200K are renting for over $2000 per month. Why? Because many of the homes in what is known as the Village were apparently purchased simply to rent as income properties; the owners are able to rent for that amount to people who can't afford the down payment to purchase a house, where their monthly payment would possibly be less than rent.

The shame is that a good portion of Harbor Pointe is turning into a community of renters with a significant turnover. Not good for the resident owners. Nor for the renters who move in and out trying to find the ideal place to live, moving children from school to school, and losing friends along the way. Were housing more affordable, regardless of apartment or single family homes, maybe people would settle and find roots in a community.

The Man in the Mirror

Someone reminded me today that the person in the mirror has seen the world and not all of it has been pretty. War, violence, poverty, misery, hate, fear, greed, and more. But, somehow, through all of that, there has always been something that shines, something good that just glimmers through the dirt, muck and all the general lousiness that life can throw at you no matter where you are.

It's called hope. And love. And friendship. And compassion. It's the human side of people, the inside showing through the tough exterior. The heart of gold that shines through the drab fatigue or camouflage uniform caked with dirt or mud or salt water. It's the grin that lights up the face of the grizzled old sailor when the new kid does something right, and makes him proud, or the shy grin on a kids face when he puts one over on the old chief.

It's the smile on a woman's face when she tells you she loves you for the first, or the thousandth time, and the touch of her hand that only she can bring to your heart. It's the hand on her shoulder that tells her you'll be there through the good times and the bad; the rock she can always lean on and depend upon no matter what.

It's the handing of a smoke or a candy bar to another warrior when it's the last one you have, because it looks like he needs it right then more than you do. It's the tiny squeezing of a child's hand onto yours when they're happy, frightened, tired or just want the comfort of knowing you're there for them. It's the look an a old beggars face when you hand them a dollar, because it means more to them than it ever could to you.

It's the sudden outpouring of emotions when a certain sound is heard, or a smell wafts past your face, or a picture plays in your mind. For me it's the sound of the uilleann pipes that for some reason bring me back home to my roots, a sound so powerful that I am instantly transformed to my Celtic soul. Why? Could it be simply that my ancestors of Scotland and Ireland were drawn to battle by the pipes? Or simply entertained by them? I don't know, but the sound both mesmerizes and brings me to tears, as it stirs my soul with memories that I have no idea of whence they come. The human deep inside the gruff exterior emerges.

Spend some time with your inner self and reflect about what's right and good with you. What have you done and seen in your life that has been great; what have you accomplished that no other human being could have done? Had children? They are uniquely yours and nobody else could have had them. Adopted a child, painted a painting, drawn art, made a sculpture, took a special photo, participated in a charity event, given blood, donated an organ, helped a neighbor, been in the military, been a war veteran, been a wife or mother or father? Nobody but you could have done exactly what you did. Maybe something close, but not exactly. Never been replicated because you're unique.

Look for that special quality inside you and regardless of what you've seen, what you've been through, what the world has thrown at you, remember that inside most everyone is that something that shines. The beacon of hope that tomorrow will be better than today, and the next day better than that. It's what we have and that hope shines eternal for a better day for everyone. If it weren't for that beacon, and our belief that that beacon shines for each of us, the tunnel would be very dark, my friends.

Be safe, Be well and keep the faith, whichever your chosen faith might be!

The New Look

I'm starting out a fresh new look for my blog, easier to read and hopefully easier for all to enjoy. The lighthouse reminds me of freedom, and the light that provides hope and comfort in these trying days, as well as the beacon that guided me back after so many long journeys.

I hope you will enjoy the new look, and please, let me know your thoughts if you like or dislike the new layout. And, thanks for looking.

Veterans Unite Now or Shut Up Later

Military Veterans will get one chance to vote for the new Commander-in-Chief on November 4th. One chance to have their say in how their benefits will be for the next four years and maybe long beyond that. One voice to give Washington direction as to what YOU want out of the Veterans Administration in the form of health care and support, benefits, compensation for service connected injuries and illnesses, rehabilitation, prosthetics, hearing, vision and dental and family benefits. Those things you and fellow military fought, suffered and died for the right to have!

Only one man in the running has the slightest clue what the military is all about and his name is John McCain. For want of a better description, and for brevity, John McCain has "been there and done that." He has been a warrior, a POW, a Senator and a proponent of veterans' rights. His opponent in this election, Senator Obama, has never served this country's armed forces, never been in combat, is a fledgling politician and doesn't know a damned thing about being a veteran or our health care system. That in itself should scare veterans to death!

It shouldn't matter whether you're a Republican or Democrat, folks, that should scare the hell out of you. Mr. Obama knows nothing about the military or the VA or veterans!

Anyone who says they'll have great advisers, and those are the ones they will count on for advice, is full of crap when it comes to us veterans. Remember what happened in Vietnam when we had all those armchair advisers directing the war from Washington? And how about those advisers sitting in plush chairs in Washington and Virginia while troops are taking incoming in Iraq and Afghanistan? And all the blue suited advisers while you're laying in a VA or military hospital, trying to recover from injury or illness, while some senate or congressional committee argues over whether they should fund enough so you can get a decent prosthesis this year?

VA health care is going downhill fast once again. For example, I used to get to see my neurologist every three months, then every four, then it was bumped to every six months. Now they don't make appointments and you have to call and try to get in and they're overbooked. My November appointment was never scheduled and the earliest I can be seen is March. That will be over ten months between neurologist visits! And, they never refilled my medications, twice! So I had to call in twice about that too. If you're not on top of them, frankly, you're going to fall through the cracks and you're screwed!

Plus, they have all new doctors every few years, using residents from the local university medical schools, which means we're getting trainees essentially. By the time you get comfortable with a physician, they're gone and you get a new one; I've had three and onto number four in March, the last at my request as docs who forget to refill prescriptions, tell you they don't believe in meds that have helped you in the past, and have to have a med student present to grandstand with at every visit somehow don't seem all that positive for me. So you walk out with a feeling that you haven't been helped at all. Kind of like facing the enemy and the only good thing is their Kalashnikov was empty.

I can't get to see a cardiologist even though I have a stent implant, since there aren't enough cardiologists in the system to go around. Bet those fat cat politicians in Washington have plenty of cardiologists lined up waiting for their butts when needed!

Care used to be excellent, but it is failing. The in-patient room I was in a few months ago was dirty; your feet stuck to the floors. The bathroom was nasty. You could write your name in the film on the windows. You couldn't understand the nurses on the night shift; none of them spoke fluent English. But they did swab your nose daily to test for MRSA. What about cleaning the damned room? Maybe that would help reduce infection potentials?

They tout the suicide prevention programs, and how they want to help all the troops with PTSD before it ends up like 'Nam? If they handle it with the same bureaucratic bull crap and bungling as everything else, it won't help a whole lot. They'll tell a great story to Congress and the Senate about the wonders they're accomplishing, while military personnel are coming home and offing themselves in a distant field or side road, because they never had anyone who really understood what the hell they went through. And it's been reported the VA under reported many suicides. Why? Probably because they didn't or couldn't do the job they were supposed to do. Funding or flat out F**k-up? It doesn't matter, but there are many families grieving that shouldn't be. And until the funding and people are in place to recognize those who need help and then help them and their families as needed in a timely manner, things won't change.

Truth is, the VA has some wonderful programs, people and facilities, but the system is busted and needs to be fixed before it falls apart. It's fragile, and if it's not fixed, it will crumble fast. I'm seeing that first hand, and I sure don't want to be a service casualty a second time, this time due to lack of medical care funding and follow through.

Fund it, fix it and hold it accountable. Simple enough even for a bunch of stupid politicians!

The VA states the problem is the influx of troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. But wait, they didn't expect this? Once again, no leadership at the VA and no foresight. That's something I'm sure John McCain will provide, leadership and someone to kick butt and get this house in order!

Regardless, if you don't get out and vote and make the right choice, you'll see this get worse and worse. Add to that the increased taxes you'll be seeing, and the problems will compound. The taxes won't hit us older people nearly as hard as they will our children and grandchildren, as they're the ones working and coming up in the world.

I can look them in the eye and say I voted for the man who could do the job for the veterans who gave so much for this country...will you be able to do the same?