Wake up!

Former President Jimmy Carter got it right when he called the outburst of the South Carolina Congressmen racially motivated. It is an attitude that has stuck in the craw of White America since the Emancipation Proclamation. "Uppity Negroes" have angered the status qou for years. We have been so used to ignoring racially motivated incidents and attacks for so long, because it is not as blatant as it was during the 1950's and 1960's. Rush Limbaugh and that knucklehead Beck are trying to keep the racial divide in tact. Their fear mongering tactics are reprehensible at least. Rush Limbaugh must have been victimized on a bus when he was a kid. He looks like he might have been the one everyone picked on, who could not fight a common cold. I wonder how many times he lost his lunch money. And that A/H Beck! Wow! Racist or Bigot cannot describe that creature. Mind you, not all White conservatives are racist, however those two definitely are and they cannot prove otherwise. There is covert and overt racists and unconscious and conscious racists..These jokers are conscious, overt racists..no ifs, no ands, no buts! The scary thing is the amount of ignorant individuals that follow their lead. President Obama was a one term senator who is now the most powerful politician on the planet and that makes the racist element in this country mad as hell. Everyone, I do not care what race or ethnicity you are, needs to wake up! Because guess what, when they cannot attack African Americans, who knows who will be next. Italians, Irish, Polish? You are all eligible! You better wake up!

DISAGREEMENT OR PLAIN OL' RACISM

This healthcare thing has big negative connotations to it. The controversy is scary. I am busy trying to see just what the whole uproar is about. Possible higher taxes? I get that is something to beef about. I am tired of taxes, too. Yet, this disagreement is getting a nasty and completley out of control. The AMA and Health Insurance lobby has done its job. With plenty of mud-slinging and misinformation they have succeeded in keeping both sides from coming to any type of mutual agreement. The facts are real! The Healthcare system in this country is not working. So, instead of fixing it, we insult, lie and character assassinate each other, therefore not getting anything done. We can agree to disagree and be civil about it. That is not what is happening. The far right and their minions;(Rush, Beck and the rest of those fools), would rather see the President fail than to encourage a solution. They are still pissed there is a Black man in the White House. They need to get over it. They accuse him of being racist; they say he is not a citizen and all kind of madness. The scary part is that there are all kinds of ignorant, uneducated knuckleheads that are listening and taking the garbage as face value. Racism is alive and well and living in America. Here we are trying to police the world and we still have issues we cannot seem to address. We will never agree on everything. Healthy arguements, debates and disagreements are okay, but the results of this Tea Party thing is nutz I keep looking for the White Sheets and burning crosses. They have depicted the President as a monkey and a witch doctor all of which are racially motivated. Personally, I wish he was a witch doctor, then he could put a hex on all of those racist *$#@**%&&*s.

UPDATE

Well, this will be short and sweet. As far as the moving fiasco goes; there was no legal redress there. So all I can do is collect stories about the business as they surface. Father & Son is still a company to avoid.

Oh yeah, by the way; Peter Rodino is still an ass.

Peter Rodino..YOU ARE AN ASS!

I more than anyone else recognize the right of free speech, however I find it sickening how so many can use that right to pronounce idiocy. Our political leaders are expected to display responsible, classy behavior. Sometimes they fall short.

One politician demonstrated his ability to fall way short of that expectation. Michael Jackson was acquitted of all charges! Get over it! He is gone; his memory and legacy are what the public is interested in, during this time. I can refer back to recent events of NYPD officers shooting unarmed individuals. In both cases, the officers were acquitted and concerned citizens were told to respect and abide by the decision of the juries. It would be easy to call all of those officers "MURDERERS". How fair is that? What I personally believe and what the juries believed may or may not differ, however I have to respect those decisions and GET OVER IT!

You called him a "pervert" and a "pedophile". Did you personally witnessed him committing acts of perversion? If so, why were you not in the court room? You do not know, you can only assume. So, Peter; stop being an ass; GROW UP & GET OVER IT! YOU DO NOT LOOK GOOD WITH LONG EARS AND A TAIL. HEE-HAW does not look or sound good on you.

Steve McNair: Gone Too Soon

In a week where we lost so many and are still reeling from the deaths of Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and Michael Jackson; sports fans everywhere are mourning the loss of Steve McNair. Steve McNair came from a Division 1AA school to the NFL and made an impact as a player and a person.

Steve McNair was part of the best Super Bowl finish I had ever seen. I watched him during his career come back year after year when he was expected to retire. His exit from the Titans angered many, but Steve took it with class.

I know there will be speculation surrounding the circumstances of his death. His family will have to bear the weight of public scrutiny and the invasion of privacy that comes with it. I cannot make speculations or judgments about the circumstances of Steve McNair's demise, but I can remember him as the hero he was. With me, his legacy is set.

My condolences to his family.

What's Next for Michael Vick?

From the Criminal Justice standpoint Michael Vick has just about paid his debt to society. I wonder if PETA is going to allow him to get on with his life, or are they going to continue their ranting and raving for his head. I need to say that I was appalled at the crimes against animals committed by Vick, but I was just as shocked at the national public outcry as a result. PETA and their supporters appeared as absent and silent from outcry against crimes against humanity as they were vocal about Michael Vick's crimes against animals.

Michael Vick deserves a second chance. He has served hard time, lost millions and been publicly disgraced. Enough is enough! Players charged with sexual assault, assault and other felonies are playing. Some of their crimes are played out on sports news shows and in other forums of the media. If they are allowed to play, Michael Vick should play. The NFL Commissioner should stop trying to be such a hard__s and let him try and play again. There is no guarantee he will even be able to make a team, but he deserves the opportunity.

The comedian Steve Harvey made sense when he compared the fact NYPD has killed unarmed, innocent civilians and did not spend an hour in jail. Let the man play! As for PETA, while I commend the work you do, your high-profile antics concern me. I only hear about you when a cause is in fashion or prevalent in the media.

My donations will continue to go to the ASPCA.

Father & Son; Movers or Rip-off Artists? Part 2

Back to the Father & Son story. Unfortunately, the vague contract my friend signed gave them the legal avenue to get away with what they did. The arrival and departure times specified had a two hour window in both cases. However, this should have been figured into the estimate. It is easy to deal with hindsight; it is always 20/20 vision.

This blog is to inform consumers to read all contracts you sign carefully! If you are not certain about something; ask questions. If you do not like the answers you get; get a second opinion, even an attorney if you have to. Never take anything for granted.

I recommended Father & Son, based on my personal experience with them. I do not know if there was a management change or new regime, but the same service did not get to my friend. So, at the least, they are inconsistent; thereby unreliable. That is being kind! In my opinion, it is a little deeper than that. I advised my friend to go to the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint. I advise anyone reading this to avoid Father & Son Movers & Storage like the plague! Find a more reputable company to do your moving and storage. You may have to spend a little more, but you will not get the unwanted surprises.

I do not know how this will end, but I will keep you posted.

Same S___, Different Day

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It is an old cliche' but it remains true today. I look at the advancements made by this society, only to also recognize the reverse path that is becoming apparent, lately. With all the technical advances, we are still a little backward in our thinking. I admit that any form of discrimination is wrong, however the facts remain that the game has not equaled out to the point that affirmative action is no longer needed. In today's job market, it is still difficult to secure a job for a person of color than for the Caucasion. Now, I am not saying that affirmative action is the answer, however I have yet to see a better solution.

I would like to be able to have faith that anyone qualified could go to any company and apply for a position and get hired solely on the merits of his qualifications. Truth is, without some form of checks and balances, it is not going to happen as it should. Because of the quotas, some individuals who were discriminated against because of nationality, gender, sexual persuasion, race or religious beliefs, have an opportunity to contribute to society. Prior to affirmative action, not so much.

Mind you, I do understand the "Reverse Discrimination" argument. In pure theory it is valid. Yet, to assume that today's society has grown to the point of no longer discriminating against those who are "different" is more than a bit misguided. I would like to see the day when differences do not factor in the decision making process of hiring, but it is not here yet. Do not get it twisted, we have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go.

There is still hope. Everyone has to work at it. This country is diverse, we should use that diversity to our advantage.

Father & Son; Movers or Rip-off Artists?

Normally, I do not get involved with consumer affairs, however I am breaking that tradition. In the past, I had used the services of Father & Son Movers. They are located in Essex County in New Jersey. I had a good experience with them. They gave us a reasonable estimate, the movers showed up on time and they finished on time. So, I recommended them to a couple of friends, because I believed they were capable of delivering satisfactory service. So, imagine my surprise when one of the individuals I recommended the company to told me a horror story I almost found unbelievable.

Now, this person is one of the most honest man I know. There were times during the course of our friendship I felt he was too honest, but that is another blog. My friend, (whom we will call "Frank") contacted the company and received an estimate of $545.00. This appeared reasonable to him so he agreed and signed the contract.

On the day of the move, the movers were late arriving and worked extremely slow thereby missing the contracted finishing time for the job. Frank also helped the movers, which was not in the contract. Once they had driven the last load to the destination point, they refused to unload the last of his things, unless he paid them overtime!! He argued and called the office of the movers and was told he had to pay!! Mind you, their failure to meet their deadline was not his fault.

Frank, not being the best business person, caved in and paid the movers $1058.00, $513.00 more than the original contract! So, they released his furniture and drove away laughing. I composed this blog to warn anyone in Essex and the surrounding counties not to even consider Father & Son if they need moving and/or storage services. STAY AWAY!!! Make sure you find someone, anyone else.

This story is far from over. My friend intends to pursue this as far as he has to. Hopefully, by tomorrow this story will have some sort of ending. Otherwise there will be more chapters, until there is an ending.

Creditors and Collectors

Remember that old expression: "Another day, another dollar"? I bet you cannot say that today. You will find that the dollar has shrunk. Buying power is diminishing rapidly. I hope that things change soon. The bankruptcy business is booming and collectors are becoming ravenous. In this day and time, you need to know your rights. Creditor harassment is as crazy as ever. I have heard every pitch from a collection agency there is. I had once tried to settle a bill and made what I believed was a reasonable offer. I could have paid it off in a decent amount of time and moved on with my life. Well the collector decided it was not enough and tried to make me agree to three times that amount. I know I did not have that kind of money, and to add insult to injury, the creep had the nerve to give me one hour to agree to his terms. Of course I did no such thing and began researching bankruptcy. To demonstrate how insidious they are, they called me about a week later with an offer that was still completely out of my range. So, I referred them to my attorney.

Collectors are a rare breed. The good ones seem far and few between. I spoke with one on behalf of a client and this guy offered the man a job. That is one compassionate individual. I doubt he will last in the collection business. I can see him becoming sick of the whole thing and becoming involved in a more honorable profession. I wish him well.

I hope and believe things will improve...maybe not as fast as I would like, but soon enough. I have gotten more frugal and conservative with my finances. I have cut back on a lot of recreation and niceties I have been used to. The positive thing is I will be able to one day open a savings account. Hopefully, it won't be with AIG.

PS. a message to corporate America. Stop shipping our jobs out of the country. I hope that the President repeals all the tax breaks you have been receiving, until you bring back the jobs.

Back Again

Been away for awhile, but I am back again. The economy is still in the news and we are all still hurting. Republicans are fussing about the plans to get everything back on track, but they totally ignore the fact they are responsible for the crisis in the first place. So let's wait and see what happens. President Obama needs time and support to make everything work. Nothing will happen overnight. Hey everyone let the dummy have eight years after he screwed up the first four. So give the guy a chance.

I am trying to figure out the conservatives. Funny, the majority seem affluent financially and unwilling to see anyone else get there. I look at some of their statements and the way they seem to talk about those less fortunate than they. I get sick when I hear some of it. I find a lot of their verbage borderline bigotry. (Not so much in the racial sense, though they touch it a bit), I find they are down on the less fortunate. Most conservatives I know never address race or class, unless they are talking about welfare or some other form of public assistance. I never hear of anything positive about the people they bash. They are also closed minded to the point of being nauseating. I get sick of myself sometime, because I have to respect their right to feel however they feel, no matter how wrong they are. They have to learn that "business as usual" has no place in America today. The dimwit and the criminal are no longer in power. Now if I can just stop those dumb emails from RNC.

I Know Jim Crow Personally

For those who expected President Obama to perform miracles during his first one hundred days, think again. The Republican partisan lines are alive and kicking with the usual total disregard for those who need the most relief. What strikes me as ironically funny is the fact they really don't have a clue. To the Republican old guard there is nothing worse than being called a liberal. I occasionally work with a man who is so "Right-Wing" and bigoted, every time I see him, I think of "Archie Bunker". There was a lovable quality to Archie, he was a fictional character that made us laugh during the time slot he held in prime time on TV. This guy is scary because he is real! He works as an HIV Prevention Case Manager. His assigned areas are usually inner city and minority populated. During a conversation we were having one day, he pointed out the beauty of Reaganomics, the "Myth of Global Warming", the reason women should not be feminists and a host of other bigoted topics. When President Obama was elected, this guy stood in the middle of a room full of African Americans and did his best to trash the man. He made a comment about Obama is going to make all illegal immigrants legal. Well happens to be Canadian, a fact I forgot to mentioned. I never met a Canadian bigot before. Most Canadians I have met usually were pretty open-minded. This guy is such a bigot, he I keep looking for his White Hood and burning cross. I witnessed him being very condescending to women, (especially to women of color). He kind of made my stomach turn. What really confuses me is why he had the audacity to choose Social Work as his profession. I honestly look to see him plastered into the concrete for his behavior. Heaven knows there have been times when I wanted to do it myself. I think it best to wait and watch. I continue to attack his theories when he opens his mouth. I let him know my people are not stupid and you cannot just tell us anything. Oh by the way, he is the only White person on his detail and you would think he was the slave master. He even subscribes to the theory that Blacks will go to heaven as servants to whites, after death. Unfortunately, he is the rule as opposed to the exception when you are confronted with the Republican "old guard". They just throw the "moderates" out front. Sometimes I feel like I am back in the fifties, when I talk to people like this guy. I have a name for him; Jim Crow. Ignorance is a shame to most, bliss to people like Jim Crow.