On this his 100th day in office, President Obama now faces another tough task. With the spread of swine flu being attributed to visits to and citizens of Mexico, what do you do about illegal aliens? Are we going to see a repeat of the Cuban boat lift where they sent some of their most violent prisoners to America on boats? Will there be a mass exodus into the United States? What will the President do to stop the flow of illegals, now possibly carrying the disease? I suspect there will be increased bloodshed as Americans try to keep them from coming across the border. If you are already restricting legal travel into the country, what do you think they will do to illegal traffic, especially with the drug problem down there on the border also?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Barack Obama Terrible on American TV Culture
OK Mr. President, It's time for you to quit using television show analogies to get your point across. I cringed when you used Sanford and Son to describe how people felt about possibly losing their Social Security benefits, and I'm surprised the Black Media gave you a pass on this. Fred Sanford was coming to join Elizabeth, not George Jefferson's wife "Weezy". This was totally unacceptable to me and quite embarrassing, but we let it slide. But your recent comments about cleaning up the situation on the Mexican border like Eliot Ness of "The Untouchables" wiped out organized crime was quite humorous, although I can understand your reference.
You see Mr. President, Eliot Ness was a real person that was used to bring down the organization of Al Capone. But even though he caused a great deal of grief for Capone, it was the tax evasion charge that put him in jail, and the mob, like any great organization, just plugged in a new leader and continued to operate and is still a major force in this country today. So please Mr. President, quit making these statements that make TV enthusiasts like myself and fans of yours shudder with pain. To use an old term, you're losing "cool points."
You see Mr. President, Eliot Ness was a real person that was used to bring down the organization of Al Capone. But even though he caused a great deal of grief for Capone, it was the tax evasion charge that put him in jail, and the mob, like any great organization, just plugged in a new leader and continued to operate and is still a major force in this country today. So please Mr. President, quit making these statements that make TV enthusiasts like myself and fans of yours shudder with pain. To use an old term, you're losing "cool points."
Credit Card Boycott
It has become quite obvious that the credit industry doesn't give a damn about it's customers. I recently posted a blog about them cutting credit limits on people with perfect credit, now they are increasing interest rates to ridiculous numbers. This is all a plot to undermine President Obama's administration in it's attempt to right the economy. As I stated in an earlier blog, Pres. Obama has to take the blame for the AIG bailout bonuses that were paid according to AIG's contractual agreement with it's employees. To his credit he did, and he acted swiftly to rectify the situation and said it will never happen again. More and more people are falling in line to my idea of giving the people bailout money to pay off their creditors rather than giving it to big business so they can continue to rip the American people off, and if you don't think it's my idea, just go back through my blog history to read my post on Dec. 2,2008. I told you this would happen.
The only way to fight these companies is to put them out of business. They are trying to make you go bankrupt by using these tactics when they are the ones who should have gone bankrupt for the tactics they were using prior to the bailout. It is time we showed these companies that we deserve to be treated better. It is time for a nationwide boycott against the credit industry. It not only will make these companies wake up, but it will let our government know that we will not accept them helping these companies abuse the American people. The retail industry is already feeling the effect of people not having money to spend and prices are starting to fall to reasonable numbers. The gas companies felt the crunch of raising prices up to over $4 a gallon under Bush's orders, people quit driving and prices fell, although that could also be attributed to the republicans getting run out of office. So now it is the credit and banking industries turn
Imagine the panic that would ensue if Americans didn't pay any credit card bills for two months straight. Imagine the panic if the threat were to continue until these companies and banks change their attitude toward the consumer. When you signed that credit agreement you said you would agree to pay them back at a certain rate, and if you didn't keep up your part of the agreement, they could raise your interest rates. What you probably didn't realize is that they have the right to change these terms as they feel fit, even if you are a good paying customer and held up your end of the bargain. Well we've held up our end of the bargain and you are trying to screw us. I think it's time we change the terms on you.
I am sick off having to pay over limit fees when I don't go over my limit, just because you add interest. If I didn't go over the limit you gave me, I shouldn't have to pay over limit fees because your interest rate puts me over as long as I bring my limit down before the next billing period. Modern technology is making it so we will have to pay all bills online in the future because if you call in to make a payment you get charged between $10-20 processing fee. If you go to a place that you can pay your bill like Ace Check Cashing, they charge you a minimum of $10 to process your payment. So not only are they raising your rates, they are making it harder and costlier to pay your bills on time. Did you know some banks charge you for going in and dealing with a teller?
Consider the fact that these institutions rarely lose money on any loan because they charge so much interest that by the time you actually default, you have usually paid off more than what you borrowed in the first place. That's why they can sell your account to collection agencies who are willing to settle your account for much less than you owe. So boycotting and not paying your bill can actually lead to you paying less than they are asking for. I'm sure most of you don't feel as I do, but I've got nothing to lose. I can't get any more credit from companies that I have paid faithfully to for years, never missing a payment or being late, even when I brought my balance to zero and had a credit score over 750. So if I can't get credit with those numbers, I may as well max out all of my cards and file bankruptcy. What's the difference? I wipe out all my debt and get a fresh credit start. Think about it.
The only way to fight these companies is to put them out of business. They are trying to make you go bankrupt by using these tactics when they are the ones who should have gone bankrupt for the tactics they were using prior to the bailout. It is time we showed these companies that we deserve to be treated better. It is time for a nationwide boycott against the credit industry. It not only will make these companies wake up, but it will let our government know that we will not accept them helping these companies abuse the American people. The retail industry is already feeling the effect of people not having money to spend and prices are starting to fall to reasonable numbers. The gas companies felt the crunch of raising prices up to over $4 a gallon under Bush's orders, people quit driving and prices fell, although that could also be attributed to the republicans getting run out of office. So now it is the credit and banking industries turn
Imagine the panic that would ensue if Americans didn't pay any credit card bills for two months straight. Imagine the panic if the threat were to continue until these companies and banks change their attitude toward the consumer. When you signed that credit agreement you said you would agree to pay them back at a certain rate, and if you didn't keep up your part of the agreement, they could raise your interest rates. What you probably didn't realize is that they have the right to change these terms as they feel fit, even if you are a good paying customer and held up your end of the bargain. Well we've held up our end of the bargain and you are trying to screw us. I think it's time we change the terms on you.
I am sick off having to pay over limit fees when I don't go over my limit, just because you add interest. If I didn't go over the limit you gave me, I shouldn't have to pay over limit fees because your interest rate puts me over as long as I bring my limit down before the next billing period. Modern technology is making it so we will have to pay all bills online in the future because if you call in to make a payment you get charged between $10-20 processing fee. If you go to a place that you can pay your bill like Ace Check Cashing, they charge you a minimum of $10 to process your payment. So not only are they raising your rates, they are making it harder and costlier to pay your bills on time. Did you know some banks charge you for going in and dealing with a teller?
Consider the fact that these institutions rarely lose money on any loan because they charge so much interest that by the time you actually default, you have usually paid off more than what you borrowed in the first place. That's why they can sell your account to collection agencies who are willing to settle your account for much less than you owe. So boycotting and not paying your bill can actually lead to you paying less than they are asking for. I'm sure most of you don't feel as I do, but I've got nothing to lose. I can't get any more credit from companies that I have paid faithfully to for years, never missing a payment or being late, even when I brought my balance to zero and had a credit score over 750. So if I can't get credit with those numbers, I may as well max out all of my cards and file bankruptcy. What's the difference? I wipe out all my debt and get a fresh credit start. Think about it.
Tea Parties
Give me a break. We've got the richest 5% of the nation crying about having to pay more taxes, like the other 95% of the population is supposed to care. We finally got a president that is going to make you greedy rich bastards pay your fair share of taxes. Do you really think I care that you have to pay more in taxes than I can make in a lifetime? Are you really trying to provoke us poor people into going Robin Hood on all your asses. It is obvious you rich bastards can't do math. 95% is greater than 5%. Maybe you can understand that. Pres. Obama told the American people this was going to happen, that's why he got elected. Once again, let's do some math, Obama 53% to McCain 46%. The real American people have spoken and we ain't listening to you crybabies. You need to be in front of G.W. Bush's home because he is the one who put you in this position.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Bailout Tactics
As I stated in my Bailout Plan, once the government gave money to these companies to bail them out, they would continue to abuse the American public with unscrupulous tactics when giving credit. I just read an article that talks about how the credit card companies are cutting people's credit limit in half without notifying them. They are cutting limits close to and below their outstanding balances causing people who have good credit to have to pay overlimit fees, and the government says this is legal!!! Combine that with the disclosure today that AIG got $170 billion in Bailout money and is paying $165 million in bonuses to employees. Again, the government says that there is nothing they can do about it because the company has a contract with it's employees to pay out these bonuses.
This comes from being in a rush to solve a problem that' can't be rushed. Would the government have given AIG this money if they had known about this contract? I don't think so. We know Pres. Obama has a devastating task ahead of him and he is anxious to get things moving in the right direction, but he is learning that his lack of experience in the Senate is a slight setback. He is learning that a lot of the people he thought he could trust to put in various positions of authority weren't as honest as he thought they were, most of them having problems paying taxes.
Pres. Obama made a lot of promises in his first State of the Union Address, but all presidents do. In order to make these promises come true he needs good help. He has to run his administration like a corporation, in the sense that he has to first create a business plan. This he has done by outlining his vision with distinct tasks and time limits. Next he has to put people that he can trust to get things done in charge of each division. Together they create a plan on what needs to be done and the necessary staffing. This is where Obama has hit snags because he has worked with most of these people in the past and thought of them as trustworthy, much like some of the people that were named to try to undermine him during his campaign, such as William Ayers.
This proves that Pres. Obama truly is naive when it comes to American politics. By not being a Washington Insider, he only looked at people from what he accomplished or tried to accomplish while working with these people on various committees or certain issues and felt they needed to be in a position to lead under him. It's been like adding Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez to your team. You know these guys can help you win a championship, but they have violated your policy of honesty. By the way, has anyone noticed how many Texas Rangers were using steroids while Bush owned the team? Don't remember them ever winning anything though. Another article on steroids later. You should also read about how Bush cheated the people of Arlington by having them pay for his stadium.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok5/pearly/htmls/bush-sec5.html
So now Pres. Obama has to choose replacements for people he thought he could trust with people he may not know as well, but will have to trust. That's the purpose of the business plan, knowing what has to be fixed in order to get things running smoothly again, or at least running. It will also let him know what adjustments need to be made within each department. I'm willing to bet that some people are turning down appointments to avoid being investigated. For example, it was pointed out on "Meet the Press" this morning that the Treasury Department has no staff members appointed under the Secretary of the Treasury. That's not good with the economy in the shape it's in.
So hopefully Pres. Obama has learned that he has to slow down and be the analytical man that he is. He can't let the Republicans and the media rush him into bad judgments trying to fix this mess. They knew this before the election so there is no need to panic less than two months into his administration. Besides, who is going to be stupid enough to listen to them anyway since they are the ones who created this mess.
But the two topics that I mentioned at the top of this article are a direct result of rushing to a fix. There is still no better plan than my Bailout Plan in the previous article. No one deserves the money more than the American people because of the way these banks, credit card, and mortgage companies have treated us and continue to treat us since some of them have received money from the government. Just look at two of the examples from the article. One man had his unlimited American Express limit reduced to $5000 when he owed $10,000. If you don't know, you have to pay your entire balance on American Express each month. Why would you attack a customer like this? The other example had a limit reduced from $9000 to $300 when the cardholder only owed $360, thus putting him over the credit limit and he had to pay a penalty. How in the hell can this be legal? Here is another article where you can read more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111500216.html
By reducing your credit limit, it reduces your available credit, and reduces your credit ratio, which in turn reduces your credit score. So now some people with excellent credit scores will be lowered into the good bracket, thus costing them more in interest rates IF they can get more credit. This is the thanks the American taxpayers get for bailing out these companies, much as I predicted in my previous article. Then you have AIG. Not only are they paying bonuses to employees, they are going mostly to the division of the company that caused them to fail in the first place. All of this comes from not investigating these companies before giving them money. They should have been investigated and audited to find out why they went under, not just take their word for it. Hell, before they give you money they want to know your life history, so they should be subjected to even more scrutiny since their business failed.
So Pres. Obama, you face your first major setback as an administrator because you rushed to solve a problem that needs precise detail and judgement. I'm not saying your plan won't work, it has to be given time. But I guarantee my plan will show improvement much faster if implemented properly. Maybe even a combination of the two plans. As you are finding out, a lot of the people you trusted can't be trusted. They are only going to continue to come up with weak solutions that will benefit their ties to their corporate backers while the American people continue to suffer.
The credit card industry has been compared to loan sharks with their ability to increase interest rates above the 20 % level and to change terms at their leisure to further reduce your credit worthiness. At the same time, I can remember when banks gave you as much as 8% interest on savings and 6% on checking accounts. Now you get zero on checking and less than one percent on your savings. Remember, banks use your money to operate and this is how they repay you. Actually, you are loaning the banks money. It's like giving money to your brother to hold and he invests it behind your back, makes millions and doesn't give you any of the profits. He just gives you back what you ask for. In conclusion, I can't see how any plan to rescue the loan sharks is going to help the sheep that have been fleeced.
This comes from being in a rush to solve a problem that' can't be rushed. Would the government have given AIG this money if they had known about this contract? I don't think so. We know Pres. Obama has a devastating task ahead of him and he is anxious to get things moving in the right direction, but he is learning that his lack of experience in the Senate is a slight setback. He is learning that a lot of the people he thought he could trust to put in various positions of authority weren't as honest as he thought they were, most of them having problems paying taxes.
Pres. Obama made a lot of promises in his first State of the Union Address, but all presidents do. In order to make these promises come true he needs good help. He has to run his administration like a corporation, in the sense that he has to first create a business plan. This he has done by outlining his vision with distinct tasks and time limits. Next he has to put people that he can trust to get things done in charge of each division. Together they create a plan on what needs to be done and the necessary staffing. This is where Obama has hit snags because he has worked with most of these people in the past and thought of them as trustworthy, much like some of the people that were named to try to undermine him during his campaign, such as William Ayers.
This proves that Pres. Obama truly is naive when it comes to American politics. By not being a Washington Insider, he only looked at people from what he accomplished or tried to accomplish while working with these people on various committees or certain issues and felt they needed to be in a position to lead under him. It's been like adding Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez to your team. You know these guys can help you win a championship, but they have violated your policy of honesty. By the way, has anyone noticed how many Texas Rangers were using steroids while Bush owned the team? Don't remember them ever winning anything though. Another article on steroids later. You should also read about how Bush cheated the people of Arlington by having them pay for his stadium.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok5/pearly/htmls/bush-sec5.html
So now Pres. Obama has to choose replacements for people he thought he could trust with people he may not know as well, but will have to trust. That's the purpose of the business plan, knowing what has to be fixed in order to get things running smoothly again, or at least running. It will also let him know what adjustments need to be made within each department. I'm willing to bet that some people are turning down appointments to avoid being investigated. For example, it was pointed out on "Meet the Press" this morning that the Treasury Department has no staff members appointed under the Secretary of the Treasury. That's not good with the economy in the shape it's in.
So hopefully Pres. Obama has learned that he has to slow down and be the analytical man that he is. He can't let the Republicans and the media rush him into bad judgments trying to fix this mess. They knew this before the election so there is no need to panic less than two months into his administration. Besides, who is going to be stupid enough to listen to them anyway since they are the ones who created this mess.
But the two topics that I mentioned at the top of this article are a direct result of rushing to a fix. There is still no better plan than my Bailout Plan in the previous article. No one deserves the money more than the American people because of the way these banks, credit card, and mortgage companies have treated us and continue to treat us since some of them have received money from the government. Just look at two of the examples from the article. One man had his unlimited American Express limit reduced to $5000 when he owed $10,000. If you don't know, you have to pay your entire balance on American Express each month. Why would you attack a customer like this? The other example had a limit reduced from $9000 to $300 when the cardholder only owed $360, thus putting him over the credit limit and he had to pay a penalty. How in the hell can this be legal? Here is another article where you can read more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111500216.html
By reducing your credit limit, it reduces your available credit, and reduces your credit ratio, which in turn reduces your credit score. So now some people with excellent credit scores will be lowered into the good bracket, thus costing them more in interest rates IF they can get more credit. This is the thanks the American taxpayers get for bailing out these companies, much as I predicted in my previous article. Then you have AIG. Not only are they paying bonuses to employees, they are going mostly to the division of the company that caused them to fail in the first place. All of this comes from not investigating these companies before giving them money. They should have been investigated and audited to find out why they went under, not just take their word for it. Hell, before they give you money they want to know your life history, so they should be subjected to even more scrutiny since their business failed.
So Pres. Obama, you face your first major setback as an administrator because you rushed to solve a problem that needs precise detail and judgement. I'm not saying your plan won't work, it has to be given time. But I guarantee my plan will show improvement much faster if implemented properly. Maybe even a combination of the two plans. As you are finding out, a lot of the people you trusted can't be trusted. They are only going to continue to come up with weak solutions that will benefit their ties to their corporate backers while the American people continue to suffer.
The credit card industry has been compared to loan sharks with their ability to increase interest rates above the 20 % level and to change terms at their leisure to further reduce your credit worthiness. At the same time, I can remember when banks gave you as much as 8% interest on savings and 6% on checking accounts. Now you get zero on checking and less than one percent on your savings. Remember, banks use your money to operate and this is how they repay you. Actually, you are loaning the banks money. It's like giving money to your brother to hold and he invests it behind your back, makes millions and doesn't give you any of the profits. He just gives you back what you ask for. In conclusion, I can't see how any plan to rescue the loan sharks is going to help the sheep that have been fleeced.
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