Euthanizing Katrina Patients

Employees and patients of Memorial Medical Center being evacuated two days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.

From the New York Times as shown above came a story regarding the investigation into the euthanizing of patients in Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans during the hurricane Katrina disaster. Doctors have admitted to overdosing patients with morphine who had "do not resuscitate" orders or who were not expected to recover to free up resources and staff.

On the surface this seems unconscionable; however on the battlefield or during disasters, decisions have to be made that are not always pleasant. Doctors, responders, and medic must decide how to use resources wisely. Those of us who watched M.A.S.H. on tv got an peek at what goes on around the world on a daily basis. Although the show was comedy, it did have a serious side and basis in truth. When doctors and nurses triage patients during war, the same type of decisions are made. Limited resources have to be considered carefully, and those resources are going to be used on those who are younger or less severely injured or ill or with the greatest chance of making a full recovery.

One of the patients at Memorial Medical was a dying, unconsious 79-years-old with cancer in kidney failure with a DNR order. This patient wasn't expected to survive more than another day or two at best. Four nurses were required to care for this patient. The patient's estimated weight was 350 pounds due to fluid buildup. It was not possible to move the patient under the circumstances with no electricity to use elevators. I wouldn't want to be in the doctor's shoes, but I understand what he was faced with and why he chose to hasten death for this patient.

This story is talking about the same kind of "rationed care" that is being debated nationally. This is a classic example of what we may be facing if nationalized health care becomes a reality.

First Lady Avoids Travel to Muslim Countries

I want to make it clear up front that I do not wish ill will upon President Obama even though I may write articles that are in opposition to his administration. I pray that he does what is best and right for this nation. That being said, I received an email this evening concerning the travel itineries of the President and in particular the First Lady.

The email was pointing out that Michelle Obama has never visited any Muslim country with the President who has been to numerous Islamic countries nor has she gone separately to one. Mrs. Obama peels off in a separate direction, usually to Europe, while the President visits in places like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc then they meet back up. The premise of this email is correct. The previous First Ladies have travelled extensively during their White House years and have gone to Muslim countries without hesitation. So, why hasn't Mrs. Obama? The answer is one that does not sit well with me.

I don't know if President Obama has any significant religious beliefs, Muslim or otherwise, or if he is just an opportunist, but the Muslim world believes him to be Muslim and that is what matters. For Michelle Obama to go into Muslim countries with them believing Mr. Obama is Muslim would require her to dress appropriately as other Muslim women do in whatever country she enters honoring their beliefs. She would have to declare herself Muslim and would be subject to Sharia law. If she didn't do so, it would indicate that Obama is either not Muslim himself or is married to an infidel. A Muslim cannot be married to an non-Muslim under Sharia law. Even Queen Noor (the former American Lisa Halaby) had to convert to Sunni Islam to marry the late King Hussein of Jordan, becoming his 4th wife.

This is the crux of the problem. Obama has backed himself into a corner over the religion issue. He makes vague claims to being both Christian and Muslim. One cannot be both. The two religions are at complete odds with each other. The people of the two faiths do not worship the same God even, though, many Americans believe this to be so. The Muslims do not make that mistake. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (our Judeo-Christian God) is a God of Love. It is not Allah, the god of war who appeared on the scene ca 600 AD. There were no muslims, Islam, or an Allah before then.

Point is that the email I received was correct which is really unusual with internet mail of this variety. The accuracy can be checked out in a just a few minutes by anyone who cares to take the time and comfirm it. But, it also distrubs me as this country is at war with extremist Muslims around the globe.

Weird Science--Clouds

Have you seen any of the photos of the recent weird cloud formations that are appearing around the world? The two below are just two of the newer ones. The first one is of aurora borealis-like clouds NOT near the Earths' poles but as seen in Omaha, Nebraska and Paris, France.

These strange tubular clouds can grow to 600 miles in length and move at speeds of 35 mph. These "roll clouds" are uncommon but are spotted in various places around the globe. They appear in the fall over Queensland, Australia. Scientists do not know what causes them.

Stiffling American Voices

This past week something significant was revealed involving free speech in this country. Ever since Senator Obama took the Presidential oath, there has a spate of activity by his administration regarding the internet, free speech, and the Fairness Doctrine as applied to the main stream media.

Numerous liberal congressman have tried to get a vote on reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine to squelch free speech in spite of Obama's denials that he has no such goal. Judical Watch, the government corruption watchdog group, reported in May that they had documents indicating the opposite. As Obama administration come under greater and greater scrutiny, there is more interest and attempts to change the fabric of American free speech and the media's ability to report. Democratic attempts to pass legislation have not been successful thus far, but there are several bills pending currently.

Obama has filled his administration with 44 "appointed" czars bypassing appointment conformation hearings. These czars answer directly to the President. One of the appointees is an FCC diversity czar, Mark Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd is confirmed socialist who publicly supports the likes of Venezuela's Chavez and Cuba's Castro and who co-authored a 2007 report bemoaning the failure of liberal talk radio and the success of conservative talk radio, which discussed the ways to silence the success of conservative talk radio by instituting caps on ownership, stricter licensing, in essence what amounts to fines to help support public broadcasting.

If the American public wanted public broadcasting or liberal talk radio, they wouldn't be failures like Air America. The only way NPR and PBS stay on the air is with millions of taxpayer dollars going to them. NPR and PBS are supposed to be fair in all their broadcasting, offering no opinions in either direction. Supposedly if they do voice an opinion, they must voice the opposing opinion. These money-hogs cannot survive without federal funding because they do not have a large enough audience to bring in the donations they need. Therein lies the success of free enterprise on all levels. Nothing that is liberally based has ever been financially viable on its own in the history of this country. I am tired of seeing my tax dollars spent on sustaining failed programs and enterprises because of rampant graft and corruption. I have better things to do with my hard-earned money that supporting cronyism in the name of what's in the best interest of the public. It is not in my best interest at all, and I reject the implication that I don't know what is in my own good.

Now the internet is under attack by the Obama administration and his internet czar who are trying to get legislation giving Obama the legal right to control internet content at will supposedly under the guise of national security. The only security at question is Obama's re-election, and I suspect he will do anything to stiffle any voice in opposition to his programs or re-election by whatever means he can. The governing parties in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and China control the internet in their respective countries. Seems to me we are getting more communist-like every day.

Vegan vs Omnivore

Someone recently asked me if I enjoyed eating shellfish. I told them no and explained that I don't typically eat "scavenger of the sea" as I like to refer to crusteceans and mollusks. The conversation ended up in discussion of biblical dietary law and how it applies, from Adam and Eve down through history to our current times.

If you read Genesis, you realize that Adam and Eve were vegan as were all their descendents up until the flood. After the flood when God opened the ark to let Noah's family and the animals off, God told Noah that from that day forward they were allowed to eat both that which grew and also every moving thing would be food (Gen 9). That scripture has never changed my mind about eating shellfish or birds of prey though.

I've had a few conversations over the years with both vegans and vegetarians. It usually started with a v/v expounding of the virtues of their lifestyle choice and how healthy tofu is while encouraging me to join their ranks. I would try to be respectful of their choices, but oft times when rebuffed v/v would come unhinged, personally attack me, and become comtemptous.

What I came to understand was that there were a couple reasons for this. First, nearly everyone of these people were "new agers" or involved in other various forms of eastern mysticism. They absolutely were not basing their choices on anything biblical related, including their attitudes. Most viewed anything biblical in pure disdain. Second, most of them were actively involved in the green movement and animal rights (not to be confused with animal welfare). I came to see a pattern that went beyond just food issues. Food seemed to be only a symptom of something larger.

I don't really care what others eat, meat or not, and I wish others didn't care what I ate. It is a God given choice either way. In Romans 14:2-4, the apostle Paul admonishes the Romans, "One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him." If it is good enough for God, it is more than good enough for me.

Change I Definitely See

Seen on US Hwy 15-501 at Lamm’s Grove intersection.
(near Durham , NC )

OK, Department of Justice, and Me

Hmmm. I wonder why the US Department of Justice visited this blog this morning to check out my article on the Oklahoma sovereignty issue.

Fascinating since I'm just 'nother nutjob nobody. Apparently, Attorney General Holder and his staff are scanning the internet looking for more "misinformation" and opposition.

Old feelings resurfaced momentarily when I discovered this. Many, many years ago, I got a knock on the door in the late evening hours. Feeling safe since my military police husband was home, I answered the door. There were two menacing-looking men-in-black flashing badges, who identified themselves as OSI (Air Force Office of Special Investigation), standing on the porch. All they said to me was, "Get out of the house, now!" I began to object. They repeated the demand more forcefully the second time. Being young and frightened, I moved as quickly as I could past them to get out even though I really didn't understand who they were or what they wanted.

About 10 minutes later, they came out with my husband--one of them on each side of him holding his arms, but he wasn't handcuffed. I could tell my young husband was frightened yet somehow defiant. I asked the men who brushed past me what was going on. They didn't answer. They put my husband in the back of an unmarked car and drove off into the night with no explanation.

Two days later, my husband suddenly reappeared coming through the front door of our home. I pleaded with him to tell me what was going on, questioning if he was in some sort of trouble. He didn't tell me much except to say that he had reported a drug ring on the military base as part of his job as a military policeman and "people" wanted to talk to him about it. Through all the years of our marriage, he refused to tell any more than that.

I felt the same gut-twisting twinge and my heart beating just a bit faster this morning. I hope this wasn't a preview of things to come in the future--another knock on the door some evening.

Cash for Appliances

About 18 months ago, I cashed in on this program. I received a flyer in my power bill with information about disposing of old working freezers and refrigerators. I had 2 freezers that both worked very well. One was a 40-year-old upright, the other was a 20-year-old chest freezer. I really hated to see them go to recycling since they both worked so very well, but due to their age, I couldn't have sold them for much more than the $50 rebate on each (yes, I did try). So, I took the money since I didn't want to keep the freezers.

Thinking back about it now, I didn't realize that it was beginning of bail-outs and give-aways that were to come from the federal government. I don't remember exactly who picked up the freezers or whose company name was on the check other than it was based in California. I didn't live in California and thought it was odd that my local power supplier was promoting this program through this company. I actually did wonder and figured out that the money was coming from the federal government. No company out of the goodness of its heart is going to perform this service without an incentive. I suspect that the companies who are involved in the program are receiving federal funds that contribute to their profit margin.

This wasn't just a give-away to people like me but also to certain "green" companies who were being supported by the federal government through federal taxpayer dollars. Now, there is talk of expanding the program to all non-Energy Star compliant appliances and air conditioners. I cannot even imagine how many of these appliances are still in use across the country. The rebate cost would be staggering. This all has to do with the Smart Grid program that is being shoved down our throats by the liberal Congress. Smart Grid sounds like a good idea on the surface until you realize that the federal government can at will turn off power to just your house if you don't comply to its demands using this system. You use a kilowatt too much on a hot day, they can shut you down your power whether you have the ability to pay for that kilowatt or not.

There are 2 separate issues at play here: Big government wants to control every aspect of your life--cradle to grave. Apparently, you are too stupid to attend to your own affairs without their guidance. And, this just reeks of a bail-out for General Electric who likely would benefit the most from the program. GE is deep in the pocket.

Update: Clunkers

Consumers who bought new cars with the Cash for Clunkers program that I wrote about here have come to a nasty realization when they went to register their new cars. They owe both state and federal taxes on the money. Some consumers also got a matching rebate from the car manufacturer, which means they increased their income by anywhere from $3500 to $9000. Keloland Television's Shawn Neisteadt broke the bads news yesterday.

According to The Market-Ticker today,

"When you buy a new car you pay tax on the difference between the new car's purchase price and the trade-in you present to the dealer. This is an intentional distortion in the law that is intended to favor dealers over private-party used car sales; if you sell your used car privately the new buyer pays sales tax but you do not get the offset on the purchase of your replacement vehicle - the only way to get that is to trade the car.

Dealers use this, of course, in negotiations, effectively pocketing the sales tax - and why not? It's a real difference to you!

But the "cash for clunkers" is not a trade-in. That's a $4,500 check from the government, basically". . . "dealers had customers so giddy over the "free cash" that they were selling cars at full sticker price besides - effectively, in many cases, turning the entire "cash for clunkers" money into pure dealership profit and managing to charge you tax (twice) on it as well."

It seems the average American hardly stands a chance of ever really getting ahead. But, I guess it goes to show everything comes at a price.

Oklahoma Sovereignty, Why It Matters

In case you didn't know, the United States of America has never passed a constitutional amendment declaring an official language.

The State of Oklahoma made headlines recently re-asserting that they were taking legal action to maintain state sovereignty as defined in the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution. The state is trying to pass a resolution that will reinstate and reaffirm the powers of the state. By doing this, it is serving notice to the federal government that it has acted beyond its authority, and in such cases, these federal acts not be the law of the land in Oklahoma.

This action gives Oklahoma protection FROM the oppressive misuse of power by the federal government. The resolution says that the federal government has a limited purpose to which it is bound by the Constitution and does not have the right to march in and take over administration of the state's interest, such as forcing the state to become part of the North American Union or by forcing the citizens of the state into a national identification plan. This action does not mean that Oklahoma is succeeding from the United States. If all states did this, the federal government would still be there, but its authority would be limited as was intended by the founding fathers.

Unfortunately, what we have in America today is an administration that no longer believes in the "Living Constitution" or the principles on which this nation was built. In fact, the US Attorney General Eric Holder has written a letter to Oklahoma in which he asserts Oklahoma is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is using it as justification to violate Oklahoma’s sovereignty.

What is it that the State of Oklahoma is doing that has riled Attorney General Holder? Oklahoma has proposed an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution, which by the way requires voter approval, that would make English the official language of the state. AG Holder has threatened in his letter the possibility that the federal government will withhold federal funding if the resolution passes. He is clearly blackmailing the state. The citizens of Oklahoma have paid taxes to the federal government and are entitled to distribution of those tax dollars back to the state. You can read the letter yourself.

For what purpose do AG Holder and the Obama administration want the State of Oklahoma to drop this resolution? What do they fear with English being declared the official language of Oklahoma? To take it step further, why has every attempt to declare English as the official language of this country failed?

Looming American Disaster

Although I cannot now find the article, I recently read that the total wealth of all the countries on Earth today is approximately $60 trillion. I believe this might be the figure the World Bank works off of (if you don't know what the World Bank or Central Bank(s) do, you owe yourself to find out). Based on the world's population, if you split this wealth up equally giving each man, woman, and child alive today a share, each person would get about $9500. That doesn't seem like a very large amount to me, especially since the US debt, as declared by the Obama administration, is $9 trillion. If these amounts are correct, however, America and the rest of the world's countries are under serious threat of financial collapse.

This is an extremely serious situation, not just for America but for the entire world. If the financial system collapses, life as we know it is over. This is why I suggested in this post that readers sell off valuables while there is still a market for goods and metals, then stock the kitchen pantry. It is always a wise thing to keep a back-up supply of essentials on hand for lean times and disasters.

I spent countless hours taking FEMA courses and many years working toward disaster preparedness for a non-profit organization. I learned early on to use discernment regarding impending disasters--to gather facts and to look for tangible signs. While I no longer directly work in that arena, I did come away with valuable lessons that can be applied toward other aspects of life such as this issue. The signs regarding the health of this nation are visible and tangible for anyone who takes the time to look. Forget the health care reformation, focus needs to be on financial reformation, but not the kind that is being dished out in Washington DC today that is intent on redefining every aspect of our lives.

Dirty Harry's Troubles

Oh please let it be true . . . Dirty Harry Reid is losing favorability amongst Nevadans. Dirty Harry has been a career politician since his first swearing-in ceremony after the 1966 elections. Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"It’s the highest stakes ever for a Nevada election, and former boxer Sen. Harry Reid is on the ropes early. Either Republican Danny Tarkanian or Sue Lowden would knock out Reid in a general election, according to a recent poll of Nevada voters.

The results suggest the Democratic Senate majority leader will have to punch hard and often in order to retain his position as the most accomplished politician in state history, in terms of job status.

Nevadans favored Tarkanian over Reid 49 percent to 38 percent and Lowden over Reid 45percent to 40 percent, according to the poll.

Reid’s status makes him an icon of the Democratic Party and ties him to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and President Barack Obama, both of whom are losing ground among centrist and right-leaning voters in the country."

Nevadans who support him do so primarily because of the fight over the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site issue. Harry has been instrumental in blocking the feds from shipping the waste to Yucca Mountain. The federal government spent about $7 billion of our tax money developing the Yucca Repository. It might as well be used for what was intended. Spent nuclear fuel has to be stored somewhere until better solutions can be developed. Nevada might as well get the federal dollars that come with the waste. Most of Harry's supporters have turned a blind eye to his dirty land deals and pork-barrelling in Washington DC, perferring to focus only on his Yucca blocking efforts. I think Dirty Harry's mind can be changed with enough palm grease though.

As a side note, the only 2008 presidential canidate to vote against Yucca was Dennis Kucinich. Obama not only voted in favor of it, he took campaign contributions from those who want it in Nevada including General Electric.

The taxpayer liability is that the government has contracts with the utilities to dispose of their waste starting in 1998 and has been found to be in breach of contract, making the government liable for as much as $7 billion when the repository begins to accept waste. The delay has consequences. The "smart grid" just might make it mandatory for Nevada to accept the waste whether Harry and his supporters like it or not.

About 20 years ago, I received information "on the sly" that left me seriously questioning whether nuclear waste isn't already being temporarily stored in Nevada--in the north, not the south. Conspiracy theory? Maybe.

Artificial Life in 4 Months

The biologist Dr. Craig Venter has announced that he expects his experiments to create artificial life to be successful in about 4 months. The first thing he had to do was create a synthetic genome. A synthetic genome cannot survive on its own and needs a host cell. The good doctor has been using human cells but so far that doesn't seem to work. Artificial life isn't really artificial if it requires host cells from another species. It's just genetic modification.

Two questions come mind right off the bat. First, why would he want to create a new life form when there are 1,589,361 separate species on the Earth? Second, what's the objective?

I don't have an answer for the first question except to say that human DNA has been under attack since biblical times (that's for another day and post). As for the second question, the answer leaves me scratching my head and saying, "What the heck!" Apparently, the objective is "to create bacteria that transform coal into cleaner natural gas." That ain't so bad, I guess. But, the other part is to create "algae that soak up carbon dioxide and turn it into hydrocarbon fuels." Huh? Let me see if I have this right . . . He wants to create new algae that we can feed carbon dioxide to that will make benzene and methane that's going to create more carbon dioxide when it's burned? But haven't the greenies been telling us that methane and carbon dioxide is destroying the ozone and creating a ginormous carbon footprint that will end up killing us all when the sun goes super nova? Good ol' Dr. Moreau (remember that creepy old movie?) is creating a new life form that will make something that has been the scourge of the Earth according to Al Gore. Maybe this all a front for Gore to work out plans to sell us more carbon credits to cover the new carbon dioxide that will be created by the new bacteria if Dr. Venter's laboratory can get it the recipe right. I wouldn't bet on that happening though.

You can read the article here if you're in the mood.

Inequality

In this world, in this life, there are many unjust situations. How is that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the Libyan who brought down the Pan Am plane in Lockerbie, Scotland served 8 years for killing 270 innocent humans from 21 separate countries, and Michael Vick, the NFL player, served 2 years for dogfighting then cruelly killing the losing dogs? Oddly, both men are being hailed as some kind of hero. Vick by the Humane Society of the United States for agreeing to speak out against dogfighting. Megrahi by the population of his home country, Libya, for killing infidels in the name of the Islamic god, Allah. So glad that Megrahi could be rushed back to Libya in time to celebrate the Muslim holy days of Ramadan. What a shame all those who lost their lives that day will never be able to celebrate anything ever again.

Greenpeace Admits Lying

Today in Breitbart's I discovered an article about the outgoing leader of Greenpeace, Gerd Leipold, written by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney. This short article includes a Youtube video that can be seen here. Pick it up at about the 3 minute mark. The gist of this hubbub is that Gerd Leipold admits that Greenpeace's press releases that the Artic ice cap is going to melt by 2030 are misleading. Leipold admits that he does not believe it to be true and that Greenpeace "may have been mistaken." The interviewer in the video clip is the BBC reporter Stephen Sackur on the program "Hardtalk" who presses Leipold further into admitting that Greenpeace has been "emotionalizing issues." What is truly interesting to me is that Leipold in a later interview states that there is "an urgent need for the suppression of economic growth in the United States and around the world..." Of course what you must know about good ol' Gerd is that he is German, wealthy, and lives in Amsterdam. He seems to have the typical green movement elitist attitude of save the world for the few true intellectuals, artists, and the animals. The rest of us must be used for Soylent Green for population stabilization.

Now if Gerd Leipold were not bad enough for you, there is another in the group of retired leaders--Patrick Moore, Paul Watson, and David McTaggert--one who admitted on American TV years ago that Greenpeace funded much of their operation by drug smuggling from South American aboard Greenpeace's boats. I saw this interview myself at the time it played and couldn't believe that someone would actually admit what Greenpeace was doing.

When you seriously look into the Greenpeace leadership, you find all sorts of unsavory characters including those accused of murder. They have close ties to the Animal Liberation Front and Fund for Animals. Paul Watson created the Sea Shepard Conservation Society that has been embroiled in legal issues for years. Patrick Moore dumped on Greenpeace when he left and began working for the forestry industry and promoting nuclear power. Paul Watson, who has some serious issues of his own, states that Greenpeace has a history of illegal activities that have never been uncovered by the media.

Although I spent 17 years immersed in the animal protection business, I never bought into the lies of PeTA, Greenpeace, Sea Shepard, the Animal Liberation Front, et al; although it is certainly easy for many others. These organizations thrive on the unsophisticated, uninitiated, and unwary. They specifically target teenagers, college students, and single women. This is the same game plan used over and over by fringe elements to create movements within a society whether local or worldwide. Fear-mongering goes on day in and day out throughout the world--mostly by political or green activist elements. Why people still fall for this kind of rubbish is beyond me. It must be true that a sucker is born every minute.

Regarding the accompanying photo--The future of the planet is in God's hands, not man's. What arrogance we humans have to even think we can fix the woes of this planet. Man is born into corruption and by himself creates nothing but more corruption.

Medications--keep or toss?

Approximately a year ago, I had the distinct displeasure of being responsible for the disposal of a large amount of prescription medications that had been prescribed to a family member during her war on cancer. I didn't have a clue about how to dispose of medications since you can no longer flush them, and some of the drugs were not in a flushable form anyway. Probably, drugs can be taken to a hazardous waste disposal company, but that would have meant paying for the service. I wanted to keep expenses at zero and continued to look for a suitable solution. I finally found a locally owned pharmacy that would take the unused drugs. I asked what would likely happen to them and was told they would be either sent back to the manufacturers or sent to one of the medical charities that help the poor in 3rd World countries. That worked.

At the same time I was researching what to do, I was made aware of a study done by the Food and Drug Administration for the military that appeared on the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide. You can read the article here. The FDA concluded that most drugs were "perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date."

With high drug costs and people losing their jobs and health insurance, this is rather important information to know. Honestly I've always kept leftover drugs, especially antibiotics and pain relievers, for that very reason.

RC Freestyle--This is Fantastic

Whether you are "in to" remote control toys or not, you really need to watch how this kid can maneuver his remote controlled plane. The plane seems to "hang" in the air and fly backwards.



Pretty good, huh?

Credit Card Safety--Good Idea!

A good idea came in that I want to share with readers that will reduce the chance of credit card fraud/identity theft on the internet. Maybe others already know and use the method, but this author never thought about it. The big secret is to use a prepaid, rechargable MasterCard or Visa with a small amount of money on it or only enough to cover what you are purchasing. This way you won't have to use your ATM card or regular credit card and chance a compromise.

The other thing that was pointed out was that the same rechargable cards are cheaper to buy even with the fee than using a regular credit card with interest charges if you carry a balance. Of course, you do have to have the money to charge the card to begin with. The problem for many people is that once they pay off their credit cards they don't want to use them again, which really isn't convenient. Buying rechargable cards gives you the luxury of credit card use without actually being beholden to the credit card companies.

Credit Reporting

When the FreeCreditReport.com advertisements first came over the airwaves, they were kind of cute, and we looked forward to the next installment. Seems the western world likes serials of any sort, doesn't it? More recently though, these ads have started to become annoying, primarily because they are shown so relentlessly. Please, please, please, stop it before we hunt down that frickin' little French-Canadian singer Eric Violette, who does the commericals, and choke him. The damn commercials aren't even filmed in the US.

On the surface, services like Free Credit Report.com and the credit reporting bureaus seem useful and harmless. Some folks even believe they are some sort of branch of government or a requirement thereof. Au contraire, mon cheri! First, credit reporting bureaus (CRB) are private businesses working for your creditors, NOT you. Oh, they'll be more than happy to protect their paying clients' interests by changing your contact information so your creditors can track you more easily, but just try to get erroneous information changed, and you'll find it difficult to nearly impossible. Ever wonder why you get all those credit card offers? The CRBs also provides your information to them or just about any other company that is willing to buy it.

The reason advertisements for credit checks and scores are so prolific is simply that your creditors want to make sure they have up-to-date information on you in the event you default on a loan or credit card. Defaults are at an all-time high due to the sinking economy, so the CRBs and services like FreeCreditReport are using the stolen identity scare tactic to get you to check your information and provide them with any changes. Unless you have a solid reason to suspect that something is wrong with your credit report, there is no reason to contact the CRBs. They and the services make money by holding your credit rating hostage unless you pay to get it. That is really what most people want to know and they are making a killing off selling it to you while providing updated info to your creditors or anyone who would like it. You can get a free report, but you can't get a free score. This is where they make their money.

Don't believe the hype that you absolutely must check your credit report annually. It is a scam being perpetrated on the unwary. Whoever you are trying to get credit with will check and if there is a problem, they will let you know. Then, you can get all your credit reports and scores free and address any issues found. Don't provide the blood suckers any information until you have to.

Selling Scrap Gold

The "buy gold now" advertisements have finally sent me over the edge. They're almost as bad as those "Free Credit Report" ads. Wherever I turn these ads pop up in both the MSM and electronic sources. Now, any well-informed person should recognize that the reason these companies want you to buy gold NOW is because gold prices are currently very high. You buy their high-priced gold, they make a high-priced profit because they bought theirs when it was half the current price. Remember the golden rule of investment: Buy low, sell high.

Sell your gold, silver, and scrap now to get the best return. You may never have another opportunity at these prices. But remember, you will not be selling it for the actual gold prices listed on the stock exchange, which as I write this is about $945 per troy ounce for 24 carat gold. In fact when selling gold, the price is determined by the gold content of the item as shown in this list:
Carat value vs % of gold
10 carat = 41.67%
12 carat = 50%
18 carat = 75%
22 carat = 91.67%
24 carat = 100%
But, the gold buying companies are not going to give you the $945 stock exchange paper price for 1 oz of 24 carat gold. The formula for figuring out what you can make on the lower grades of gold is not impossible but takes several steps to convert using a calculator and a scale to weigh the pieces. Before anyone goes to sell any precious metals, they need to take the time to figure out what it is worth so they aren't taken by unscrupulous dealers. Also be aware that some pieces of jewelry may be worth more if sold intact with the stones, and in some cases, the gold or silver may be mixed with other metals, like platinum and rhodium, that are far more valuable than the gold or silver. Be especially aware of so called "white gold." Make sure you know what it is. If you don't know, have the piece tested if it is large. Smaller pieces probably aren't worth the cost of testing.

These companies that are buying and selling still have to make a profit to stay viable in the marketplace, so expect to be paid at best one-third of the current gold price when you sell. You would be far better off visiting the local pawn shop. Some day, you might not be able to sell or buy gold so you might as well sell it now while prices are high and pay off some bills or stock the pantry.

PS: Cash4Gold.com has PAID OUT $100 million in fees buying scrap gold from folks like you and me. Well actually not me since I have not sold any but how much do you think they have made after refining and reselling? Probably at least 4 times what they bought it for. That is an astounding amount of money, nearly a half billion. Somebody's raking it in.

Congress, Health Care, Piggies

How is any American supposed to determine what the actual health care plan is when Congress has 5 potential plans in the works totalling over 1,000 pages. Is it any wonder that there is so much confusion. Individual Congressmen are not even disseminating the same information at their Town Hall meetings. Apparently, each of them has a favorite that they are talking about which have different ways of handling the various parts of our known health care now. Right now, it isn't looking too good when 1) Congress is confused about the points of their own bills and 2) is refusing to sign on the same plan they are trying to push onto us. Yep, they don't want it and will not have to sign on to it and neither will most federal employees nor will members of any union.

It has become apparent that the socialistic spread-the-wealth segment of our society needs to be voted out of office and replaced with reasonable persons not interesting in sucking off the general population like hungry little piglets for the rest of their lives. I find the smugness and hautiness of the likes of Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Barney Frank, Charley Rangel, et al disgusting beyond belief. Why in the name of all that is good and true have these same people been allowed to become career politicians is beyond reason. Come on, folks, get off your butts, get involved, and vote these boorish dullards out of office before they sell America to some 3rd world country for a new Rolex.

School Lunches

Maybe I missed the point of the article I read; however, it was voicing the complaints of the parents of children enrolled in Washington DC public schools. Apparently, those with the the complaints were questioning why President Obama's daughters get "healthy" food choices like vegetarian and vegan options while the public schools don't offer the same.

The answer seems self-evident. Sasha and Malia attend the PRIVATE school Sidwell Friends, which is Quaker owned. The school charges about $30,000 per student per term. In addition, they get educational dollars. It is very likely the school can afford to cater to the whims of the upper eschaleon of Washington DC.

I can understand that the parents of public school children may want those options as well, but if they don't like the "free" food provided by the school, they have the option of brown-bagging their kids with food they find acceptable. I suspect the objectors are parents of children receiving free or reduced lunches. While there's nothing wrong with families receiving that aid, it is an indicator of families are also receiving ADC and food stamps. Often times the eating habits of these children are poor, and they wouldn't necessarily eat healthier foods if offered. Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive and if he children never learn to eat them at home, they aren't going to eat them at school.

I agree all children in public school should have the same food options as the children in any other public school. This doesn't mean however that public school children should have the same options as the children whose parents pay, above and beyond taxes, for them to attend private schools. This is part of the added expense of sending a child to private school.

I've seen first hand the amount of fruits and vegetables thrown out by the children and the school cooks because the children wouldn't eat them. Public schools will never provide more vegetarian-type options until it is shown that the children will eat them. The schools can't waste that money when they are legally obligated pay to the wages of the teachers, pay for their heathcare, and retirement.

This problem can't be fixed unless the entire public school system is re-worked. There's a thought!

Indian Call Center

Not too long ago, I had to deal with an offshore outsourced customer service agent. It was a real nightmare. The customer service representative couldn't understand what I was trying to tell him. Eventually, the agent got so upset with me that he told me he would have his supervisor call me right back. Two days later I got a message to call. By then, I had already figured out how to fix the problem . . . get rid of the piece of crap and buy a new one made by a different manufacturer.



If the US government was friendlier (by lowering taxes) to companies that create jobs, jobs wouldn't be offshored to foreign countries in the first place.

Cash for Clunkers

Everyone knows about the "gummint" program, right? They have $1 billion in the program currently, and like all federal programs, it's turning into a nightmare. Mounds of paperwork, dealers aren't clear when the funds will be dispersed--you know the usual insane Beltway bailout crapola.

I was curious about the number of people who could benefit from this program, so I did the math. The number of deals at the $4500 (the maximum amount) allowance would mean that nationwide only 222,222 individuals would be signing on the dotted line. That breaks down to only 4,444 deals per state. If you live in a heavily populated state the chances are not very good for benefiting from this program unless you were one of the first ones at your local dealership in the first day or two. But don't despair, word is that there will be a $2 billion infusion into the program so more of your tax dollars can go to help your neighbors buy new $45,000 cars, which they probably can't afford or they wouldn't have been driving around in a clunker. Might be a good time to go into the repo business.

Just let me have my $1 million (mention below) and I promise to going shopping in a big way and spread the wealth.
UPDATE
Earlier today, Congress approved the additional $2 billion. Fire up yer hoop-dee or the garbage-can green grocery getter and run on down to get in line.