Scaring our children to death.

Peggy Noonan's very introspective look on what we are doing to our children today ...

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110009992

should be required reading for every adult in the country. Not that they would care ... but at least they couldn't say no one ever told them.

and they wonder?!?!?

Check out this article on how companies screw their soon-to-be employees:

http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/Mergers-Cut-Worker-Benefits.htm

and one has to admire the extraordinary high level of restraint that the average joe exercises in NOT shooting his old boss, eh!

Illegal Collections - Don't direct deposit your social security or veteran's benefits!

Today's WSJ brings us news about collection agencies illegally stealing money from old folks with the complete cooperation of the banks these old folks entrusted with their social security funds, and the courts. Harsh you say? Read the article. Well at least the preview (WSJ only allows subscribers to read the full article). The whole article would make you cry anyhow.

Federal law is clear. It is illegal for creditor's to take anyone's social security or veteren's benefits to repay debts.

And yet, banks, courts and collection agencies do it all the time. They've learned that the penalties for getting caught are minor and the rewards are easy. What happens when anyone complains? The banks say it isn't their job. The collection agency says it isn't their job. The courts say it isn't their job. It's nobody's job. Well isn't that nice. For everyone stealing the money that is.

You would think that mighty bastion of civil liberties (ie, the ACLU) would be on this like a report of girls from the local church on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood wouldn't you. Eh! You're wrong. No money or big press in it. These old folks were lucky to get a mention in the financial paper.

Does it matter whether or not they actually owe the money? Well yes it does. Does that make it legal? No it doesn't. Does that mean any of these parties are going to stop any time real soon? No it doesn't. Easy money to a manager is easy money indeed.

What can you do? Keep an eye on your elderly family members and friends. Let them know that their social security benefits and/or veterans benefits are legally untouchable by collection agencies. Let them know that it may be easier to direct deposit their social security and/or veteran's benefit check(s) but it sure isn't safer anymore now that banks have discovered this easy revenue source.

True colors

Remember a couple weeks ago when liberal rag, Media Mutters for America (or something like that), brought to the world's attention long time radio bad-boy, Don Imus', few ill-chosen words in regard to a basketball team in an on-air interview with McGuirk? Remember the loud reaction from the left? Crucify him, crucify him! So they did.

Hillary Clinton and company, sensing a golden opportunity to pander to minorities dove in with ads and "press releases" like these:

http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5490/606/1600/577450/hillaryrutgers.jpg
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704280001
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/respect/?sc=8
http://www.hillaryproject.com/index.php?/sg_distro/comments/the_black_hand_of_hillary_clinton_hangs_don_imus/
http://www.anorak.co.uk/news/politics/172701.html
[opinions espoused in the aforementioned links are presented for reference only; and may or may not represent the opinions of yours truly]

Now, let's see what happens when the shoe is on the other foot ...

When Hillary makes a disparaging remark about a minority:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/06/elec04.s.mo.farmer.clinton.ap/

we're supposed to be all warm and fuzzy and forgive her this little sin she's committed.

And when Hillary makes nearly a MILLION dollars from a famous rapper, spewing the same kind of filthy language on her behalf, that she crucified Don for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FudYTAvjkFk

I guess following the money is just good old-fashioned politics, eh?

P.S. In a rare moment of lucidity, the folks at MSNBC finally played back the exchange and realized that executive producer Bernard McGuirk actually started the ill-fated commentary that Imus was responding to and fired him too! Funny, they didn't think it was such a big deal when Bernie said Hillary "was 'trying to sound black in front of a black audience' when she gave a speech on March 4 [2006] in Selma." Though, I don't recall Hillary (or Al or Jesse) rising up in righteous wrath over that either. Maybe I just missed the news that day.

P.P.S. BTW, don't waste your breath whining about how these two were racists and should not have been on the air, much less given the chance to utter this kind of speech in public. I agree. BUT, if we fired every celebrity that ever breathed similar words, there would be very few people working in hollywood or Las Vegas or New York City, and there would certainly be no such thing as rap music ... hmmm ... maybe that isn't such a bad thing, yo!

interesting hysterical note

Ran across this researching something this morning. Apparently, the telephone company was able to put off any real competition for many years to come with a sly trojan horse in the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996. Check out Andy's article for the details. Pretty slick. I hope the author got a big, fat bonus 'cause he's made them a whole lot of money over the past decade (maybe enough even to afford 8-digit salaries for CxOs ... yathink! :-) So next time you write that big check for the phone bill, also drop a "Thank you very much!" postcard to your loyal congress[wo]man who made all those new CxO vacation homes possible.

http://www.andykessler.com/andy_kessler/2005/02/wsj_sbcatt_16_c.html