The Greedy Rich

March 11th, 2009


If you’re like me, you just shake your head when you hear how Bernard Madoff perpetrated a 50 Billion dollar scam. This was just beyond reason since Madoff seems to have been an intelligent man, with financial expertise, well connected in the financial arena, and thus capable of making a lot of money legitimately.

So, those of us who didn’t have money deposited in any of Madoff’s phatom funds just shake our head, and eventually push this historic scam from our consciousness. But, whether you realize it or not, you’re likely being impacted right now by the greedy actions of certain greedy rich people who never go outside the law, but none the less greedily take more than their fair share.

Just because you’re rich it doesn’t always follow that you’re greedy. However, too many who are rich, are indeed greedy. As with Madoff, they have no regard for what is fair but take all they can get their hands on.

Let’s look at an example:

I’m no automotive expert, but I was vocal many years ago regarding the pitiful decisions American automotive executives were making going back decades. Pitiful decision which are significant to the current tough position the 3 big US car makers are in right now. Yet, all the while, these executives continued to draw unbelievable salaries. So why were we surprised in 2008 when the 3 Detroit car maker CEOs flew their private corporate jets to Washington DC (I am told at a cost of $20,000.00 per round trip for each CEO), to ask for government assistance? Their attitude is symptomatic of many American executives who consider themselves a sort of royalty entitled to live lavishly at their companies’ expense regardless of the state of their companies’ success or the shrinking compensation of the average worker at their companies. I have created a new word for these executives with this mentality: I call them the “Executocracy” .

The Executocracy I speak of are not those individuals who are highly paid because they have created some amazing invention through genius and hard work, and suffer through the rigor of bringing it to market. The Executocracy I speak of are not those individuals with large salaries as the result of years spent discovering and developing some ground breaking process that improves their company’s efficiency a hundredfold. The Executocracy I speak of are not those individuals who personally sweated and endured the founding of a company from scratch, funding the startup with their own hard earned money, building it into a successful enterprise and are thus due great wealth.

The executives I speak of are the Executocracy who raid the corporate coffers as a result of their ability to scale the corporate ladder and wield control of the board of directors who don’t have the guts to say “no” to unreasonable executive compensation packages.

Do you think I’m exaggerating?

Well, I have in front of me right now a CNN article that describes the retirement packages of CEOs that range from $100+ Million to $350+ Million.

A few of the items included in at least one of the afore mentioned retirement packages:

- thousands of dollars in annual automobile benefits

- thousand each year for home security

- use of the corporate jet (during retirement)

- tens of thousands of dollars to cover country club fees

For one of the companies represented above, the years prior to the CEO’s retirement involved the Executocracy carrying on systematic illegal underpayment of an entire class of its employees; reductions in the company’s support of employee health coverage, moving thousands of jobs off-shore to locations where the company could avoid paying a fair wage and avoid US labor laws, and other cost cutting strategies. But, I don’t think eliminating bloated CEO pay was ever on the cost cutting table.

So now you’re depressed, angry, or some other emotion. But, it’s not enough just to get angry. Let me give you at least two quick things I plan to do.

As it turns out, I have a few shares in one of the companies represented in the CNN article. Although these shares are in my retirement savings account, I still have the right to participate in stockholders’ meetings. I’ll be honest; in the past I didn’t really pay close attention like I should to the section of the Proxy Statement received by all stockholders that outlines all the compensation raked in by executives. But, from here on, I’m going to stay much more informed about the compensation given to executives of companies I have stock in.

Secondly, even though I may only own a hand full of shares in companies, I endeavor to participate, and vote consistently and faithfully as regards stockholder business even if I cannot afford to travel to the stockholder meetings personally.

And, who knows, at some point I may even through my hat in the ring and run for a board of directors seat on some company and offer some real challenge to the status quo.

Posted in The Greedy Rich | No Comments »

Swine Flu

May 10th, 2009

Well, it seems like the Swine Flu is one of the things consuming the news lately. People have become terrified by media reports of the latest incidences of Swine Flu believing that every coughing or sneezing coworker or fellow student may be about to launch a deadly plague on their town. Some have even resorted to calling this flu H1-N1 instead of Swine Flu in order to disguise that they’re referring to the Swine Flu that is causing near hysteria. Well, rather than fan the hysteria, let me share some publicly available tips to protect yourself that were recently share with me. No, I’m not a doctor; so, if you’ve got any particular medical questions or concerns about protecting yourself please seek the advice of your medical professional. As for the tips, here’s what was relayed to me:

Influenza (the flu)
Influenza, commonly called “the flu,” is an infection of the respiratory tract caused by the influenza virus. Compared with most other viral respiratory infections, such as the common cold, influenza infection often
causes a more severe illness. Influenza is a contagious virus transmitted by the respiratory route by inhalation of aerosols as well as by direct contact with animate or inanimate objects. Because it can spread rapidly,
persons in semi-closed or crowded environments are at higher risk.
What are the symptoms?
Typical influenza illness includes fevers of 100F-103F and respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, runny or stuff nose as well as headache, muscle aches and often extreme fatigue. Although nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can sometimes accompany influenza infection, especially in children, these symptoms are rarely the primary symptoms.
Gestation of Influenza Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days
after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.
Flu Prevention
1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact (less than about 6 feet away) with people who are sick. When you
are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick.
You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover your mouth and nose.
When sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Dispose the tissue and immediately wash your hands. Or, place your nose and mouth into your sleeve when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. It is best to wash your hands with soap and clean water for 20 seconds. If soap and clean water are not available, use an
alcohol-based product to clean your hands.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches
his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Hand Washing:

Proper personal hygiene, in particular hand washing, is the one most effective defense against communicable diseases that are spread through direct and indirect contact.

Direct Contact occurs through direct contact with another person, such as handshakes, while Indirect contact occurs by touching an inanimate object, that an infected person has touched, such as a tabletop, doorknob or faucet handle. Communicable diseases could include viruses that spread Influenza or colds. Direct or indirect contact may transfer a disease to you if you touch your eyes, mouth or nose before washing your hands.

Wash Your Hands:

Before preparing or eating food

After going to the bathroom

After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

After handling garbage

Wash your hands often

If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcoholbased
product to clean your hand.

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Rick Warren Prop 8 Dilemma

April 19th, 2009

An April 07, 2009 U.S.News & World Report article included the following transcript of the Larry King interview:

RICK WARREN: In the first place, I am not an anti-gay or anti-gay-marriage activist. I never have been, never will be. During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never—never once even gave an endorsement in the two years Prop 8 was going.
The week before the—the vote, somebody in my church said, ‘Pastor Rick, what—what do you think about this?’ And I sent a note to my own members that said, I actually believe that marriage is—really should be defined, that that definition should be—say between a man and a woman.
And then all of a sudden out of it, they made me, you know, something that I really wasn’t. And I actually—there were a number of things that were put out. I wrote to all my gay friends—the leaders that I knew—and actually apologized to them. That never got out . . . .
Not a single criticism came from any gay leader who knows me and knows that for years we’ve been working together on AIDS issues and all these other things.
LARRY KING: All right. Do you, therefore, criticize or not comment on the Iowa court decision to permit gay marriage?
WARREN: Yes. I’m—I’m totally oblivious to—to what—that’s not even my agenda. My agenda is two things. One, today is the 15th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. It’s a national day of mourning, which I—as you know, I’ve been heavily involved in—in Rwanda and helping rebuild that nation and I’m very concerned about that.
And the second thing is, I’m interested in what the recession is doing to the spiritual climate of our nation. And as we start Easter week and Passover week, which is a really big week for those of us who are Jews or Christians, Passover and Easter, it’s our biggest week of the year. And it actually was the—the week that I started Saddleback Church 30 years ago this Easter Sunday. . . . KING. One other thing in the gay issue, while you said you were not an activist at all . . . did you not encourage your flock to vote yes on Proposition 8?
WARREN: Oh, yes. You know, I don’t think that the definition of marriage should be changed. KING: So you did ask your people who worship with you to vote that way?
WARREN: Yes. I just never campaigned. . . .KING: It’s not high on your road of issues?
WARREN: No, no, it’s very low. In fact, I am working with a number of gay organizations on issues that we care about, in saving lives.

This U.S.News & World Report article included a link to a blog that had a letter that was allegedly sent by Pastor Warren in October of 2004 to the members of the Saddleback church where he serves. Following is the transcript of that letter:

Subject: The Most Important Election

Dear Saddleback Church family,

Tuesday, November 2nd, will be one of the most important elections Americans have had in 50 years. How could that be?

Because up to four of the Supreme Court Justices will likely retire during the next presidential term and their replacements will be selected by whomever is the next president. These new judges will affect the future of America for at least the next 40 years. It would be difficult to overestimate the impact that these judges will have on our lives, our families, our culture, and the direction of this nation.

Presidents serve for only 4 years, so they can only make a limited impact. But Supreme Court Justices serve for life, and they are the ones who decide on issues like abortion, gay marriages, human cloning, harvesting babies for stem-cell research, revoking the tax exemption of churches, removing “under God” from the flag pledge, and “in God we trust” from our money. In most ways, the Supreme Court has far more influence and impact on our day-to-day lives. This extremely important fact has been overlooked in most of the campaigning.

President Bush and Senator Kerry have VERY different opinions about the type of people who should become Supreme Court Justices. They could not have more opposite views about these matters. Either man will shape the court in very different ways.

If the members of our congregation fail to vote on Tuesday, we are actually surrendering our responsibility to choose the direction of our country for the next 40 years. If we do not vote, we have no right to criticize or complain when unbiblical decisions are made by the court in the decades ahead.

Over the past several months at Saddleback, we’ve been urging our members each week to register to vote. We even arranged to have a voter registration booth set up on our church patio because we believe it’s that important that every Christian citizen exercises his or her right to vote for those who will govern us.

During the last presidential election in the United States, there were about 4 million Christians who weren’t even registered to vote! To me, that is inexcusable when you consider what the Bible says about our responsibility as citizens and when you consider the many, many men and women who’ve given their lives to provide and protect our freedom to vote.

The U.S. election of 2000 was a clear reminder that every vote counts and that every voter has a duty to be involved. As church leaders, we know our congregations are not allowed to endorse specific candidates, and it’s important for us to recognize that there can be multiple opinions among Bible-believing Christians when it comes to debatable issues such as the economy, social programs, social security, and the war in Iraq.

But for those of us who accept the Bible as God’s Word and know that God has a unique, sovereign purpose for every life, I believe there are 5 issues that are non-negotiable. To me, they’re not even debatable because God’s Word is clear on these issues. In order to live a purpose-driven life - to affirm what God has clearly stated about his purpose for every person he creates - we must take a stand by finding out what the candidates believe about these five issues, and then vote accordingly.

Here are five questions to ask when considering who to vote for in this election:

1. What does each candidate believe about abortion and protecting the lives of unborn children?

2. What does each candidate believe about using unborn babies for stem-cell harvesting?

3. What does each candidate believe about homosexual marriage?

4. What does each candidate believe about human cloning?

5. What does each candidate believe about euthanasia - the killing of elderly and invalids?

Please, please do not forfeit your responsibility on these crucial issues! This election REALLY counts more than most others have.

Be sure to vote, and be sure to encourage every Christian you know to vote on Tuesday. If you are able to vote early, do so. Then ask all your Christian friends on Tuesday “Have you voted yet?” and pray for godly leaders to be elected.

Pastor Rick Warren

Following is a transcript containing remarks attributed to Rick Warren. Pastor Warren is reported as having made these comments just weeks before the Prop 8 election:

“The election’s coming just in a couple of weeks, and I hope you’re praying about your vote. One of the propositions, of course, that I want to mention is Proposition 8, which is the proposition that had to be instituted because the courts threw out the will of the people. And a court of four guys actually voted to change a definition of marriage that has been going for 5,000 years.

“Now let me say this really clearly: we support Proposition 8 — and if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8. I never support a candidate, but on moral issues I come out very clear.

“This is one thing, friends, that all politicians tend to agree on. Both Barack Obama and John McCain, I flat-out asked both of them: what is your definition of marriage? And they both said the same thing — it is the traditional, historic, universal definition of marriage: one man and one woman, for life. And every culture for 5,000 years, and every religion for 5,000 years, has said the definition of marriage is between one man and a woman.

“Now here’s an interesting thing. There are about two percent of Americans [who] are homosexual or gay/lesbian people. We should not let two percent of the population determine to change a definition of marriage that has been supported by every single culture and every single religion for 5,000 years.

“This is not even just a Christian issue — it’s a humanitarian and human issue that God created marriage for the purpose of family, love, and procreation.

“So I urge you to support Proposition 8, and pass that word on. I’m going to be sending out a note to pastors on what I believe about this. But everybody knows what I believe about it. They heard me at the Civil Forum when I asked both Obama and McCain on their views.”

Posted in Buzz in the Gutter | No Comments »

Sleazy Male

April 13th, 2009

Sleaze Warning: the story I’m about to summarize then comment on may make you sick with disgust.

Okay here’s the background:
Levi Johnston, fathered the baby that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol gave birth to.

For some bizarre reason, Levi Johnston, decides to go on the Tyra Banks show and talk about things that any male (with any adequate amount of manhood) would not go on the Tyra Banks show to talk about.

In the teaser information that the Tyra Banks show put out to get people to watch the show, they said Levi Johnston would reveal:

“…why his engagement with Bristol Palin ended.”

“…intimate details about his relationship with Bristol, what he really thinks of Gov. Palin…”

I must confess that I don’t watch the Tyra Banks show because of the freaky stuff she is subject to do. But, in the clip I saw of the Levi Johnston interview, Levi discusses with Tyra the frequency of his use of birth control when having premarital relations with Bristol Palin. The young man also goes on to say that he believes that Governor Palin new that he and her daughter were having premarital sex. Whether Levi and Bristol’s parents knew, or not, I cannot say.

But one thing I will say: Levi Johnston is a poor excuse for a man to roll around in the gutter on the Tyra Banks show. If Levi did not have the backbone to stand up to Tyra and refuse to scandalize his baby’s mother’s family, he should have declined to go on the
Tyra Banks show.

I believe that the Palin family promotes waiting for marriage before sex. But, even if someone in that family makes the mistake of failing to wait until marriage. I think it very sleazy for someone to get on national TV and share intimate details in a scandalous and sleazy manner as Levi Johnston did.

No, I am not a Palin groupie;

I’M JUST A GUY TIRED OF SLIMY MALES WHO ARE A DISGRACE TO MANHOOD.

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FLESH EATING FISH PEDICURE

April 4th, 2009

Apparently the story about the FLESH EATING FISH PEDICURE is real; I’ve seen at least two major news outlets (CNN and ABC News) showing people getting this service performed. Let me first say that I’m not against pedicures. I imagine providing extra attention and care for your feet and toes, can not only improve the health of your feet, but might serve as a good way to unwind and get rid of some unhealthy stress. But using flesh eating fish as part of your pedicure? I wouldn’t even suggest considering doing that for a moment. So here’s what I’ve gathered about this particular pedicure service:

According to a spa in the DC/Northern Virginia area that was interviewed by ABC News, thousands of people have tried this Flesh Eating Fish Pedicure. These fish, which are called garra rufa, are typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries according to the report. The report also referred to the fish as being tiny carp.

Instead of only using some traditional implement (e.g., a razor) to remove the dead skin from your toes and feet, the Flesh Eating Fish Pedicure starts by having you place your feet in a tank, it looks like an aquarium to me. For about $50.00 the spa has 100 little fish in the tank that will nibble on your feet eating away the dead skin for about 30 minutes. Afterward, “…customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.”

The little fish are reported to have no teeth, and supposedly leave live skin alone. The treatment is said to tickle and feel something like your feet going to sleep.

It sounds like this new type of pedicure is not appropriately regulated. The spa featured in the ABC News story uses individual tanks were they change the water for each customer because the health agency which regulates pools required them to do so.

However, people are missing the dangers if they think changing of the water in the tank before each fish pedicure eliminates their risk of infection. Remember that even though the water is being changed, those little live fish that have been eating on the feet of various strangers before you, cannot be sterilized with chemicals and boiling water before your treatment. If those fish ingested dangerous bacteria, what prevents them from spreading that to you? The CNN story I watched showed the horrific effects that can result from bacterial infection inherent in the risk of receiving a FLESH EATING FISH PEDICURE.

So, I think I’ll have to say “No, Thank You” to the Flesh Eating Fish Pedicure.

Posted in Wacky But True | No Comments »

4 Oakland Police Officers Killed

March 30th, 2009

You may have heard about the 4 Police officers in Oakland, California who lost their lives as the result of being shot while performing their law enforcement responsibilities.

Lovelle Mixon, 26, of Oakland, a parolee who fled after shooting two officers following a traffic stop, killed two others after a SWAT team entered an apartment where he was hiding.

In the wake of this tragedy, there seems to be an atmosphere where thousands of citizens are making an overt effort to show their respect and sympathy for the loss of the four officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Having worked for the Oakland Police Department years ago, I wanted to offer my perspective on what a tough job it is to serve in law enforcement in hopes that maybe we can continue as a community to show greater respect for the officers who serve each of our communities in their efforts to maintain peace and order.

Years ago when I was fresh out of college, my first fulltime job was working for the Oakland Police Department assisting officers with various law enforcement responsibilities. Each day before putting on my uniform, I had to first put on my Kevlar vest in hopes that if I was shot, the vest might absorb some of the impact of bullets aimed at my upper body. However, a Kevlar vest can only provide limited protection, such as the occasion when I unknowingly crossed the line of fire of a mass murderer who was armed and dangerous, who was hold up in an East Oakland house. On this occasion, I observed the heroic Oakland Police Department orchestrate the safe rescue of the hostage this crazed murderer was holding victim.

Then there was the time I was riding along with an officer who covered the Lake Merritt area. I had the horrific experience of seeing a young woman die who was the victim of a date gone bad, despite the best efforts of the police and medical personnel to save her life after she had been dragged beneath the vehicle of her kidnappers.

Or, there was the baby in the basinet who was left at someone’s door. I had to assist in getting the baby to a safe foster home as the Oakland Police had been called to deal with the dilemma of the beautiful abandoned baby.

During my term with the Oakland Police Department, I would be so drained from the day’s stressful events that I would not want to even watch the news when I would return home at the end of the day because I had already lived the news during my work shift.

I eventually went on to get a job in my field of study, but I still remembers years later the truth that working in law enforcement was one of the toughest jobs that I’ve ever had in my entire life.

To all the honorable officers in Oakland, and beyond: Thank You for risking your lives in your efforts to serve the community valiantly.

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