Except…that is what the initiative is all about, to spark the economy so that spending will continue. Except … if U.S. citizens are burdened with new debt, by bailing out rich people, they will not be in a position to spend. And why is it so important for US citizens to worry about not being able to ge tloans? Isn’t that just more indebtedness? Mmmmm.

Debt is an ugly, ugly, ugly cycle. Ain’t nuttin’ nice ’bout it. It is the manifestation of negative energy, aka evil, which is the definition of “causing or threatening distress or harm; a source of sorrow; calamity”.

Debt is a cosmic black hole created to maintain control of and eventually, swallow up it’s victims, in this case, the masses. Because once you’re in the “credit” hole, it was conceived that you will always be in the “credit” hole, good or bad. No matter how much money you have, you will always be seduced to need more — and that will invite credit.

And someone(s) established this euchred system as the foundation for our economic survival. It’s sort of like a curse, you know, “A Pox upon your house!”, or a plague, a serpent, a spider web, an addiction. Was there no other way?

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There was a small applause, but mostly shock. We, the people, are not accustomed to concepts that would actually level the playing field. The idea made too much sense, something else we are not accustomed to.

First, it would allow Americans to be in a position to invest as a whole, remove large sums of personal debt, and an opportunity to start over. Really start over. For all economic levels. There would be no more poverty. At least for a while in this country. But think of the possibilities worldwide. We really are do-gooders.

Second, since it is possible that the money for the bail out will come from taxpayers in the long term, and taxpayers are already struggling, there is no guarantee that the debt will be repaid. Unless We, the people, are forced to pay more and more taxes, oppressed under more debt and rising costs and inflation. Recession and a Depression is inevitable this route. Especially if they are just “printing up new money”.

Third, the majority of Americans are responsible for the money being available in the first place, and not just the rich. It’s the rich (or rather a good number of them) who have misused, mismanaged, greedied it away, living large and in charge. Now, it’s our turn, the 99 percent, to stop giving and start receiving and living large. The rich will
always be rich.

There’s a responsible way to allot these monies to avert waste. Damage control.

We wouldn’t receive the money all at once. Think about it. Junkies would OD on a massive scale. And large numbers of people would spend it so fast, it would truly be a waste.

Of course, there are minds more advanced and capable to construct a better plan, but here’s a plausible start:

Every person would have to invest $100 grand towards Wall St. investments. Let’s add that up. 300 million people investing $100 grand. Uh, duh, let’s see…that would be…uh…you have calculators. Anyway, they wouldn’t see that money because it would go straight to the source, like taxes.

After that, each allotment would be a certain amount annually per person, like the lottery. Probably starting around $25,000 per person. The rest would be placed in
various government bonds, trusts, estates, bank accounts, etc., which no one could actually touch. It would earn interest, while banks use it to do what they usually do,
invest it, loan it, whatever.

Would that cause millions of people to walk off of their jobs? Or millions more to simply live off the allotment, tax free? (It’s the Australian way.) And, it’s probably more than a lot of current salaries.

Or, would it ignite more spending? More qualifications for loans, small businesses, college educations, purchase homes and afford them, pursue dreams, shopping? If spending is what they want consumers to do, then this would allow
spending as well as investing. For the first time in history, the 99 percent would not just be giving to the rich, excluded from the American Dream, but in charge of
their lives.

Too idealistic you say? It’s what is being done, has always been done, and will probably continue to be done for the truly wealthy among us. Make no mistake, we’ve been duped throughout history by the policies and procedures that maintain a permanent underclass, in order for the wealthy to remain so.

It’s a shocking and daring proposal. But so is giving $700 billion dollars without American citizens being able to vote on that plan.

Which comes to another proposal. Voters get to vote on most legislation. Why are they not getting a vote on the biggest economic proposition in history? A proposition that they will pay for.

Therefore, instead of putting a “rush” on this plan, like the Iraq War, let’s slow this thing down. Ask a few more questions instead of panicking and feeling helpless and hopeless.

For instance, how many of “us” have had an opportunity to go over this plan? Probably none. We’re just being “told” about it.

So, here’s the deal: No Deal until we say it’s a deal.

It’s easy. It’s honest. And it’s fair.

Present the plan to American citizens. Place the full material in the Sunday newspaper, make copies available online, at libraries, at post offices, etc. Give American’s a few days to read it, investigate it, talk it over. Then, hold a special televised program, like the debates, or presidential speeches, where Bush, McCain, Obama, the treasury guy, especially Pelosi, and some top financial expert — and have them explain everything, line by line to the American people.

Then, and only then, set a date for a special election where WE get to vote on this bail out. Yea or Nay. And the final results will speak for themselves, unless chads get stuck and ballots get lost, and we have to start recounts, etc. etc. etc.

What a concept, huh? It’s scary and most American’s will be hesitant because we are not use to taking responsibility for our own lives. We have been trained, programmed, and conditioned to look to our leaders to deceive us, lie to us, cheat us, and keep us in our place.

We look to them like they are our parents. We think of them as our “deadbeat” dads (and moms). We expect them to disappoint us, make us promises so that we can keep hope alive. We like living on a hope and a prayer. It’s what
we are accustomed to.

And then, let us down, so they we can complain and bicker amongst ourselves. Blame one another. That always works. That almighty divide. It works everytime, has worked for all time, and unless we change it, it will continue to work forever.

We have poverty because we accept poverty. The wealthy are rich, because they demand it. We like having idols, and people to look up to, and we need to have people to look down on, to look up to us. It’s ego. We like feeling special and better than others. And we like having something to aspire to.

With that said. The balls in your court.

If we don’t say anything, you know, like demonstrate some sign of righteous outrage, some semblance that we are paying attention, then ….WATCH! They will steal 700 BILLION DOLLARS from us and give it to themselves before the week is up.

That is why they are playing the rush game on us, like cheezy salesmen, “Buy now or it will be gone!”

Intimidation, scare tactics, “Great Depression” Oh No! Take the money, take the money. Please TAKE THE MONEY and RUN back to your mansions and yachts and send your offspring to Ivy League campuses this fall without a financial worry. And send our offspring to war to steal and kill for you. That’s the ticket.

Back in the 70’s Teddy Pendagrass crooned:

“Wake up everybody, no more sleeping in bed. It’s time for thinking instead… No more war and poverty…And they don’t have so very long before their Judgement Day.”

Sing it again Teddy. Louder this time. Because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Maybe one day, we will wake up. Sooner than later. Because these guys are out of control. And why not? We are just standing back watching like casual observers. But what can we do really?

Mmmmm. Any ideas?

Can we prevent our worse fears from happening?

First, we need to stop the stealing. Unfortunately, we just can’t seem to find the time to get these cattlemen in line. We’re too distracted with our lives.

For instance, do you ever feel as though someone keeps moving the finish line?

Like, just when you think you’re about to catch up with, say — your bills, your work, some long, drawn out “issue” that just never seems to give an inch or go away, like a legal matter, say — a divorce, or a custody battle, or those pesky student loans, family squabbles?

And then something happens to just pull you back under. Like there is this grand conspiracy to just keep you distracted with petty, mindnumbing, BS! You know?

Maybe you don’t know. Maybe you’re one of the lucky few whose life is just rolling along on a highway to heaven, blue skies, bright sun, just enough rain. There you are whistling, smiling, happy go lucky you. Wink Wink. All XOXO.

It’s like there are these two parallel universes — one with people who keep getting close to the finish line, and it disappears, and they have to start over or keep going around in a circle to nowhere; and the other universe is filled with people who see the finish line clearly, cross it and move on to their next success.

The first group keeps glimpsing over at the second group and wondering “how did they get in that universe, that’s where I want to be”. And the second group looks back every once in awhile at the first group and thinks “how did they get in that situation, why can’t they get their act together? God never let me go there!”

It’s not like the first group of people are all unlucky. Because that first group represents most people. It’s more like, there’s a secret that the majority of the people don’t have access to. There’s some key to some door you can walk through, some ingredient that will make it all come together. And the second group keeps pretending to share that information, but it never quite works out, like they’ve left something out on purpose.

Because that is what the world feels like, especially on the political scene. There are these people who have always been on the right track, and they are smiling at us and telling us “this and that with a rattle a tat”, and like Jack Johnson sings in his song “Good People”:

“you win, it’s your show,
tell me what’s it gonna be?
people will tune in,
but how many train wrecks do we have to see,
before we lose touch, it’s bad, getting worse…
turn on the boob tube, I’m in the mood to obey, lead me astray…
where’d all the good people go?”

As Arsenio Hall use to say…”Things that make you go Hmmm”

How did the stock market suddenly go belly up just months before this administration ends it’s reign, some might say of terror? Other’s might say of greed. While still other’s might think it’s been a glorious ride of good deeds for the world. Mostly because the rich got stinky, funky rich, and they would be among that group.

It is undeniably the truth, that since Bush and Cheney took office, they have been demanding astronomical amounts of money…trillions of dollars for a war no one wanted, but them. And now 700 billion dollars for money that just disappeared down a rabbit hole. Where is that damn rabbit hole? Anybody?

Recent AP Headlines:

Bush asks Congress for $700 billion for bailout
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press

And they are experts at getting people to believe that if they don’t give them the money, our world will come to an abrupt and devastating end.

September 20, 2008 8:30 AM EDT
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration is asking Congress to let the government buy $700 billion in bad mortgages as part of the largest financial bailout since the Great Depression.
WASHINGTON (AP) – A half-trillion dollar bailout that the Bush administration and Congress are negotiating this weekend for faltering financial institutions could unload their bad debt on the government, and in turn the taxpayer.
Economists see financial bailout as necessary

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER (AP Economics Writer)
From Associated Press
September 20, 2008 4:25 PM EDT
WASHINGTON – The economy could suffer a massive hangover from the government’s efforts to rescue the financial system in the form of a soaring debt burden. But the alternatives look infinitely worse.Bush says entire economy in danger without action

From Associated Press
September 24, 2008 8:17 PM EDT
WASHINGTON – Pressing urgently for a massive financial bailout, President Bush says the nation faces a “long and painful recession” if Congress fails to act. He says “our entire economy is in danger.”

Speaking in dire terms, Bush pushed for a $700 billion government rescue plan during a prime-time address to the nation. His move was aimed at explaining the package to the American public, but also to keep pressure on frustrated and angry lawmakers to work out a bipartisan deal fast.
Bush said the goal is to help the government buy up troubled assets so that credit can start flowing again and the economy will rebound.
He said the rescue is aimed at helping the country, not individual companies.

How could we turn them down? They are in the happy universe, where we all want to be. They know something, and if we can just keep listening to them long enough and following them, they will open the door and let the rest of us — in the sad and miserable and struggling universe, where the finish line keeps moving — into their happy universe.

Here’s a tidbit: most of us were not even aware that billions and trillions of dollars were just sitting there, waiting for someone to just ask for it. But they knew. And they are getting it.

The question is, where did it come from, are they just printing it up, or did we put that much money into the pot? Cause no one ever reports how much money is actually collected every year?

And the final tidbit: If we give them this last big pot of money, we will be headed for a Third World existence? Will they have successfully stolen everything? Will there be nothing left. (is there more…and where is it?)

Or will there just be us, fighting one another, divided, mad, scared witless, destitute and …po? Broke and PO!

But mostly scared. and with good reason:

From Associated PressSeptember 24, 2008 6:17 PM EDT
WASHINGTON – Bruce Ivins, the Army scientist accused of carrying out the 2001 anthrax attacks, e-mailed himself last year saying he knew who the killer was, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!!! I finally know who mailed the anthrax letters in the fall of 2001. I’ve pieced it together!” Ivins wrote in the e-mail dated Sept. 7, 2007, according to an FBI affidavit.
“I’m not looking forward to everybody getting dragged through the mud, but at least it will all be over,” Ivins allegedly wrote. “Finally! I should have it TOTALLY nailed down within the month. I should have been a private eye!!!!”
The e-mail did not say who Ivins thought was the anthrax killer.
Ivins committed suicide in July as prosecutors prepared to charge him in the mailings that killed five people and sickened 17 others.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. The Suits are gonna get you!
Men In Black know something, man. Maybe they are all alien squids in human disguise.

And that would almost be a relief.

Debt is becoming an ugly, ugly, ugly word. It has opened the door for some very nasty people to take advantage of people at their lowest. Let’s take a poll.

How many people do you think go into debt planning NOT to pay their bills?

Logically, people go into debt because they want to live better, they want more of what they see and a lot of the time, cannot afford, but really do need. Such as medical expenses, not even major ones. But everyday things, like dental emergencies, eyeglasses, appendix removal, car repairs. Utility company, cable company, phone company prices exceed your salary. Voila! You’re in debt!

How do you avoid debt? Get a better job with a higher paying salary. Easier said than done for most people. Go to college. We’ll come back to that one. Sell drugs. Prostitute. Those are options for the not so faint of heart. No one in debt plans on not being able to pay their bills anymore than they plan on not being on this planet the next day. They are in debt primarily because of predators.

Credit is BIG BUSINESS. It’s everywhere you look. Banks, PayDay Loans … and Credit Cards are being offered by everyone from stores, gas stations, schools .. you name it and they probably offer credit cards.

We are made to believe if you get credit, it will make your life better. Your credit score will go up. You will have access to just about anything you need and want. Yet, there is all that small print. What’s that all about?

It’s about chain yanking. Loop holes you will eventually have to jump through. Surprise tactics and strategies that will put a strangle hold on your finances. Think foreclosure crisis.

And then the devil invented Collections. The collections industry is just a legitimate form of loan sharking. Few people realize that most collection agencies are law offices. Yeah. Attorneys. Ambulance chasing didn’t exactly dry up. They just found a new prey. And it’s a racket!

These collection firms often hire ex-cons as field workers (and sometimes, ex-cops, especially the corrupt ones). They get them through probation officers. These “ex-con field workers” are permitted to break the law, specifically, the Fair Debt Collections Act, by violating your rights, harass you, stalk you, slander you, terrorize you, … and obtain as much valuable personal information about you as possible. (Fringe benefits)

They can do whatever they want with that personal information, like use it to re-establish their own personal identity. Yeah. Since attorney’s have gotten into the collections business, identity theft is at an all time high. These field workers who like to refer to themselves as “Operatives” can run up all kinds of debts in your name and you are responsible for it. And no one can ever trace these people to the law firms that employ them. They are already criminals. They work on commission, paid under the table, and those fringe benefits.

Credit is Big Business because of the added incentive …the interest rates. That becomes the money maker. There is even more of an incentive if you default on your debt. It becomes a write off for tax purposes. Huge money maker! At the taxpayer’s expense!

It is in their best interest that you will default on your debt.

Now, back to student loans. One of the biggest rackets around. Here’s a nightmare story for you:

I returned to school in my early 30’s, after losing my long time job. I thought I would be a teacher. The word — was that teacher’s were needed. It was a noble profession that I could do well into my retirement years. And the pay was far and above my previous office support employment. I couldn’t lose, right?

I bought into the dream. Although I understood that nothing is guaranteed, I jumped in, made the sacrifices, worked very hard. A higher education is promoted as the ticket to better employment, better salaries, better life. I now know that is false advertisement.

There are only so many people who will benefit from a college degree. It’s like they are the chosen ones. The rest of us are just in it to support the institutions, unbeknownst to us. There are many PhD and MBA recipients bagging groceries at your local supermarket.

I am not the only person disappointed by that fact. Doctors and lawyers are prime examples of that disappointment. They became the ultimate professional’s believing that life would be golden. It wasn’t.

They glutted the market because of the promise. Especially lawyers. Finding and securing a high paying, prestigious position as a doctor or lawyer turned out to be just as difficult, and competitive, as becoming a supermodel.

It’s critical when you think they come out of law school and medical school owing $100’s of thousands of dollars. This explains a lot of corruption, especially relating to lawyers. Desparate times calls for desparate actions.

When I finished all of my requirements, the school, my university, suddenly lost my last semester of grades and informed me that I would have to repeat the courses. However, I was informed that I no longer qualified for student loans and that I would have to re-apply for admissions, only they were no longer accepting new applications. Hmmm.

I was not alone. There were approximately 100 students standing around in the admin building being forced to jump through these fantasy loops.

The catch here, is that all of the other students were freshmen, low-income minority students from ghetto communities across town. They had been lured to sign on the dotted line for loans, which the bulk of the money went primarily to the school.

And now, they were being systematically “forced out”. It’s called “sifting”. The Carter Administration caught many schools committing this offense and had to forgive large sums of money – at taxpayer’s expense.

The game is played like this: The kids sign for government loans, the school receives 90% of the money, the school fills an affirmative action “quota” for the term, and when the students are “sifted out” through this scam and “drop out”, they have no choice but to default on their loans.

Q: What kind of legal employment can an 18 – 22 year old low-income, minority dropout find that will pay for today’s living expenses and loan debts?

Collection Agency’s (mostly law firms) are then contracted by the Department of Education. They are given government (taxpayer’s) money to buy off these debts for low costs, and then they can pursue the loans incurring huge commission fees.

But you see, the school has secured thousands of dollars for admissions and other fees, which they are not accountable for. The dream, the promise, was to include the less fortunate, to give them a leg up, to level the playing fields. We all bought into it.

The reality was for colleges and universities to find a “scapegoat” to sign on the dotted line for those loans. After they default, collection law firms were enlisted to snatch as much money as they could — (Desperate times call for desperate actions, remember?) to make it look like it was all serious business, and they were given carte blanche by our government to do this, by any means necessary, for as long as necessary — for the life of the individual in many cases. Because these were people who would most likely be unable to ever pay off those loans. They could collect every penny these poor unfortunate souls ever made — forever!

And the kicker, is that the rest of society is encouraged to look at the defaulted borrower as mince meat to be devoured. As if they chose to borrow money they had no means of repaying, only to default on it on purpose! As though they were never serious about attending school — to achieve the dream, but, instead just to steal money from taxpayers. Most of these unsuspecting souls have no idea they are being scammed. Victimized. They have no background that would prepare them how to fight this battle.

And yes, there are many success stories. Determined young men and women who for whatever reason, know how to play the game, and accomplish their goals. But for those large numbers of victims (preyed upon) that do not know how, it adds up to a lot of taxpayer money that is misused and abused by a corrupt system.

If the system had been fair, and just, there is no telling what those young victims could have contributed to society. Or what I may have contributed to some student’s life. I’m great with kids.

Q: If the majority of student loan borrowers are not qualified for regular bank loans without collateral, how is it that they were able to qualify for student loans without collateral, credit, and no means to repay those loans — with only the promise of a degree and better career opportunities?

That’s the hype. The program is a farce.

No one ever really says, “there are no guarantees”. It’s never even implied, that when, or if you obtain your degree, there most probably will not be better opportunities available.

They never offer small business loans that easily. Which would make more sense. At least, with an SBA loan, there is the possibility of success and an income.

This scam unfolded completely after I realized I would not receive my degree. I applied and received a six month deferment to pay my loans. Two months later, not six, my deferment was cancelled and I was demanded to pay the loans in full.

I owed a total of $10,000 (4% rate) for three years of study. I had worked three jobs and reduced my living expenses to almost nothing. I was unemployed. Obviously, I could not afford to pay a balance of $10,000 or the 4 percent interest on that balance.

Plus, Dept. Ed policy promised affordable payment plan options. I was denied those options.

My loans went into default immediately. $26,000 was added to the principal, and another $23,000 added for commission fees. A grand total of $59,000 was being demanded for payment in full.

I was hounded unmercifully. Telephone calls all day and throughout the night. My credit was destroyed. It was difficult obtaining a place to live. And some jobs would not consider me because of my credit. The collections reported over 10 pages of defaulted student loans, which was false. Some of the loans dated back to 1964, when I was a little kid. It gets worse.

People (ex-con and ex-cop fieldworkers) impersonating federal agents were going to my neighbors, local stores, my chuch, my banks, my doctor, saying that I was under investigation by the government for fraud, in order to get information about me and my finances. People believed them! I was humiliated and embarassed — and angry.

I found an entry level administrative job eight months after leaving school and wrote and called repeatedly, attempting to get a payment plan, based on my income, but was refused.

Unfortunately, a few years later, I acquired a chronic illness and was placed on disability. These collection agents pretended to be IRS Treasury Agents and offset $5000 of my disability. They never obtained a legal court order for this offset, but used blatantly fake Treasury stationary.

The $5000 disappeared into a black hole never to be seen again. None of it was applied to my loans or the interest fees. I still owed $59.000.

Eventually, I wrote enough letters to government officials and they were able to stop the offset. But not the harassment. I never obtained my degree, although I completed all my requirements. Obviously, I never became a teacher. My loan status made it impossible to afford school without assistance, so I have never been able to attend another school to repeat those classes (all A’s and B’s by the way).

The Moral of this story?

I learned a lot anyway. Mostly about myself and about the system of things. Despite the corruption, going to college was worth it. I understand so much more about being alert and observant. About predators. About reading the small print. About fighting and standing up. About never giving up or giving in. About a corrupt, broken system that needs to be changed, and how it is hurting everyone in our nation.

Corruption is just the cowards way out, preying upon vulnerable people to make a living or rather a killing, instead of looking for meaningful ways to improve society.

My disability did not cause me to sit at home and collect a check. Or, to pursue criminal tactics. Or to cheat the government or other people. It allowed me an opportunity to establish my own business, which would have been more difficult if I had been working for someone else. It certainly hasn’t been easy, and the business is not close to what I hope it will be.

But the key is to find something that you love and care about, that will be of use to others, and find a way to make it happen.

More importantly, debt is just a four letter word that small, petty, greedy people are making into a bad word. All that should ever be done is take a person to court or arbitration, and work out an affordable plan. If they still do not pay, go back into court and see why. The court fees are under $100. Which explains the corruption. Why pay $100 to resolve a problem when so much more can be stolen? After all, no one is watching. Taxpayer’s are too busy and too easily misled.

The bottom line is there is generally a logical, human reason a person is not paying their debt. Therefore, there should always be a logical, human way to resolve the debt. Ultimately, there are options like hardship or forgiveness of debt.

The current collections and foreclosure crisis shows that debtor’s prison was more civil.

In the News again today, “Another Professional Athlete Busted for Cocaine!” No need to say a name, it doesn’t matter.

It’s not an epidemic. It’s a deception. Drug dealer’s target athletes for three reasons:

1) Money
Athletes are targeted early…in college…in high school. The more potential a player shows in those formative years, increases the money opportunities in the pros. Hence, if you can get them hooked before the money comes, you’ve got a “wealthy client” for the long term.

2) Exposure
High profile clients, candidates for idol worship, will improve the odds to lure in impressionable fans. Everytime a well-known athlete is exposed for drug possession, it glamorizes a way of life. It’s free advertisement.

3) Vulnerability
Most of these athletes are young men who have not come into their own. They do not have a sense of self-awareness and, like everyone else, have a need to belong, to be cool. They are told, “to be a man, you need to do this and handle that.”

So who gets targeted most and why?

First, compare African American Athletes to your White Athletes. How often do you hear of a Larry Byrd, or a Wayne Gretzsky, or a Dan Marino getting busted on crack? Now, let’s consider Strawberry, or any number of great Black ballplayers who have gone down that dark road.

Most of these young men did not have strong male role models in their life and it’s easy to fall for this deception. Most of these young men come from single parent, mostly mothers, households. It’s easy to listen to the older guys who approach them. They are vulnerable targets.

Certainly, there are many exceptions, Kareem, Magic, Dr. J, Mike, Jason Kidd, Kobe, Barkley, Bonds, and on and on. And consider that most of these names came from two parent families. They had involved father figures.

Nevertheless, somehow, the poor choices by the ‘other guys’ get the most exploitation and make it seem rampant among Black atheletes. And it is. Because they are the most vulnerable.

Illegal drug use and abuse by any athlete, including sterioids is idiotic. Common sense should win over. Your body is your key to success. You need your body in tip top shape to perform at your best. To perform at your best, you need your mind sharp. Drugs counter all of that.

It wears your organs down, it diminishes your aptitude, your quickness and speed, and distorts your judgment. And if you need sterioids to compete, maybe you’re in the wrong business. Specifically, African American athletes should realize they don’t need the added boost. They are just told they need them. Like race horses.

Critically, drug abuse increases your chances to lose not only your reputation and standing — your potential — but, if caught, no…when caught, you lose your freedom. A loss of freedom is equivalent to slavery. Didn’t we overcome that?

So, essentially, you become a slave to an intangible object, some inanimate thing that has no power to make you do anything, because drugs can’t speak, they can’t demand that you take them, they are not holding a gun to your head. It’s a pebble…a stone…a pet Rock that becomes a boulder, then a mountain that you are chained to.

Addiction is real, physically, but it’s also mental. An addict is married to his or her drug. The drug becomes your employer, your best friend, your child, your God.

There is not a little boy in the world who dreams about growing up and becoming a pro ball player, ever imagines they will become addicted to crack or meth and destroy that career. It’s not in their plans.

It’s a deception that found them before they saw it coming. And then it becomes a trap, sometimes a life long trap.

With all the speeches and anti-drug campaigns, nothing has penetrated the psyche of pop culture more than the glamorizing of drugs using icons. It was a bold move by the powers that be. It started with the tobacco industry.

Illegal drugs are a multi-trillion dollar tax-free business. It is the most profoundly enterprising pyramid network in the world. Nothing and NO ONE will ever be able to burst that bubble. It affords only the people at the very top of the pyramid to live a vast and luxurious lifestyle. And the “middle-men” get to live large for a very short amount of time and then the ride is over. They are expendable because most of them become their own clients.

Impressionable young minds will hear the lectures, and soak in the anti-drug ads, but most will follow the “trendy” thing to do. And talk is cheap.

The only way to reach future generations and to try and save the ones already affected, is for the successful men and women icons to launch major, major anti-drug campaigns…actually going into the schools and the communities and making more and more commercials and print ads. Market it like it’s hot to not do drugs.

Another antidote would be to find a way to persuade the media to stop covering celebrity mishaps when they involve drugs. If those incidents fail to receive exposure, eventually, young people will stop associating drugs with success. That doesn’t mean covering it up or hiding it.

It means acknowledging how detrimental those actions are and the cost. It could start with celebrities making statements about how much it costs to get out of those situations, and how difficult it would be for the average person to get back on their feet from the consequences of the legal ramifications.

Crime doesn’t pay, but you will. Using drugs is criminal behavior. The penalty is prison, a lost future, or a vicious cycle of a seamy, scary, and shameful lifestyle. Ain’t nothing glamorous about it. Drugs take the edge off only once, the first time. After that, it’s a trap. Drugs cannot make you escape your daily grind, they only create another cross to bear.

Abusing drugs can and will kill you eventually. Another penalty is poor health if you manage to survive. But the ultimate penalty is an early grave. And let’s face it, a grave at anytime is too early. Especially, if it could have been avoided.

Avoid the deception. Tell your “friends” to take it on down the road and sell it, cause you’re not buying. And feel good about that. If you’re already involved, be brave, get help, get clean, get free. Don’t be afraid to start over. Many, many people have done it.

Now that’s being cool. You’ve got four minutes to save the world.

I go to the location, run my member card across the windshield, get in and go. I return, run my card again, and go home.

I like it because the GAS IS PAID FOR, as well as the INSURANCE, and I get to test out new cars to see what I might choose to buy next. I save mileage on my car. I save wear and tear on my car. And Zip is available when my car is being cranky.

Is it expensive? Is it worth it? It all depends on you and what you need. You have to check out their website to see all the details.

Just click on one of the links below and see for yourself.

BOYCOTT GAS AND STOP THE GOUGING, RIGHT?????

SAY IT LOUD AND PROUD … WITH OUR

Boycott Gas T-Shirt, Bumper Sticker, and Posters

Why don’cha Click the Image for a better view? Huh? Huh? Why don’cha?
Double dare you!

Then wear it and tell the greedy

We’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anyMORRRE!

I am not alone. Many many many customers are frustrated, not just with the service, but with the communication with the companies we have to do business with. Why?

They don’t care. They don’t care because they believe that if they lose my business, or your business, they will get millions of other customers, or tenants, or whomever, and you and I will just have to suffer. We will be considered “whiners” or “anti-american anarchists”. Or worse, “whistleblowers”. We will be labeled “disgruntled”, “irate”, “unstable” and become “outcasts”, and “homeless!” Simply because we expected to get what we paid for.

And then boys and girls, the CEO’s will move their companies to third world countries and pay their new employees far far less than they paid their U.S. employees; OR, rob the pension plans and retire to Costa Rica, leaving those poor pompous U.S. employees, who believed they were “just doing their jobs”, unemployed. The consequences of their once smug little dismissal of their former customer’s needs and concerns, that we were paying for, that paid their salaries will start to haunt them.

They will remember how they cheated us, lied to us, lied about us, caused us such grief and unneccesary hardship, and…they will be frustrated when those new third world employees, who replaced them, dismiss their concerns and them! Turnabout is fair play, I say.

The next time, if they are lucky to get back on their feet again, they will think twice about hurting other human beings, just because they can. They will choose to do the right thing by people, their customers, who pay their salaries, even for a brief time. Because any customer, even the ones who are paying for the smallest and most affordable services, are contributing to their salaries. Allowing them the comforts of their way of life.

Cheat me, steal from me, lie to me, lie about me, if you will. As for me and my company, the customer will always be right. It’s how I make my living. They deserve to get what they are paying for and they deserve for me to treat them with respect, kindness, professionalism, and never, never, never, a thousand times never, force them to go somewhere else.

Because you know what? Nothing is guaranteed. And the person you are abusing today, could be your boss tomorrow. We think we have control today, but we have no control over what happens tomorrow.

And a warning to all the clueless, third world workers: As quick as your new found “work” arrived to your country, please be aware that you’re dealing with people who do not care about you, either. There is always a less fortunate country somewhere willing to work for even less than you are. So, my advice, take the time to learn your craft, be kind, do the right thing by your customers to the best of your ability, and expect the unexpected.

And finally, this is simple advice to everyone: Treat others as YOU wish to be treated. Unless you are a masochist.