MrOpinionated's Blog

So the CEOs of the big three are back in DC asking for bailout money in order to stay in business.  It seems that Ford's CEO is going to work for $1 a year and there will be cuts on executive salaries and bonuses and lush travel expenses etc.  All sounds pretty good but I wonder.....What about the unions....Will they give anything back?  Certainly these people want to keep their jobs so maybe they need to contribute toward saving the companies.   It's fine for them to put up signs on their union offices about buying American cars, but if they want to stay in business, the workers need to take some cuts too. 

They have a great contract and get super benefits including full pay even after a layoff.  And why do you thing the cars are so overpriced?

 

With the failure of Wa Mu caused by bad debts it makes you kind of wonder if the banks should do something to help their borrowers.  I think it would be a good idea to offer some kind of forebearance or moratorium on payments for people who are having trouble paying their mortgages.  With so many people out of work and up to their eyeballs in debt, the number of foreclosures will continue to increase.  Why not offer a decrease in mortgage rates or some other solution to help the consumer out?  Wouldn't that be better than foreclosing on thousands of properties that are not selling.  Why would the banks want to become the owners of all those houses?  Certainly someone has to maintain the properties and taxes have to be paid.  So the property management companies make some money while the banks lose as the value of those foreclosed properties decreases. 

Even while Wa Mu and the other credit card companies are charging 24+ percent interest charges and numerous late fees etc, they are still losing money.  And yet they continue to solicit more and more people.  They entice consumers with more and more credit cards and some people just can't handle it as the payments keep going up and up.   Obviously, if you keep charging more than people can afford the bubble has to burst somewhere. 

Who is to blame?  Of course the consumer must take some of the blame.  They are faced with rising gas, food and utility bills and a shortage of jobs.  But when you put those credit cards in front of someone who is hurting and then charge fees that people can't afford, then you have a problem.

 

After 4 years, the courts have knocked down the fine arising from the famous Super Bowl Wardrobe Malfunction.   Can you imagine the legal fees for that one?  Come on people it's 2008!   It was a BOOGEDY.  Everyone has a couple and everyone has seen them.  And gee, it appeared on screen for maybe 3 seconds.   I missed it......did you?   When are we going to stop being so prudish and get over stuff like this.  It's amazing that Jesse Jackson or Imus can say some pretty offensive stuff and it ends with an apology....but show a BOOGEDY on TV and we get a half-million dollar fine and a 4 year court battle.  The network should have just issued an apology to the 3 people who were offended....they will get over it. 

I just read an article about 11 high school students from northern Illinois who dressed up ....10 of them as bananas and one as a gorilla....and ran through the halls of the school.   They were suspended for what school officials called a "serious" prank.  Come on now....what every happened to having a little fun?  In this day and age when there are drugs and weapons and fights in the school, what is so bad about dressing like a banana?  

I had a high school English teacher who stole the Biology teachers skeleton from his classroom and then left notes around the school.  She even had some kids go into his classroom and sing "dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones".   

What will happen now?  They will put this on the students permanent record and they will be scarred for life for trying to have some fun. 

Every once in a while when I am sitting in a restaurant I wonder why we still tip our wait person.   It just seems odd to me that restaurant owners can get away with paying employees very low wages and they expect that the difference can be made up with tips.

As part of my job, I review the paystubs and income of my customers.   I recently reviewed those of a waitress from another state.   When I calculated her hourly wage, she was making a whopping $3.36 per hour.   But what was even more interesting was when I added in the tips that she reported.   Her gross hourly wage jumped to an amazing $7.77 per hour.  Isn't that pitiful?

Another interesting item appeared on her paystub.   At that point in the year she had "sold" about $36,000 in food items.   So she was making a measley one percent of the gross as wages and the customers were kicking in enough to get her above minimum wage. 

Isn't it about time that the system change.  Let the employers pay a decent wage to the servers and cut out tipping.  The employers would be able to deduct those wages as an expense on their taxes....and it would force the servers to pay taxes on all of their income....not just the tips that they "report".

Tell me what you think about this.

Here's a thought for Michael to ponder in his cell for the next 23 months.....Dogs are people too. 

Sorry to say that I think Fox2's running of Tony LaRussa's DUI arrest is in very bad taste.  Haven't we heard enough about this?  Yes, what Tony did was wrong and he admits it and he has to live with it but enough is enough.

I was also a bit upset with the representative from MADD.  He wanted something more to be done.  Tony was dealt with according to the law in Florida.  He lost his license. He admitted his guilt and expressed his regrets.  What more do you want?  Should we hang him?   Would that be enough to satisfy everyone?  Come on people.  Yes he was wrong and it could have been a horrible tragic situation but thankfully nothing worse became of it.  Now let's just go on with our lives, OK?

Looks like there is a lot of activity at Rosie's Blog and the focus is on the negative.  So why not post a comment here about all the wonderful days that you are grateful for. 

What is the BEST day you have ever had?   

 If I only had one to choose out of the 21,000 plus days I have been around it would be the day that I married my beautiful wife Cindy.  But today is a beautiful day and I am looking forward til tomorrow because I am sure it will be the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE EVER. 

The headline reads.....Paris Hilton is fine after her first night in jail.  Oh, I was so worried about her.   She must've missed at least one party and what about her hair, nail and makeup appointments?   Paris probably had a hard time wondering why she was put in a cell without her "cell" phone.  Well, duh.  What if Nicole calls?  

Not to worry Paris.  I hear that they may close down Rodeo Drive for your homecoming parade.   What a wonderful event that will be.   Let's all go shine up our Bentleys and stock up on caviar because Paris Hilton will be back on the streets in 3 more weeks!

We miss you Paris.  You give us something to laugh about. 

Monday is the day we celebrate the birth of one of our greatest Americans, Abe Lincoln.  History remembers our President as a man to look up to and his reputation as "Honest Abe".  But what would President Lincoln think of our society today?   I know that this will sound cynical, but where has the honesty gone? 
Every day in my job I deal with the pubic and it is amazing and sad how quickly people will make up a story that just does not sound right.  No, I am not a collector of any sort, but my job does entail gathering information and I cannot believe  the stories that I hear.   We all joke laughingly about how our politicians lie to us...that is almost a given.  But what about people we meet in our every day activities?  Have you noticed how many people will not take responsibiltiy for their actions?   It seems that  courtesy and honesty have gone out the window.  When did this all happen?
I may sound like an old man, but I do believe that young people are the worst. They will tell you any story or anything you want to hear, so as to not appear to be at fault.  Trust me, we have two young men in our family and their stories and excuses change like a Dave Murray forecast.
Now I am not saying that everyone is dishonest, but I do believe that this trend is on the increase.   What do you think?  What can we do about it?   And can we ever change things so that people will once again have feelings about what they say?
What is your opinion on this?

I see where our President has commented that business executive's salaries should be tied to performance. Well why don't we hold our politicians to the same standard? Think of the budget cuts we could see in Washington. Maybe we could even tie the President's salary and benefits to his popularity. Who needs impeachment!! We could have our President riding around in a 78 Gremlin instead of a multi-million dollar limo...and Air Force One might be downgraded to a Piper Cub. I'm sure that everyone would be lining up for the job with those perks.

I haven't seen a story about this on the news, so I thought I would pass it along to you all.

On Friday, February 2, 2007, Americans nationwide will celebrate the Fourth Annual National Wear Red Day by wearing red to show their support for women's heart disease awareness. The Heart Truth campaign, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in February 2003, to help spread the word that heart disease is the #1 killer of American women.

On National Wear Red Day, Federal agencies across the country by encouraging all employees to wear red. By wearing red-whether it is a red dress, shirt, tie, or the Red Dress Pin-and encouraging your colleagues and friends to do the same, you will be sending a lifesaving message: "Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear-It's the #1 Killer of Women."

To help you plan, the National Wear Red Day Online Toolkit is available at www.hearttruth.gov. It contains ideas and tools (including how to order the Red Dress Pin) to help you participate in the National Wear Red Day celebration.


"When it comes to heart disease-education, prevention, and even a little red dress can save lives."
-First Lady Laura Bush, Heart Truth Campaign Ambassador

There is one issue that bugs the heck out of me when I hear about a utility asking for a rate increase. Have you seen the huge Ameren sign at Busch Stadium? Have you seen Ameren advertising on billboards and on TV ads? How much do you think they spend advertising every year? And...they are the only game in town. We have no choice in power company. If you want power....Ameren gives it to you. And they give on giving it to us in the form of rate hikes. What a joke! I wonder just who they are advertising to...the homeless?

I got home a little after midnight....early Christmas morning and as I was letting the dog out I looked up at the sky to look at the stars. My first thought was "Happy Birthday Jesus"....after all, he is the reason for the season. But as I stood and appreciated the beautiful sky above me, I started thinking about the holiday. There has been alot written about the true meaning of Christmas but I realized that what we all do is not what it is all about.
Christmas is nothing but a big boost for retailers and the economy. No wonder it is so widely advertised. But stop and think about this....you could have bought yourself that book or shirt or laser level or DVD. If you really wanted it, you could spend your hard earned cash on anything you really want. And in return, you go out and buy the same candle or tool or whatever and give it to someone who could have as easily bought that for themselves.
Christmas is for the children. They have dreams and joy and a sparkle in their eyes. Let them enjoy the season.
And what about those among us who can't buy that shirt or tool or DVD etc? Let us remember the people less fortunate than we are. They would be overwhelmed to get a new sweater or even socks for Christmas. We need to let them know that they are not alone. Let's share our good fortune with those of us who can't.
Next year I will do it better.

Wouldn't it be nice in this holiday season to hear some good stories from our friends on Fox2 News? The murders and the deaths and the tragedies go on and on, day in and day out and sometimes it is a chore to watch the news. How much can one person stand?
Don't you feel bad for the reporters? It almost sounds like a glamorous job working in the newsroom...but would you want to report on other people's heartache every day?
I suggest that the networks devote at least some time to good news. Remember a couple of weeks ago after the ice storm when all that was being reported was power outages and how the storm affected people? The good news was that there was very little bad news. Not very much talk about crimes and car wrecks and generally bad news.
It's the holiday season....tell me something to be happy about.