Does Donating to Charities Make You Think Twice?

Giving to charities over the years, I'd like to think my contributions went to good use. This is the whole point of giving; to lend a helping hand to those in need. 

It came to my attention that the charity 'March of Dimes', a non-profit organization that helps to prevent birth defects and infant mortality, was caught in a theft scandal wherein top company officials took donated funds and used it leisurely. Hearing this news amplified my suspicions of certain charities. 

Did you hear about the fifty billion dollar ponzi scheme ran by New York broker, Bernard Madoff? 

Allegedly, wealthy individuals invested their funds (some of them their whole life savings) into foundations and charities entrusted into the hands of Mr. Madoff, and as a result many charities fell victim to the robbery. 

A few of Madoffs' victims were: The Wiesel Foundation and L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, and French investor Thierry de la Villehuchet who committed suicide after learning he lost $1.4 billion dollars in Madoff's scandal.

Although Mr. Madoff was convicted of fraud fortunately for him he happened to have ten million dollars available to bail himself out of jail, and is being confined to his seven million dollar home until his trial. 

Will Madoff be acquitted of all charges just like the investors in the Enron scandal? Let's not forget that two-thirds of the senate and 40 percent of the House benefited from Enron money, some of which is now being returned by embarrassed lawmakers from both parties.

So again, how can we trust that our donations to charities will be used in the proper way when corrupt officials hide behind the organizations? 

Maybe there should be a federal stamp of approval once a year, that charitable organizations have been regulated and audited?

The presidential election of Barack Obama has woken up sleeping giants and forced people to pay attention to politics, and even closer attention to how taxpayer dollars are being spent. The political arena will never be the same again. 

The Things That Make you Go Hmmmmm...

2008 LA

Does Atlanta's Unpaid Water Bills Show Favoritism?

When everyone is told to conserve water does it only pertain to a certain group of people? 

In local Georgia news, talks of unpaid water bills as well as the importance of water conservation has Georgia residents on edge due to Lake Lanier, being at its lowest water levels in the past two years. As a result of the latest drought, residents are often told to take heed to the consumption of large amounts of H2O. Southerners began to watch their water levels and as a result, the company's revenue drastically decreased which prompted them to raise water usage rates. 

The rate increase troubled most civilians because they were told that it'd be best to to conserve, and after finding out that high rise condos and corporate buildings in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, have outstanding unpaid water bills with some amounting to $1.5 million; it definitely left a bad taste in people's mouths.

The mayor of Atlanta commented that "The bills would be paid as soon as possible." 

Fortunately for these corporations they weren't subjected to having their service cut-off even though they owe ridiculous amounts of money. Furthermore, Atlanta's two biggest homeless shelters are now claiming to have unpaid water bills as well, but unlike the high rise condos and corporate offices these homeless shelter's were cut-off from the water supply. 

Morris Brown, a historically Black college in Atlanta will soon close their doors due too an unpaid water bill which cut-off their water supply -- leaving a non-functioning establishment.

Why is it okay for schools to close down but not corporations? Especially when their bills far exceed any amount owed by any one individual and/or homeless shelter?

This is corruption in one of the worst ways; this matter should be investigated immediately.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

2008 LA

Is the Welfare System Designed to Keep You Poor?

Reading and processing the book 'The Audacity of Hope' written by President-elect Obama, and understanding what his plans are for the country and for single mothers in particular; it caused me to take a serious look at America's welfare system. 

Growing up, all I knew about welfare was that it came with some sort of secret code language and shame if one were ever seen in public using it. As a child I'd hear both kids and adults, speak badly about those that needed government assistance. 

In grocery stores when I'd see people paying with food stamps which looked like foreign paper bills, it was pulled out discreetly so that others standing in line couldn't see. But in retrospect, acting secretive about something only makes people focus in on what one is doing. And it was because of these secretive actions that made me think being on welfare was a horrible thing.

Becoming older and wiser helped me to comprehend that the welfare system was designed to help those in need until assistance is no longer needed; specifically for single mothers. And speaking one-on-one with single mothers about their living conditions, what I discovered was that the dollar amount of what they individually received wasn't enough to feed their children. 

Five hundred and sixty dollars a month for one mother with 3 children; five dollars per day, per kid. It was appalling to hear these stories because what child can survive off of five dollars a day? What kind of nutritious foods can one afford with five dollars?

There's a rule that men aren't allowed to reside within the home while the female is on public assistance, and if the woman is caught with a man in the home the checks stop coming. Welfare authorities even make random calls to the residence just to see if a male is present. 

Maybe the welfare agency should revamp its programs and assist people with out-of-poverty knowledge as well as funds, because living paycheck to paycheck never solves a money problem and in fact one will almost be guaranteed to fall short somewhere. 

Can you imagine how tough it must be for a parent to look their child in the eyes, while telling them that there isn't any food in the house until the end of the month?

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

2008 LA

What Can You Say About Your Life Experiences?

Have you ever had an epiphany that made you see things so much more clearer?

It would seem that the more knowledge one acquires, the  more self-awareness one receives. You finally understand where you came from, and have a better direction of where you're going. 

When you get going you'll encounter indifference's in the world, which in turn can cause you to question, think deeply, while searching for solutions. Finding solutions can turn into your life's work ultimately propelling you into the catastrophic waves of good verses evil.

Through this profound and enlightening discovery your eyes are widened, your thirst for knowledge intensifies, therefore stretching you into new heights and plateaus that some will mock due to ignorance. 

Then faith steps in -- continuously elevating you to new and amazing horizons, allowing you to excel regardless of the mockeries.

You become stronger, wiser, and will even still educate and love those who in the beginning doubted you.

Just thoughts from my life experiences.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

©2008 LA

A New Way Of Getting Paid?

Viewing a website which displayed the salary of coach Pat Summit, as a women's basketball coach for the University of Tennessee; I wanted to share it with you because it was quite interesting.

Coach Summit makes over a million dollars a year. 

She does this by receiving her base pay of over 300 thousand dollars, as well as TV/radio gigs and many endorsements. 

Coach Summit's bonuses:

1. 10 thousand for a Graduation Success Rate of 80 percent.

2. 15 thousand for cumulative team GPA of 2.75 or higher per academic year; 25 thousand for team APR of .925 or better.

3. 25 thousand for being named SEC Coach of the Year.

4. 50 thousand for national coach of the year.

5. 75 thousand for SEC regular-season or tournament championship.

6. 100 thousand for a Final Four appearance.

7. 250 thousand for winning a national championship.

Right now you might be thinking, "well damn, can I get paid like that?" 

Exactly! That's what I thought too. It would seem that coaches, athletes, and entertainers, are paid handsomely for their basic jobs and for each individual duty!

If you worked in a retail store as a cashier, you know that being a cashier isn't your only duty. You'd also have to be the rack fixer, box stocker, dressing room cleaner, and even add new displays in the window -- all for the same minimum wage amount. Working in a retail store you'll probably make between 5-7 dollars an hour tops. 

Wouldn't it be great if Coach Summits' pay scale could apply to everyone? 

This way the employee feels appreciated by the retail store, and can actually make a living wage. When people are not paid well it turns them off from the job, but if incentives are factored in there is a whole new outlook. Employers should adapt the method of quality pay for quality work. Instead, employers would rather hire the cheapest labor to save themselves more money. However, if employers adopted this kind of pay scale they'd have happier, faithful, and loyal employees. 

Why is this pay scale good enough for the rich, but not good enough for regular working folks?

The things that make you go hmmmmm...

2008 LA

Homeless and Forgotten

While contemplating one of the country's biggest issues of homelessness I realized something. 

The government claims there isn't enough money to help homeless people so churches, non-profits, and other small organizations usually deal with the homeless issue at hand. They do this by providing house supplies, food, clothes, and even shelter.

How ass backwards is the government for giving away hundred's of thousand's of dollars in free products to wealthy people that can afford it? 

Every now and again shows on TV will publicly display expensive goodies given away to a wealthy select few; like a fashion designer creating clothes that only the rich can afford. But wouldn't it make sense to develop products that all people can afford, that way no one is left out? The product prices are bragged about on camera and it leaves me asking the question, "why can America afford to give free money and products to the rich and famous, but not the homeless and forgotten?" 

A White House Representative commented that our government uses 81 million dollars of taxpayer revenue to fund Hollywood. So the American taxpayers are picking up the tabs for the wealthiest Americans! 

Senator John McCain's campaign has been based on "freezing funds" for the middle class, but regarding wealthy individuals receiving free goods - - maybe this is where Senator McCain should consider using his "freezing" method. If the government cuts back on giving so much money to the rich, then it can go to the people who are really in need. The funds can also develop new programs geared towards getting the homeless back on their feet and becoming productive citizens of society.

Where is the government's priorities if it isn't focused on helping one another for the greater good?  

When will government realize that the same American people who hold this country together, are the same people they're beating up on? 

A good example of this? 

When FEMA withheld 85 million dollars of domestic supplies from Hurricane Katrina victims over the course of 2 years, and then gave the products away for free to other organizations that didn't even need them! Now you tell me that there isn't anything wrong with our government's priorities.

The things that make you go hmmmmm...

2008 LA

The Story Behind the "Brown" Penny?

While at home watching the Lakers play the Celtics, I have a packet of history notes and a dictionary in front of me.

I stumble across a quote by our 16th President Abraham Lincoln that read,  
"Wise statesmen...established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity should look up at the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began..." ~Abraham Lincoln~

In my head I attribute the latter to mean that some wise guys made up a certain law, which is shared amongst a select few, and decided that that law would be carried out by man or hidden entities who only have regard for one's own benefit or advantage; self-interest. 

And that future generations should read the Declaration of Independence, and be courageous in renewing the battle for equality as he himself had to do.

After this my mind went to the coins we carry in our pockets, and how only one was an anomaly. Abraham Lincoln, is the only president that has a colored coin. 

Surprisingly, the color is brown/bronze and the coin is a penny; the lowest denomination. I thought to myself why is

this? Then I remembered that Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery; emancipating all slaves in the South in which many white Southerners weren't happy about losing their free labor and as a result, Lincoln was assassinated.

Lincoln's presidency had to be documented but it would seem that a wise guy purposely made Lincoln's coin brown, as a way of calling him a "n***** lover?" 

During slavery if a white person defended a black person...that's what they were branded as. Was the brown coin a way of denoucing Lincoln?  
 
If you look closely Lincoln's face also glances to the right (for Republican), while the others look to the left (for Democrats, oh I'm sorry, Dixiecrats). Were they trying to call Lincoln a trader?

Think about it why does the penny have to be brown? Why can't it be silver like the others?

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

2008 LA

American Hospital Gives Japanese Mobsters Liver Transplants

Imagine you or your loved one are in need of a liver transplant, and you both were admitted to the best hospital to have the surgery done. 

You're law abiding American citizens who are in desperate need of this medical assistance; it's a life or death situation. 

Now imagine the hospital you're admitted to refuses to do the surgery and instead, opts to do the transplant on four other people who are also in need of a liver. But what if the chosen ones weren't even law abiding citizens; what if they were Japanese mobsters? Are you confused?

If you're puzzled, is it because the latter seems to far-fetched too imagine?

Understandable, but this really did happen at UCLA (University of California in Los Angeles) where certain hospital specialists decided it was more important to give four Japanese mobsters liver transplants, while American citizens stood by dying due to the lack thereof.

Was somebody owed a favor?  

Or did somebody have "dirt" on another person and in order for the dirt to stay dirty, certain strings had to be pulled? I'm all for helping those in need but when an American hospital, doesn't help their American people, I say an investigation should be conducted.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

2008 LA

Rachal Ray a Terrorist?

TV talk show host and cook Rachael Ray had a commercial pulled off of the air and the Internet, due to a scarf she wore around her neck that some felt resembled a scarf worn by terrorists! Wow. Who was the big boss with the brains that made this discovery?

Do you think Rachael Ray is a terrorist?

It's RACHAEL RAY! But then again there are folks who assume Senator Obama is a Muslim and possible terrorist, so I guess anyone can be labeled these days?

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

2008 LA