America and Business

 A day in America:

Today started off as a good cool day playing pickleball with some great friends and then a great lunch, but then it turned into a day from hell as can happen in America today!  I went to Walmart to purchase some grass seed to repair yard damage due to plumber issues.  I was unable to find that product due to the store only having large bags at a ridiculous price of a minimum of $50!  Stores seem to be out of what you want but have plenty of high-priced items.  Prices keep increasing every day. First it was supply chain issues, then after supply chain solved, they didn't lower prices they kept increasing prices!  Now it is tariff issues which have not taken place, but just in case they are increasing to cover an increase that hasn't happened yet!

I then went to Lowe's, but they didn't have any small bags of seed, just large, overpriced bags!  I then went to Home Depot which did have some small bags of seed, but unable to determine price due to UPC code and tag not matching. Small bags had very high prices which didn't match UPC codes so finally found a supervisor who was able to determine price, but didn't match upc code!  His reply was hard to get people to do the job right.  This seems to be a problem in business, finding people to work with the intelligence to do the job!  Maybe people need to be fired when not doing the job and supervisors need to inform managers to hire people who can read and count.  I then went to Kroger (where the CEO was recently fired for some reason not associated with the store overcharging customers) and I purchased two items (of course had to self-checkout) and the machine cheated me by one dollar after putting in exact coin change plus a five-dollar bill.  After those incidents I came home and thought about the state of American business and government.  We have a dysfunctional government, and it has rolled over to the business world!  We need all members of Congress to resign return all monies they have taken from the American public under false pretenses and get out of town!  Government and business in America are failing and we need to start over in this country!            

Flat Tax in America (My opinion)

 The American tax system is in serious need of change!  The Flat Tax system has worked for a number of countries.  It is time to alter the system in America so everyone and every business pays their fair share (no deductions for personal or business).  The time is now to end the process of allowing people to negotiate the amount of tax they pay!  Nobody should be allowed to not pay a percentage of their income.  Congress should get off their rear ends and make changes to create an equal situation.  The current system does not produce equal results.  A Flat Tax system with possible alterations at the bottom and top could work and produce better results for the country and citizens.  Contact your members of Congress and demand they make changes now! 

Charities Donations and Salaries of Management (My opinion)

 I have donated to various charities over the years and after seeing articles about questionable practices at a few I decided to look into different ones.  My search took me to CharityNavigator.org which has various information that you can review in order to make a better decision about which charity you send money.  During my review of numerous charities, I made a decision to reduce the number that I felt were qualified to receive my money.  There are charities with good purposes, but it seems most are just not using the donations for the purpose.  It appears they have turned into a money pot for management and their own self-enrichment.  I have 15 on my list that I will no longer make a donation due to the CEO or senior management individual receiving at least $200K.  That is 200 thousand dollars!  The range is $200K to just over $4,000,000.  That is 4 million dollars.  That one, as of 9-15-24, is the American Heart Association per information on charitynavigator.org.  Also, the ASPCA has about $3 million dollars going to the top 5 management with over $1 million to the CEO.  If you want to check your charity before you give money, then check that site.  I have requested numerous ones to remove my name and address from their mailing lists until they reduce salaries.  In my opinion charities are completely out of control and congress should consider some action, but that is unlikely with their income from taxpayers who have no say in their income.  Give to a local charity where you know that the money goes to the purpose! 

America Manipulated (My Opinion)

 America Stop Being Manipulated

Attention American citizens, stop allowing the media, business, and politicians to manipulate you and feed you incorrect information and utilize sociological means to get you to vote the way they want, buy what they want you to buy, watch what they want you to watch, and live your life their way!  Start investigating everything on your own and make your own decisions!  It is not that difficult so start being real human beings and live your life the way you prefer to live!  The media does this by ads convincing you to go to your doctor and ask for certain drugs that have serious side effects including death!  The media produces movies that try to manipulate your thinking so keep that in mind and just enjoy what you really enjoy.  Business does it by collecting data on your buying habits and other habits to manipulate your life in various ways.  Politicians don't have your best interest at heart or they would pass laws to protect you and see that government agencies like the FDA protect your food and don't allow drug companies to take advantage of you!  These are only a few things that just scratch the surface of how your life is being taken away from you!  Wake up and take control of life in general!!  Start by demanding Congress change their salaries and benefits and implement one term limits!  Salaries should not be more than the average salary in America and same with benefits!  If that amount increases then they can have an increase!  If they can't accomplish anything in one term then they don't deserve to be there in the first place.  Take money out of politics!  No more PAC funds.  People running for office would receive the same amount from a general fund and no more!  This would be a start, but it will take you, the people, to make it happen!  Vote them out of office and vote someone in who will do what you prefer or get together and run your own choice.  Demand change.

Drug Company Ads (My Opinion)

Drug companies are completely out of control and Congress and the appropriate agency should enforce truth in advertising!  Ads are rampant on tv with what would appear to be false and misleading statements and not providing in an obvious manner the dangers of drugs including death.  Why does the appropriate agency not enforce the law?  Example, one drug company states 99% of people over 50 have the virus to cause shingles.  Can they prove that fact?  Have them provide the numbers and facts to support that statement!  It would seem to be impossible for them to have tested 100% of people to prove 99% of people over 50 have the virus!  Do members of Congress own too much drug stock or is there another reason for this situation? Stop drug company ads on tv and let doctors determine if someone needs drugs and enforce laws if any corruption.  Also stop lawyers' ads on tv even though members of Congress would fight this since most are lawyers.  Also cut members of Congress salaries so equal to the average income in America and only increase when average income increases!    

US Media and Destruction of America (My opinion)

The media in the US seems to be the real enemy of America!  The media seems to be responsible for the majority of the issues in America by the ways they report events and the way they try to sway the America public.  The media will beat a story to death and keep repeating stories just to make dollars from ads.  They will pull stories from the past and rehash them on an anniversary date even though this will cause possible harm to victims and the public.  The public would be 1000% better off if the media in general would serve the public with just reporting the news in an unbiased manner.     

US Judicial System (MyOpinion)

The apparently corrupt judicial system in the US needs to be revamped from top to bottom!  Every day Americans see something go wrong with cases from local courts up to the high courts.  The US Congress needs to take the necessary steps to correct this situation in areas of requirements and corruption.  Write laws that can be enforced related to the qualifications of judges and reviews of their ability to perform the job in the necessary manner. 

US Border - Stop the Madness! (My Opinion)

It is past time for the United States to close the border in all locations.  Stop the madness!  Nobody should be allowed to enter the US by any means unless they have completed all necessary documentation and been approved for citizenship and understand and speak English.  There should not be any circumstances to allow any way around this requirement.   

U. S. House of Representatives

The chaos that erupted in the House June 21, 2023 is an example of how the Democrats act in a disgusting manner when they don't get their way.  Like a bunch of rowdy spoiled kids who need to be sent to their rooms!  The ultra-liberal Democrats cannot stand it when someone disagrees with their view.  They think they have a right to brow beat the rest of the people and make everyone agree to their point of view.  In this instance, the majority rules!

Remember Democrats, there is at least half, if not more than half, of the country that disagrees with you!

Also remember it is being proved that you have been living on lies for a number of years and it will bite you in the rear!

  

Government Spending & Politician's Donors

I just noticed an article where The U.S. Senate approved extending $14 billion in aid to Ukraine!

The situation there is outrageous, but $14 billion?  I am a U. S. citizen, and I could use some of the money our government passes out for a new house, a car, and living expenses in this difficult time in history!

I also saw where Donald Trump is asking for donors to buy him a new plane!  I would like one too!

Laws should be changed to prevent donors from giving politicians anything!!    

 

Waste in US Government

 The CAGW (Citizens Against Government Waste) reports on government waste related to pork-barrel spending by members of Congress. Each year this type of information makes the news in various formats. You have to wonder how government officials can read this information and continue to ignore calls from the public for reform in the way they handle money that actually belongs to the taxpayer. Have they become so lost in their lifestyle that their sense of responsibility has vanished? There are also reports that mention waste in various government agencies and departments. Employees utilizing credit cards for personal use or just plain ridiculous spending that should not be approved in any format seem to be rampant. Where is responsible management in these cases? Are there no controls in effect to monitor excess spending or rogue employees? There is so much that needs to be done in America and could be done with the wasted funds. Try balancing the budget and applying those funds to various worthwhile projects or healthcare. Maybe the President could make an effort at addressing this matter by appointing someone with the necessary vision and intelligence to a position with the authority to correct this situation. This could begin by eliminating a number of unnecessary positions within the inflated government. The President’s authority may be limited, but the public needs to demand action from Congress and the President along with voting those undesirable individuals out of office. There is so much that can be done to make this great country better and now is the time to move in that direction.

Social Security

The social security system is broken.  There can be simple changes such as raising the cap so the wealthy pay more into the American system that made them wealthy. This includes the political establishment making an income that dwarfs the average individual income in this country. Yes, they may complain, but the tremendous growth in the gap between the wealthy and the other class of people in this country demands that action be taken to correct the situation. The number of people in this country that will depend on that small income is growing at a rapid rate and will not decrease due to numerous problems in society today including the way the business world no longer takes an interest in employees and their future. Loyalty to and pride in the real individuals that make companies successful disappeared long ago and shows no indication of returning to the workplace. Then there is the corruption factor where benefits are being paid to individuals that have no right to those benefits. The time is now to address the numerous problems.

Coronavirus 2019/2020

The coronavirus is a nightmare for the world right now and has created a lot of fear. Below you will find links with info to review about protecting yourself if you haven't already seen too much about this virus.

https://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Coronavirus

https://patch.com/…/avoid-coronavirus-americans-over-60-sho…

https://www1.nyc.gov/…/health/health-topics/coronavirus.page

Remember wash hands after touching mail or money. If you are one of the people saying there is too much info then don't read it or wake up since it is a virus easily spread that has no cure at the present time.
The World Health Organization has officially given the coronavirus its English name, calling the disease - COVID-19. The name designation refers to COVI for the acronym of coronavirus, D for the word disease, and 19 for the year of the outbreak.
The WHO said it needed to find a name that “does not involve geographical location, animals, individuals or people, which should be easy to pronounce and associated with the disease” while also preventing inaccuracies and stigmatisms. The name COVID-19 could also be used as a standard format in any future outbreaks of the disease, the agency said.

Sarah Sanders

Sarah Sanders and her decision to step down as press secretary is her own decision and the liberal press should shut up and crawl in their hole and pull the dirt over them.  This administration has been dogged by the liberal press since the beginning and it is disgusting.
The liberal press seems to feel they have the right to conduct their own campaign to influence the public and force the public to vote the liberal way.  This is America and the press should publish the truth and nothing more!
The American public, I hope, has some form of intelligence to see through the press and make a decision based on the facts and not a slanted opinion.
I hope Sarah Sanders has a chance to obtain a position that pays her a great income and a chance to express her views and I hope the next press secretary shows the same spirit.

Laguna Beach police cars & American Flag

I noticed an article today about some people complaining about the new paint job on police cars in Laguna Beach, CA. The paint job includes the "American Flag". The individuals doing this complaining should pack up and leave or find some American spirit. This is America, if you don't like America then why are you in America. Notice to the Laguna Beach government, leave the paint as is or maybe even make it bigger!

Gillette (Procter & Gamble) "We Believe"

This is a big note to Gillette (Procter & Gamble) regarding the "We Believe" ad. I will not buy your products and call on all men to boycott your products. This is a ridiculous attack on all men and is disgusting! All men are not bad, not even a majority are bad. The #MeToo movement was totally out of control. Stop the attacks on men!

Alexa and your questions/commands.

Do you ever think about the questions or commands you use with Alexa or where that information goes or what happens to it? I recently thought about that when considering a purchase. I was surprised in a way what I learned. Of course you don't expect privacy today on the internet, but seems like you should have some privacy in this area. I found when you ask a question of Alexa or give a command it goes to the iCloud Amazon account and the answer or response goes back to you. The recording of the question or command stays at that location (in your file with your personal information) with all the other times you have asked a question of Alexa or given a command. You supposedly have the ability to access your account and delete that information, but of course it is already there and been used for marketing purposes by who knows who. Just a bit of information to consider regarding Alexa, Cortana, Google, or other assistants out there in iCloud land. Think about that next time you ask those questions or give instructions.

Protest

Recent protests in different methods are really individuals trying in their own way to express their opinion, but in my opinion the protesters need to step back and analyze their true purpose. I feel they have lost their way as to the meaning of what they want to accomplish. This should not be white against black because America is much more that that! There is more than color - wake up! There are certain protesters who just want to create a disturbance and that is what is causing the problem in America. Do not disrespect America just to protest!

Insurance, Drug, and Healthcare Cost.

The cost of insurance, prescription drugs and healthcare has reached a critical point for most Americans. There seems to be a never-ending increase in the pricing of all three. Senior citizens have to deal with the normal confusing Medicare coverage options and enrollment packages in an attempt to obtain what they hope will be a decent plan. Once a year they are bombarded with new plan information as the new enrollment period arrives. They receive notification that insurance monthly premiums are increasing. This amounts to billions of dollars for the insurance companies, drug companies, and healthcare providers along with increased costs for all citizens. This places a severe strain on the senior citizens who already struggle to meet their monthly budget, sometimes sacrificing food to buy the necessary prescription drugs. The costs of a visit to a doctor or dentist are outrageous and pray that you don’t have to visit a hospital. If you don’t have insurance, you don’t receive that insurance discount, when actually that is the time you need that discount. Healthcare cost in America is out of control! America is a very wealthy country and the government should take the necessary steps to assure that every citizen has affordable healthcare coverage. Every citizen should have nothing less than the coverage afforded to the members of Congress and federal employees, which is of course paid for by the citizens. This is an area where governmental action to some extent is necessary in order to provide the necessary and financially affordable coverage that every citizen deserves. Congress (all members) should deliver a well-defined plan and take the necessary steps to execute the plan in order to provide this service to the American people. Write your member of Congress and demand action on your behalf!

American Political Change Desired

The time has come, and some say passed, for the American public to demand change in Congress with how government operates. It is true all members of American society will not agree on most issues and this is reflected in the many close elections. The big problem would seem to be the elected officials and their inability to produce programs that satisfy everyone by utilizing the ability to compromise. These self-serving politicians really need to show some form of intelligence and produce programs, such as healthcare and insurance oversight, which satisfy the majority and don’t lean to extremes on either side. Try taking lobbyists and money out of the equation! Is this possible? The healthcare industry, the drug industry, and politicians are all out of control. The American public should clean out Congress and start over with a new mandate that actually has the interest and protection of the public as a primary objective. Congress, state government, and local government fail when it comes to actually representing the average citizen. Government salaries and pensions seem to be their main concern. Wake up America, register to vote if you are not registered and vote for someone to make changes.