Monday, December 31, 2012
Our Do Nothing ongress
Our "Do Nothing Congress" is a disgrace,and in my opinion has committed treason.There are many of us that are seriously thinking of not paying our taxes this year.I have all but closed my checking/savings accounts,sold all my personal stock,and no longer trust Congress,Bankers,Wall Street,or CEO's.I am tired of side-show issues like abortion,religiosity,and gun control being used as an excuse to hide personal political agendas.I am sick-to-death of the Tea Party antics to cripple our country.They have been responsible for alienating the American people,while making side deals with other countries.Grover Norquist is the embodiment of the anti-Christ,if you believe in such Bible tales.I'd like to see all of Congress in tents along the Potomac until they actually work out a deal.I have wondered why I see empty seats with few if any Congressmen in them?History has shown us time and again of great empires failing because the leadership ignored their people. We now have more debt per person in the U.S. than Greece.I do not blame our President, I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Congress and their Wall Street, and other financial global cronies.They are self-indulgent,greedy opportunists that would have been shot or hung along with John Brown, convicted of treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1859 and executed for attempting to organize armed resistance to slavery.Congress at the very least has committed treason in the form of economic slavery against the American People.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Being Kind to Animals AND Our Homeless
We need to do this for the new
We need to do this for the homeless,not just animals. Over the Holidays several of us "adopted" ten homeless and their children and put them up in a hotel over Christmas.We provided meals paid in advance to either be delivered or could be obtained from a close restaurant.Toiletries were provided, and wash was accepted by another vendor at a very reasonable rate, so they could leave with clean clothes, and accoutrements.Many were staying in cars,tents around town, or in shelters when there was room.It freed up the bed space in the shelters to take more people during these rainy/cold snaps called our" Florida Winter". Foreclosed properties,barns in rural areas,and abandoned city buildings have been used for shelter.
I didn't know there were more people around the city that thought as I do.We are working out of our own pockets for the sake of humanity.What I didn't expect to hear was how the churches about town had refused each one of these people more than once for help.Sometimes area hospitals,and private clinics were sheltering people but that was against policy.We found several doctors that would treat without charges and keep this a private matter.Many were sick children,and the chronically ill with diseases like asthma,rheumatoid arthritis,and of course HIV and Aids.If you've been to jail then you've probably got Aids. A nasty thing infected inmates like to do is spit in food.Nice,huh?
One of the many problems these destitute people face with homeless shelters is that help comes with a price.I won't bad-mouth.or recommend because of potential litigation.In order to get a piece of bread you must do something in return.It could be work,praise the Lord of a particular cult of religious beliefs and rituals,or recruit others.Many prefer panhandling,or the black market trades to selling themselves for any reason.That's quite different from our CEO's,Bankers,and Wall Street.That's a whole lot of difference in our Congress.It seems the homeless have more to teach us than those with pockets full of money.Kindness matters is a cliche',but the truth.Kindness is a virtue that cannot be taught,memorized, duplicated or sold.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
WE ARE THE PROBLEM
It's not guns that are the problem, it's our culture. Knives,cars,pills,gasoline,fists etc.etc.etc. can all be used to kill,maim,and damage.
I see our sickness as a society from not taking the responsibility for our actions. We are not looking out for one another,or noticing what is in plain sight.
We don't want to "snitch" on a friend that shoplifts,or a thug that hurts, a bully, or abuser. Our excuse,"It will be dealt with in the afterlife."
Or,"They'll get theirs soon," and just when will that be?
We have freedom of choice,and responsibility for our acts.There is no "Get out of jail free card" in our society.You would think in a nation of "godnicks" and more than 4,200 religions world wide[http://www.slideshare.net/ochoa1jf/world-religions-8378347]we wouldn't be reading about children being shot,and mass global genocide[http://www.cfr.org/humanitarian-intervention/intervention-stop-genocide-mass-atrocities/p20379].
The Newtown,Connecticut shootings has put mental illness in the face of the public once again.Animal abuse is one of the indicators of mental illness.Years ago we emptied our archaic mental institutions and put the mentally ill on the street to fend for themselves.Parents have home-schooled their troubled children to shelter them, but this is a risky road[http://blog.helpforparents.com/2010/04/homeschooling-troubled-teens.html].The case can be made that home-schooling hides, doesn't help the Adam Lanza's of the world.No parent can provide what a team of educated professionals can provide for sick children.It's time we all grew up and realized that it takes all of to raise our children.As our President Obama said," "We know we can't do this by ourselves. It comes as a shock ... when you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can't do it by yourself."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/16/167404413/president-obama-joins-newtown-in-memorializing-a-schools-students-and-staff
We have laws up the "yin-yang", but they do no good without each of us playing our part.We are all responsible for abandoned & abused pets,children,mentally ill,poor, and victims world-wide.
So what have you done lately to make a difference?
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I see our sickness as a society from not taking the responsibility for our actions. We are not looking out for one another,or noticing what is in plain sight.
We don't want to "snitch" on a friend that shoplifts,or a thug that hurts, a bully, or abuser. Our excuse,"It will be dealt with in the afterlife."
Or,"They'll get theirs soon," and just when will that be?
We have freedom of choice,and responsibility for our acts.There is no "Get out of jail free card" in our society.You would think in a nation of "godnicks" and more than 4,200 religions world wide[http://www.slideshare.net/ochoa1jf/world-religions-8378347]we wouldn't be reading about children being shot,and mass global genocide[http://www.cfr.org/humanitarian-intervention/intervention-stop-genocide-mass-atrocities/p20379].
The Newtown,Connecticut shootings has put mental illness in the face of the public once again.Animal abuse is one of the indicators of mental illness.Years ago we emptied our archaic mental institutions and put the mentally ill on the street to fend for themselves.Parents have home-schooled their troubled children to shelter them, but this is a risky road[http://blog.helpforparents.com/2010/04/homeschooling-troubled-teens.html].The case can be made that home-schooling hides, doesn't help the Adam Lanza's of the world.No parent can provide what a team of educated professionals can provide for sick children.It's time we all grew up and realized that it takes all of to raise our children.As our President Obama said," "We know we can't do this by ourselves. It comes as a shock ... when you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can't do it by yourself."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/16/167404413/president-obama-joins-newtown-in-memorializing-a-schools-students-and-staff
We have laws up the "yin-yang", but they do no good without each of us playing our part.We are all responsible for abandoned & abused pets,children,mentally ill,poor, and victims world-wide.
So what have you done lately to make a difference?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Open Letter to a BBB Case
I am publicly posting this response to hopefully convince you to stand up to any corporation that treats you unfairly. Financial institutions continue to lay off workers,Citigroup just laid off 11,000 yesterday, and make unwarranted claims for your money.The nation's beef producers are unable to feed livestock so in order to survive ranchers are selling off their livestock. Food and water will be the "gold standard" in the upcoming years. The leverage the financial sector possess is that our culture has turned into a credit card Ponzi Scheme. We demand what we want when we want it.If you don't have the cash to purchase something do not buy it.That will stop this hemorrhage that is threatening to bankrupt all of us.We are already paying for the blunders of others.The corrupt housing market in Florida has caused our real estate taxes to rise while our property values decline.Our city leaders,CEO's, and others continue to take bonus money for jobs hardly done, while others turn a blind eye and ear to those of us in need. We have turned into a nation of thieves while pretending to believe in righteousness, and goodness.All we have to do is watch our dysfunctional Congress in order to understand how far into Hell we have sunk.
Dear BBB:
I received a rather shocking letter with hand- scribbles,blacked out portions,dated after the process began in June,not September, and magic marker legends from Nicholas Martin,Client Relations at BBVA Compass.It was nothing I would have sent to a customer,and showed immature,unprofessional,and inaccurate findings from an inexperienced employee.I run three businesses and never would have sent this packet out to any customer.
One day prior to this communication, I received a statement of account billing with a ten dollar charge for past due charges on a check that BBVA Compass had written back to me, as described in my first letter to the BBB.Therefore, without my consent, or knowledge an account still exists. It is preposterous that an account closed in June is still causing this problem.
I did notice Clear showed up on the scribbled documents Nicholas Martin sent to me. That account has been closed for some time, and two of my computers were hacked by Clear. I was forced to destroy both and cancel my Vystar Credit Cards, where Clear charges showed up as well. This maybe the common denominator in BBVA's problem in reconciling my account. I received the apology from Clear after many demands by them as well.
This type of unauthorized activity has forced me to stop using bankcards. I have no problem with individual vendor cards, just bank cards.
I cancelled all accounts with BBVA Compass Bank because of predatory lending practices, and unnecessary superfluous ATM charges, etc. on customers that could least afford them. I am even more convinced now that this was a necessary move.I believe BBVA Compass is a dishonest institution that has become too large.
I have never paid late, or not paid off the entire amount on a credit card,bounced a check or any other disreputable act to bilk money from BBVA Compass Bank, or any other institution.If I owed them money I would pay it.I do not owe them any money. I resent the implications they've made against my honor and reputation.
Since this problem has been made well-known by me, and others, I want to say that the technology is there to prohibit this from happening. Banks have refused to spend the money to update and protect their systems. They continue to harass,inflame, and use good customers as fodder to pay for their misdealing,poor investing, and habitual lying to their own customers and the SEC.
I strongly believe computers and finance do not mix. It is very simple to defraud by computers.
Sincerely,
Renee Soforenko
December 4, 2012
Dear BBB:
I received a rather shocking letter with hand- scribbles,blacked out portions,dated after the process began in June,not September, and magic marker legends from Nicholas Martin,Client Relations at BBVA Compass.It was nothing I would have sent to a customer,and showed immature,unprofessional,and inaccurate findings from an inexperienced employee.I run three businesses and never would have sent this packet out to any customer.
One day prior to this communication, I received a statement of account billing with a ten dollar charge for past due charges on a check that BBVA Compass had written back to me, as described in my first letter to the BBB.Therefore, without my consent, or knowledge an account still exists. It is preposterous that an account closed in June is still causing this problem.
I did notice Clear showed up on the scribbled documents Nicholas Martin sent to me. That account has been closed for some time, and two of my computers were hacked by Clear. I was forced to destroy both and cancel my Vystar Credit Cards, where Clear charges showed up as well. This maybe the common denominator in BBVA's problem in reconciling my account. I received the apology from Clear after many demands by them as well.
This type of unauthorized activity has forced me to stop using bankcards. I have no problem with individual vendor cards, just bank cards.
I cancelled all accounts with BBVA Compass Bank because of predatory lending practices, and unnecessary superfluous ATM charges, etc. on customers that could least afford them. I am even more convinced now that this was a necessary move.I believe BBVA Compass is a dishonest institution that has become too large.
I have never paid late, or not paid off the entire amount on a credit card,bounced a check or any other disreputable act to bilk money from BBVA Compass Bank, or any other institution.If I owed them money I would pay it.I do not owe them any money. I resent the implications they've made against my honor and reputation.
Since this problem has been made well-known by me, and others, I want to say that the technology is there to prohibit this from happening. Banks have refused to spend the money to update and protect their systems. They continue to harass,inflame, and use good customers as fodder to pay for their misdealing,poor investing, and habitual lying to their own customers and the SEC.
I strongly believe computers and finance do not mix. It is very simple to defraud by computers.
Sincerely,
Renee Soforenko
December 4, 2012
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Sunday, December 2, 2012
Lack of Vision and Leadership in Jacksonville,Florida
I was downtown last week to pay real estate taxes, so I went on a short,and rare curiosity drive to see all the new improvements I've been reading about lately.Namely the new courthouse,new small eateries, new businesses,anything that was "new". What I saw was depressing,embarrassing, and disappointing.
The courthouse is a monstrosity that is prohibitive for handicapped people to even get to. I hope I don't ever have to actually go there.I couldn't find a parking place to even walk over and go inside to take a look.
Hemming Park was a frightening place with desperate looking people. Weathered faces slept on park benches, while others used the trees and plants as toilets.Groups of people in ragged clothes circled up to chat,smoke,and look at minority women as they passed and continuously circled the park.Two young men played checkers,and two older men read under trees.Many talked on cell phones,and a few rationalized with thin air as their arms sliced through the void in attempts to get their points across to the "air monkeys". Many spoke aloud in strange voices.
There are other cities that look like this but they are either dying or have died long ago. Having traveled, lived abroad, and been to every state in our Union, I've always decided to stay in places with a vibrant downtown,innovative social atmosphere, and progressive political agenda for city growth. I was born and raised in Jacksonville,but don't encourage people to move here.Much of my family, and most of my friends live in other places.I always have hoped Jacksonville would grow up and become as vibrant as it was in the 1920's.
http://floridahistory.org/landboom.htm
Post Civil War, and post WWII Jacksonville was also prosperous times
http://www.vernonjohns.org/nonracists/jxpstciv.html
http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Jacksonville%20from%201945%20through%201975.htm
We seem to be treading water just enough to breathe,but not swim out of the muck to make lasting contributions that benefit, and contribute to growth with prosperity.Our leadership has no vision like Flagler,Rockefeller,Stowe, and Vanderbilt.
http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Jacksonville%20from%201945%20through%201975.htm
History has a pattern that explains both what does and doesn't work.The last election drove home the fact,like it or not, that our country has changed,but it has always been in a constant state of change. Life is change. What Jacksonville has not done is to wrap progress and change together. I hate watching these failures,when it would be so easy to make Jacksonville prosperous again.
The courthouse is a monstrosity that is prohibitive for handicapped people to even get to. I hope I don't ever have to actually go there.I couldn't find a parking place to even walk over and go inside to take a look.
Hemming Park was a frightening place with desperate looking people. Weathered faces slept on park benches, while others used the trees and plants as toilets.Groups of people in ragged clothes circled up to chat,smoke,and look at minority women as they passed and continuously circled the park.Two young men played checkers,and two older men read under trees.Many talked on cell phones,and a few rationalized with thin air as their arms sliced through the void in attempts to get their points across to the "air monkeys". Many spoke aloud in strange voices.
There are other cities that look like this but they are either dying or have died long ago. Having traveled, lived abroad, and been to every state in our Union, I've always decided to stay in places with a vibrant downtown,innovative social atmosphere, and progressive political agenda for city growth. I was born and raised in Jacksonville,but don't encourage people to move here.Much of my family, and most of my friends live in other places.I always have hoped Jacksonville would grow up and become as vibrant as it was in the 1920's.
http://floridahistory.org/landboom.htm
Post Civil War, and post WWII Jacksonville was also prosperous times
http://www.vernonjohns.org/nonracists/jxpstciv.html
http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Jacksonville%20from%201945%20through%201975.htm
We seem to be treading water just enough to breathe,but not swim out of the muck to make lasting contributions that benefit, and contribute to growth with prosperity.Our leadership has no vision like Flagler,Rockefeller,Stowe, and Vanderbilt.
http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Jacksonville%20from%201945%20through%201975.htm
History has a pattern that explains both what does and doesn't work.The last election drove home the fact,like it or not, that our country has changed,but it has always been in a constant state of change. Life is change. What Jacksonville has not done is to wrap progress and change together. I hate watching these failures,when it would be so easy to make Jacksonville prosperous again.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Health Care in Florida
Anything, or body that our governor endorses I'm against. He's been the worst Florida governor I've seen so far. He's an elusive,vindictive, money grabbing chump(or chimp).
He's already made it very clear Obama Care will not be run by the government,but he will design our health care system.He's in the business of health care, so either way the election went he was a winner.I see a major flaw in Obama Care as one of leaving the decision to each state as to how they will participate. This was a demand by Republicans in order to pass Obama Care. This could make, for instance, health care in Florida different from health care in Wyoming, or California, or New York.
The good news is nothing is etched in stone and we are indeed moving forward in health care reform.We will have competition,depending on the governor,with insurance companies.I think when the dust settles, and as more states adopt plans problems will eventually iron themselves out.Here are some of the talking points about the Affordable Care Act:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/11/19/what-states-should-build-ins...
People hate change, and I'll admit I'm one of them.It's brain-work to figure out whether or not you personally will benefit from leadership choices.The biggest problem for me is to see what our governor proposes as Florida's course of action in Affordable Health Care.Scott's adoption of a plan will affect his re-election, and everyone else's re-election in our state.The legislature has the enormous job of letting the feds know whether we will have our own plan,let the government run it, or be in a partnership with the government.There are deadlines to meet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/health-insurance-exchange-deadl...
I think I hate being in limbo worse than change.As a business person I have always taken care of my employees.They had and will continue to have health care.In this economy I will not raise my prices,but will take less money from my own businesses to live on.I have enough and believe employees must be paid a living wage.I don't worry about payroll tax increases, or any other revenues.It is what it is in order for me to live lawfully, and fairly in the United States.I believe in the "Pay It Forward" method, as does Warren Buffet,Wayne and Dolores Weaver,Bill and Melinda Gates etc.
I think business owners like Papa John's that are cutting hours for workers to avoid doing the right thing, by offering affordable health care for their employees, are pigs,prigs,and snobs.They deserve as bad as they give
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-11-21/story/politijax-new-look-florida-legislature-takes-over#ixzz2Crj9YV1D
He's already made it very clear Obama Care will not be run by the government,but he will design our health care system.He's in the business of health care, so either way the election went he was a winner.I see a major flaw in Obama Care as one of leaving the decision to each state as to how they will participate. This was a demand by Republicans in order to pass Obama Care. This could make, for instance, health care in Florida different from health care in Wyoming, or California, or New York.
The good news is nothing is etched in stone and we are indeed moving forward in health care reform.We will have competition,depending on the governor,with insurance companies.I think when the dust settles, and as more states adopt plans problems will eventually iron themselves out.Here are some of the talking points about the Affordable Care Act:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/11/19/what-states-should-build-ins...
People hate change, and I'll admit I'm one of them.It's brain-work to figure out whether or not you personally will benefit from leadership choices.The biggest problem for me is to see what our governor proposes as Florida's course of action in Affordable Health Care.Scott's adoption of a plan will affect his re-election, and everyone else's re-election in our state.The legislature has the enormous job of letting the feds know whether we will have our own plan,let the government run it, or be in a partnership with the government.There are deadlines to meet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/health-insurance-exchange-deadl...
I think I hate being in limbo worse than change.As a business person I have always taken care of my employees.They had and will continue to have health care.In this economy I will not raise my prices,but will take less money from my own businesses to live on.I have enough and believe employees must be paid a living wage.I don't worry about payroll tax increases, or any other revenues.It is what it is in order for me to live lawfully, and fairly in the United States.I believe in the "Pay It Forward" method, as does Warren Buffet,Wayne and Dolores Weaver,Bill and Melinda Gates etc.
I think business owners like Papa John's that are cutting hours for workers to avoid doing the right thing, by offering affordable health care for their employees, are pigs,prigs,and snobs.They deserve as bad as they give
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-11-21/story/politijax-new-look-florida-legislature-takes-over#ixzz2Crj9YV1D
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
OBAMA WINS,AND THE HARPY DIES
I am delighted my man won a new
I am delighted my man won a second term,and can finish what he began four years ago. He took over a hand from a greedy,polarizing,isolationist,obtuse,regime of eight years that has sent us into second place worldwide.I was honored to be a part of a group that elected a president that superseded racism,religious agendas,and other bigotries. Suzanne Jenkins LOST her bid for School Board.How anybody could elect, and support an uneducated house of bluster is beyond me.Her so-called business was not even licensed.But boy she had her some religion.We need to check backgrounds before just anybody can run for office. District 3 was a wake-up call on just how we need to be careful at the grassroots level to scrutinize who is allowed to run.There are still fools out there that think Obama wasn't born in Hawaii.Yet we let a mean,uneducated,party changing,bullying,sue-happy-harpy that is unable to balance her own checkbook run for a precious office like the School Board.I'll take brains over bluster any old time.I don't think she could pass an FCAT if her life depended on it!
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-11-07/story/ap-analysis-barack-obama-wins-washington-still-unchanged#comment-668142#ixzz2BXetwKF1
Friday, November 2, 2012
Comments on Jax.com
Mark my words and circle the
Mark my words and circle the date;if we have Republicans in the Whitehouse we will be in another war(possibly the last because it will be nuclear),and another devastating depression.I'm re-newing my passport and liquidating all assets before the end of the year if Romney gets into office.That includes closing three businesses,and all bank accounts.I want a simplier life in a place that accepts all people as equal, and all beliefs as relevant.I could care less about the Christian Taliban as long as they leave me alone.I could care less about Republicans as long as they leave me alone.I accept all skin colors as equal, it's brains that are the problem.Our foreign policy has succeeded because Obama stepped out of the isolationalist period elite Bush put us into.China and Russia zoomed past us while Bain Capital,and Enron(now bankrupt)gobeled and sucked the life out of America.120,000 families have profited in the United States.All Republicans.This isn't a party remotely like your father's GOP.It's a hedonistic,self-serving,group made up by Grover Norquist followers that are as dangerous as Terry Jones.We don't need more drilling we need alternative energy that doesn't rape the planet.We have enough reserves and drilling going on all over the USA and offshore.Two nuclear plants had problems during hurricane Sandy.As global warming changes so must our infrastucture.
It's very simple.Average
It's very simple.Average people cannot compete with corporations.The middle class business owners have made as much as the working class here can sustain.Corporations cannot afford at the top to hire Americans if they are forced to pay a living wage.CEO's have their butts more than covered.Republicans systematically convinced us that unions were blood suckers.So smart business leaders,and savvy investors move corporations overseas.I'm going to have to follow them because I like my current lifestyle.They also invest and live overseas. Here's just a smattering of people that have done just what I'm going to have to do.Not on that level,but the writing is on the wall.That wall is now overseas.
http://www.overseaspropertymall.com/regions/middle-east-property/uae-pro...
A graduate needs one graduation present. A ticket to where the money is.The definition of insanity,it is said,is doing the same thing over and over and somehow expecting a different result.That's a close quote of Albert Einstein.
http://www.brainyquote.com/words/in/insanity179043.html
Corporations are protected from taxes if they are overseas.
By the way, I don't care what Al Gore thinks.If you use a reference that is caa-caa give me the link for reference.I don't follow "the Gore".
Sometimes I think voters need
Sometimes I think voters need a minimal I.Q. to vote or run for office. Vote "No" on all amendments.All of them are for special interests whether it's religious,governmental,or regulatory.Each will cause problems by interfering with belief systems,taxes,income,and will produce additional government regulation.We don't need more of anything that further restricts, or benefits select groups.Amendment 3 is one of the harder amendments to understand.
http://www.examiner.com/article/quick-guide-to-the-2012-florida-amendmen...
Colorado's similar amendment,TABOR, has decimated education,Medicaid,law enforcement,teacher salaries,and shut down city governments. It's a very Republican backed amendment that calculates taxes paid with caps that automatically rise with inflation.This has further burdened the middle class,small business owners,and has targeted minorities through the demolishing of public services,healthcare for women,and tuition hikes without voter approval just to name a few problems.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/tabor-146547-education-taxpayer.html
I have seen a huge impact of
I have seen a huge impact of deepening the river on my home on the river. My bulkhead fractured,and I've lost land along the water.I lost my dock and gazebo during the hurricanes so the bulkheads along the river already needed repair because they were compromised during the storms.The cost for these repairs are insane and I'm at a stage of life where I won't sink large amounts of money into anything I can live without.As older neighborhoods face this problem and are unable to make repairs to code the properties will lose value and in turn the city will lose more revenue.The city constantly bets on things then puts them in motion before there is real research done. Hiring a hotshot firm doesn't guarantee a project is the correct match for Jacksonville.
Years ago, without the any experience in the rental business, I turned an entire apartment complex from red-ink to working in the black within six months.The owner was delighted,surprised, and couldn't believe he was now making money.It was easy,took common sense, and lots of concentration on learning apartment law,what regulations were in place that would help,reading accounting sheets,and calling other managers to pick their brains. It took a hands on approach. With a background in new sales construction, I applied the knowledge of the number one rule in subdivision sales.If you cannot walk down the street in a subdivision you've sold and knock on a door and have a positive conversation with your new homeowners you are not doing a good job.The people that you do business with must be on the pro side not the con side of your decisions to make money and more importantly serve the people.
Jacksonville exists to serve its people. It's not doing a good job picking leaders. Picking leaders falls on the shoulders of the voters.
JEA is no great deal on
JEA is no great deal on affordable utilities,or getting in touch with a contact person when you have a problem, and their job is to maintain their infrastructure. That's part of why we pay such extraordinary fees for utilities.I believe the charge for utilities are not the same in all areas of town. I live in a huge house on the Southside but I am the only person that lives there full time.I have had outside energy inspectors take a look at my bills, and just shake their heads dumbfounded. There is no way one person can use four-five hundred dollars worth of utilities in any month.I do not turn on lights at night,don't flush after each use,do two loads of laundry per week,drink only bottled water,shower only when I go out which is two to three times a week,never water my grass,do dishes by hand,use my air-conditioner, and use fans when it's extra warm with my air-conditioner.I cook meals and freeze twice a week, so my microwave is used the most for warm ups.I have no additional freezers and one small refrigerator. I'm out of town frequently.I do watch TV, and compute. I read at night by oil lamps!I have friends in larger homes with more people that pay half of what I do.They live on the Northside.I smell a fat,stinky rat called the JEA!
Health Care article about Scott cutting Medicaid:
What will happen to those of us that tried to prepare for our long term care and locked in a rate over a decade ago in order to choose a nursing home we liked, and pay for it? I've been paying over two grand a year for twelve years to secure a place at River Garden when the time came.Now,I probably need to cash the policy out and go to Plan B. I'll commit a crime that will land me in Federal Prison,a luxury one,or go insane and go out on great drugs.
The 2012 list of the best facilities is out and I found a few shockers.
http://health.usnews.com/
Life is truly wasted on the youth who are responsible for making decisions that impact their parents, and grandparents.Just you wait my pretties...you'll be there sooner than you think!Pay-back is coming when I show up on my son's door step with bags packed and a hat with a feather in it.I guess that's Plan C.
Michelle rocks, and is my new
Michelle rocks, and is my heroine...since there are dummies out there with nasty mouths let me make sure you understand the word "heroine"
heroine [ˈhɛrəʊɪn]
n
1. a woman possessing heroic qualities
2. a woman idealized for possessing superior qualities
3. the main female character in a novel, play, film, etc.
It was a thrilling event, charged with passion,love,and humility.There was a melting pot of ages,Ethnicities,beliefs,economic status,and genuine caring for your fellow human was abundant in how every one conducted themselves.
None of us wore $1,000.00 bird shirts, Rolex watches,or desired to outshine the other. It was a seriously happy place full of hope, and the desire to continue making a difference here and abroad.We all understood how we got to where we are today, and had no idea it was as bad as it was four years ago.Many of you hoped we'd drink the cool aide but we threw it in your faces four years ago and will do so again.
There was no bigotry: bigotry
obtuse or narrow-minded intolerance, especially of other races or religions
Jenkins is a member of new
Jenkins is a member of H.A.Baptist Church, and one thing we need out of public education is religion.Not all of us need to be told what the right thing to do is, and our country was populated by people that wanted to be free to and from worship.Religious beliefs=war.Churches are nothing more than social groups and cults.Religion continues to loose popularity because it is in direct conflict with science.The Christian Taliban is just as egregious as the Muslim Taliban.
Jews and Muslims have rigorous religious schools in Jacksonville.They do not take public monies, and are self-contained.Murky water exists when we try to mix religion with public schools.If religious charter schools want to slurp public monies then they need to pay taxes.
H.A. Baptist church has over 6 million dollars in assets:
http://apps.coj.net/pao_propertySearch/Basic/Detail.aspx?RE=0702900010
We cannot afford tax exempt status to any church school.
2863
Points
I don't like voting innew
I don't like voting in churches.I was bombarded today with religious, videos,the Ten Commandments,and there is supposed to be a separation between church and state. I've been voting for over forty years and remeber when precincts were in schools,libraries,city offices like the courthouse,and other public venues.The waters continue to become murkier and murkier with first charter religious schools supported by public monies, and polling places in churches.
One thing I can say is I am delighted this 18 months of torture is finally coming to an end.I am horrified over the money spent on this election, and don't expect much to change if Romney wins, because his policies have recently mirrored Obama's.I do worry that an isolationist like Bush isn't what America needs.I am hoping voters do not send the same Congressional,disfunctional bozos back to Washington.That's our real problem.
One thing I can say is I am delighted this 18 months of torture is finally coming to an end.I am horrified over the money spent on this election, and don't expect much to change if Romney wins, because his policies have recently mirrored Obama's.I do worry that an isolationist like Bush isn't what America needs.I am hoping voters do not send the same Congressional,disfunctional bozos back to Washington.That's our real problem.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
MY WEEK SO FAR
It seems as if the only comic relief I get is to look back and exclaim,"And this is only Tuesday?"
I was speaking with a dear friend via long distance, on a land-line, trying to figure out why we have to fight so hard to get anything done in this so-called technologically speedy world. It suddenly occurred to me that this technology changes more often than I change my underwear."New" is such a relative word that it can mean anything associated with time.Here's an example. Both of my computers blew their monitors out two weeks apart.I own two because my livelihood depends on being able to access the Internet. I have to use one larger than my hand because I'm old and can't see. IT specialists took four days to sell,upload software, and get my new computer to function. This is speedy? What scared me even more was the fascination the IT's seemed to have with flexing their muscles.
Could this flexing be for me? I'd given no indication I was interested in anything more than a quick fix on a new machine so I could get back to work. I was standing in front of a Bosnian IT in a muumuu, floppy slippers, and a large bobby-pin holding my mossy hair off my neck. It was hot...sweltering hot.I hadn't touched a toothbrush, or taken a shower. I think I farted. So why the muscle flexing?
I asked Elvir,the Bosnian IT," What is hurting?"
He looked up with a grin and said,"My English, she's broken. I not hurt. Mehmet wants me go lunch."
Now I'm sure the flexing is "mating-dar", and I wonder if this is why everything takes so long in our world of technological repair?
And it's not just hardware repair that's a victim of mating-dar. Seems to me, everything that's related to the Internet is expensive, and takes a really long time to get solved,fixed,or pronounced dead.I am able to use credit cards, another example, for only a year or less before mating-dar hits them.I've closed two credit card accounts since March 2012, and it's only July! Paperwork is pushed on me, the consumer, to provide details of the breach of privacy known as hacking. Hacking is an unsolvable problem created by the Emperor's New Clothes tailor. I am tired of being a victim of hackers and electronic failures. No time is ever saved.Nothing can be easily tracked.The customer/victim is always the main suspect.
The computer age has moved too quickly into all of our lives. I don't care what Norton you use,what Cloud you buy, or what IT has mating-dar; it always turns out the same.BADLY!Businesses are being lost,governments are using technology to invade countries,and people are going bankrupt. I blame the Wall Street Failure,our Global Depression,and Unemployment on the overused,misunderstood, and misuse of today's technology.Since people are so easily manipulated, just imagine how easy it is to manipulate a machine!
Years ago an ex-relative decided he was going to embrace a computer driven business model.Since fishing and drinking were more important than being a diligent, hardworking, hands on business owner, he left his day to day management to ditzes via computer. He went belly up and drove a fine business into the ground within a year. He was using mating-dar.
It's no accident that businesses have shoved responsibilities of failures to a machine instead of firing the flesh and blood moron that created the problem in the first place.Cronyism has been around since money began to change hands. Personal computers came of age during the time we recommended all children be winners. They got shouts of "good job"for burping, and wore T-shirts of praise about everything.The result was a lopsided meter of importance.The real world gave these children a long childhood that eventually slapped graduates in the face with disappointments they had never experienced once they left that motherly venue. An "A" in History became meaningless because everybody had an "A". Once again while we were praising nonsense, money was crowned the real King. We are seeing the fallout of overpraise in the disintegration of the Middle Class in America and Abroad. There is a pointed decline of the West. Not since the 16th century has the West been challenged by the East. The beginning of our civilized mating-dar began in the East, lapsed and was lost for many man-made reasons. However, the East is now again a force of reckoning. The East rules with power and money. America has become a house of bargains due to the fractionating effect of money, technology,and the ever present tug-of-war between which religion has the best mating-dar.
Tomorrow is the Fourth-of-July. Independence Day. A war fought long ago was supposed to insure our freedom.Wars are still being fought to try and save our country from those who want to ransack and dominate our economy. This is how countries have always overthrown each other. Our enemy is ourselves. Social Darwinism is as true today as it was in the 1830s. Looks like mating-dar is alive and well.
I was speaking with a dear friend via long distance, on a land-line, trying to figure out why we have to fight so hard to get anything done in this so-called technologically speedy world. It suddenly occurred to me that this technology changes more often than I change my underwear."New" is such a relative word that it can mean anything associated with time.Here's an example. Both of my computers blew their monitors out two weeks apart.I own two because my livelihood depends on being able to access the Internet. I have to use one larger than my hand because I'm old and can't see. IT specialists took four days to sell,upload software, and get my new computer to function. This is speedy? What scared me even more was the fascination the IT's seemed to have with flexing their muscles.
Could this flexing be for me? I'd given no indication I was interested in anything more than a quick fix on a new machine so I could get back to work. I was standing in front of a Bosnian IT in a muumuu, floppy slippers, and a large bobby-pin holding my mossy hair off my neck. It was hot...sweltering hot.I hadn't touched a toothbrush, or taken a shower. I think I farted. So why the muscle flexing?
I asked Elvir,the Bosnian IT," What is hurting?"
He looked up with a grin and said,"My English, she's broken. I not hurt. Mehmet wants me go lunch."
Now I'm sure the flexing is "mating-dar", and I wonder if this is why everything takes so long in our world of technological repair?
And it's not just hardware repair that's a victim of mating-dar. Seems to me, everything that's related to the Internet is expensive, and takes a really long time to get solved,fixed,or pronounced dead.I am able to use credit cards, another example, for only a year or less before mating-dar hits them.I've closed two credit card accounts since March 2012, and it's only July! Paperwork is pushed on me, the consumer, to provide details of the breach of privacy known as hacking. Hacking is an unsolvable problem created by the Emperor's New Clothes tailor. I am tired of being a victim of hackers and electronic failures. No time is ever saved.Nothing can be easily tracked.The customer/victim is always the main suspect.
The computer age has moved too quickly into all of our lives. I don't care what Norton you use,what Cloud you buy, or what IT has mating-dar; it always turns out the same.BADLY!Businesses are being lost,governments are using technology to invade countries,and people are going bankrupt. I blame the Wall Street Failure,our Global Depression,and Unemployment on the overused,misunderstood, and misuse of today's technology.Since people are so easily manipulated, just imagine how easy it is to manipulate a machine!
Years ago an ex-relative decided he was going to embrace a computer driven business model.Since fishing and drinking were more important than being a diligent, hardworking, hands on business owner, he left his day to day management to ditzes via computer. He went belly up and drove a fine business into the ground within a year. He was using mating-dar.
It's no accident that businesses have shoved responsibilities of failures to a machine instead of firing the flesh and blood moron that created the problem in the first place.Cronyism has been around since money began to change hands. Personal computers came of age during the time we recommended all children be winners. They got shouts of "good job"for burping, and wore T-shirts of praise about everything.The result was a lopsided meter of importance.The real world gave these children a long childhood that eventually slapped graduates in the face with disappointments they had never experienced once they left that motherly venue. An "A" in History became meaningless because everybody had an "A". Once again while we were praising nonsense, money was crowned the real King. We are seeing the fallout of overpraise in the disintegration of the Middle Class in America and Abroad. There is a pointed decline of the West. Not since the 16th century has the West been challenged by the East. The beginning of our civilized mating-dar began in the East, lapsed and was lost for many man-made reasons. However, the East is now again a force of reckoning. The East rules with power and money. America has become a house of bargains due to the fractionating effect of money, technology,and the ever present tug-of-war between which religion has the best mating-dar.
Tomorrow is the Fourth-of-July. Independence Day. A war fought long ago was supposed to insure our freedom.Wars are still being fought to try and save our country from those who want to ransack and dominate our economy. This is how countries have always overthrown each other. Our enemy is ourselves. Social Darwinism is as true today as it was in the 1830s. Looks like mating-dar is alive and well.
Monday, June 11, 2012
AT&T Is A TRAIN WRECK
This letter to AT&T may give others a push to write any corporate imbecile that treats you unfairly. Be sure to send all correspondence with Delivery Confirmation to any company grievance address. This insures the correspondence got to them if litigation becomes necessary.
To Whom It May Concern:
You couldn’t have done a worse job if you tried with my account. First of all, I have NO CELL PHONE! It was returned and scanned into your system on May 10th. You pulled a “bait and switch” on me. To add further injury to my order I’ve lost my number I tried, without success to port over to you.
I have spent HOURS on the phone with the most obtuse, inept, and verbally incompetent employees I’ve encountered in quite a while. Where do you get these people? The one specialist I spoke with had a perfect plan set up that was totally eviscerated by your other workers. I’m very thankful I didn’t try to port my business phone over to you at the same time I was trying to port my personal one.
You lost out to a Wal-mart smart phone that I’m very happy to report works great with no hassles. I still have an AT&T land line, hard to mess that one up, and I do like U-Verse, which I finally was able to lock a price in at $116.00, but of course you are trying to renege on that too! If you do I’ll have no choice but to abandon that too. The problem with U-Verse is a bill that fluctuates wildly in price and therefore doesn’t lend itself to budgeting. I don’t do anything and it jumps to one-seventy something one month, then down to eighty, and back up ad nausium. Not the way to run a company!
I tried to correct the cellular bill when I received it, but was told after some time on the phone again, that I must speak with sales because they were the ones that generated the bill. RIDICULOUS! I will not be stuck on the phone talking to morons again. I’m putting this in writing for a very good reason. Fix this problem by cancelling this bill, since there is no phone, and no account because AT&T has not performed, and could not perform as promised.
Additionally, I want you to lock that bill for U-Verse in for one year as the Specialist sold to me, at $116.00. I will go elsewhere if I receive a bill again for more than that amount.
One more thing that really scares me. What is up with those “Jesus” work trucks of yours all over town? I find them offensive, mercenary, and spiritless. Whenever I see “Christian Company”, or the like, I run the opposite way. A little advise from an entrepreneur, leave G_d out of your business plan. Corporations as yours give G_d a terrible name.
Renee Soforenko
June 11, 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
You couldn’t have done a worse job if you tried with my account. First of all, I have NO CELL PHONE! It was returned and scanned into your system on May 10th. You pulled a “bait and switch” on me. To add further injury to my order I’ve lost my number I tried, without success to port over to you.
I have spent HOURS on the phone with the most obtuse, inept, and verbally incompetent employees I’ve encountered in quite a while. Where do you get these people? The one specialist I spoke with had a perfect plan set up that was totally eviscerated by your other workers. I’m very thankful I didn’t try to port my business phone over to you at the same time I was trying to port my personal one.
You lost out to a Wal-mart smart phone that I’m very happy to report works great with no hassles. I still have an AT&T land line, hard to mess that one up, and I do like U-Verse, which I finally was able to lock a price in at $116.00, but of course you are trying to renege on that too! If you do I’ll have no choice but to abandon that too. The problem with U-Verse is a bill that fluctuates wildly in price and therefore doesn’t lend itself to budgeting. I don’t do anything and it jumps to one-seventy something one month, then down to eighty, and back up ad nausium. Not the way to run a company!
I tried to correct the cellular bill when I received it, but was told after some time on the phone again, that I must speak with sales because they were the ones that generated the bill. RIDICULOUS! I will not be stuck on the phone talking to morons again. I’m putting this in writing for a very good reason. Fix this problem by cancelling this bill, since there is no phone, and no account because AT&T has not performed, and could not perform as promised.
Additionally, I want you to lock that bill for U-Verse in for one year as the Specialist sold to me, at $116.00. I will go elsewhere if I receive a bill again for more than that amount.
One more thing that really scares me. What is up with those “Jesus” work trucks of yours all over town? I find them offensive, mercenary, and spiritless. Whenever I see “Christian Company”, or the like, I run the opposite way. A little advise from an entrepreneur, leave G_d out of your business plan. Corporations as yours give G_d a terrible name.
Renee Soforenko
June 11, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Jacksonville's Courthouse Boondoggle
Jacksonville
has become a national laughing stock with this courthouse boondoggle.
The issue began with complaints of mold and mildew that rendered the old
courthouse unusable.Anything in Florida is subject to mold and mildew
problems. You clean it up and provide maintenance to keep it that way.
Our leadership decided to embark on a plan that has literally thrown the
baby out with the bathwater.The easy-destruction mentality kicked in
and instead of elbow grease to remedy the matter the city council voted
to just build and move. "Move" has always been a four-letter word to
most of us. To add insult to injury, instead of replacing furniture at
the facility as the need arose due to use and ordinary depreciation,
somebody decided not to replace it. Again our city council spent the
tax-payers money as if there was no tomorrow. None of us out here living
in the "Kingdom of Jacksonvilleland" understands this thinking.The
council seems to keep doing the same dumb things over and over again
looking for a different outcome. As Congress has tied the country up,
the City Council has tied Jacksonville up.Let me recommend a book for
all elected,appointed, and city-workers for the Consolidated City of
Jacksonville (another bad idea): Tom Man, a noted congressional scholar,
writes and speaks widely on American politics and policy-making,
including campaigns, elections, campaign finance reform and the
effectiveness of Congress. His most recent book, co-authored with Norman
Ornstein, "It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American
Constitutional System Collided With The New Politics Of Extremism", is a
must read.
Mayor Brown, and President Obama suffer from the same diseases in
government caused by their own advisers, ...political polarization, lack
of the ability to compromise,and personal agendas.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
How Religion Works
Once upon a time in a faraway land a
group of people assembled and decided that they would follow a code of
social behavior so they could live close to one another. They wanted to
understand what happened around them that they could not control. The
earliest Neanderthals have been found buried with formed animistic
trinkets and are thought to have believed in spirits...later evolving
into the Holy Spirit. Testaments written by people in all faiths are
typically described as being directed by a spirit that talks through
them and is believed to be either G_d, or a messenger sent by
G_d.Religion seems to have first evolved in an agrarian pattern with a
matriarchal influence.The neolithic period brings us evidence of the
beginnings of the first organized agriculture - the so called
'Agricultural Revolution'. Typically, farming cultures venerate female
deities as symbols of fertility, and motherhood. Formerly male or
neutral deities were usurped by female deities in popular cosmology,
with female deities becoming the dominant forces in any polytheistic
organizational schema.
Around about the same time, or shortly thereafter, pastoral societies also began to evolve their own primitive forms of organized religion. Pastoral societies ( shepherds, and hunter-gatherers) tend to worship male deities - the image of the provider and protector being most important to societies, as opposed to the image of an earth mother. These societies evolved either as a result of the surviving influence of the oldest forms of religion, or as a distinct part of the same process which created the matriarchal faiths.Patriarchal faith was ushered in by the Hebrews.Every major religion has its roots where the first humans are said to have first appeared. I think it's time for a Global Belief System that reflects the ideology of all religions and helps us live together as a whole earth society that is interdependent.Right now in the simplest terms we believe our imaginary friend can beat up your imaginary friend.This isn't an original thought. Like most of my thoughts, and your thoughts, there is no new ideology on the planet.We have become a fearful,war-like,greedy,possessive global society.There is no room for mistakes because everybody believes they are the ones chosen for G_d to speak through.Our testaments must be re-written to reflect thousands of years of progress in thought,changes that have occurred due to technology, sociology,etc. Religion is again primitive because it really hasn't changed a whole lot since the dawn of man.The Ten Commandments are the cornerstone of all religions. The belief in one G_d is universal, with few exceptions, if you believe in G_d at all. It is not essential to believe in a G_d, but is essential we get along. We will all die if we do not figure out a way to write and follow a new global belief system.I can envision a system of simple threads that run through all religions that form the Great Global Belief System.The first must be stop killing each other! Our planet will self-destruct in time anyway.It will not matter in the end whether you believe purple is the prettiest color, or G_d is a cuttlefish.Governments and corporate America believe money is G_d.People are enslaved when they are in debt.We have enough resources globally for all of us to survive, go to bed without hunger,have a car, a home, and provide for our future until our planet dies.
Around about the same time, or shortly thereafter, pastoral societies also began to evolve their own primitive forms of organized religion. Pastoral societies ( shepherds, and hunter-gatherers) tend to worship male deities - the image of the provider and protector being most important to societies, as opposed to the image of an earth mother. These societies evolved either as a result of the surviving influence of the oldest forms of religion, or as a distinct part of the same process which created the matriarchal faiths.Patriarchal faith was ushered in by the Hebrews.Every major religion has its roots where the first humans are said to have first appeared. I think it's time for a Global Belief System that reflects the ideology of all religions and helps us live together as a whole earth society that is interdependent.Right now in the simplest terms we believe our imaginary friend can beat up your imaginary friend.This isn't an original thought. Like most of my thoughts, and your thoughts, there is no new ideology on the planet.We have become a fearful,war-like,greedy,possessive global society.There is no room for mistakes because everybody believes they are the ones chosen for G_d to speak through.Our testaments must be re-written to reflect thousands of years of progress in thought,changes that have occurred due to technology, sociology,etc. Religion is again primitive because it really hasn't changed a whole lot since the dawn of man.The Ten Commandments are the cornerstone of all religions. The belief in one G_d is universal, with few exceptions, if you believe in G_d at all. It is not essential to believe in a G_d, but is essential we get along. We will all die if we do not figure out a way to write and follow a new global belief system.I can envision a system of simple threads that run through all religions that form the Great Global Belief System.The first must be stop killing each other! Our planet will self-destruct in time anyway.It will not matter in the end whether you believe purple is the prettiest color, or G_d is a cuttlefish.Governments and corporate America believe money is G_d.People are enslaved when they are in debt.We have enough resources globally for all of us to survive, go to bed without hunger,have a car, a home, and provide for our future until our planet dies.
On The Crazy Baptist Preacher of Gainesville, Florida
Burning the Koran is a seditious act designed to incite Christians to
resort to religious terrorism.It's obtuse and is putting many of us in
danger all over the globe. As Americans we're supposed to be above these
petty,stubborn, insistences that we are the only ones with valid
attitudes,beliefs and that G_d is on our side,... nobody
elses.Christianity has been as violent a religion as Islam.I have a blog
called "Religion Horrifies Me" on jax.com...read it.Christian
terrorists draw upon Christian scripture and theology to justify violent
political activities.Violence by individuals or by small groups has
been carried out in the name of Christianity many times through-out
history, but there has been disagreement about whether such acts are
really justified by Christian teachings. Theologian Miroslav Volf has
examined the question of whether Christianity fosters violence, and has
identified four main arguments that it does: that religion by its nature
is violent, which occurs when people try to act as "soldiers of God";
that monotheism entails violence, because a claim of universal truth
divides people into "us versus them"; that creation, as in the Book of
Genesis, is an act of violence; and that the intervention of a "new
creation", as in the Second Coming, generates violence. Volf says:
"Beginning at least with Constantine's conversion, the followers of the
Crucified have perpetrated gruesome acts of violence under the sign of
the cross. Over the centuries, the seasons of Lent and Holy Week were,
for the Jews, times of fear and trepidation; Christians have perpetrated
some of the worst pogroms as they remembered the crucifixion of Christ,
for which they blamed the Jews. Muslims also associate the cross with
violence; crusaders' rampages were undertaken under the sign of the
cross." In each case, Volf concluded that the Christian faith was
misused in justifying violence.It's ironic that a religion which
proclaims Absolute Love as its basis should spawn so much hatred.
Post That Got Me Censored From My Local Paper
RELIGION HORRIFIES ME!Submitted by gypsie2009 on May 9, 2010 - 11:21am
I wish this was an original idea, but Lisa Simpson, a cartoon character from the Simpson's colorful family life raised this issue in the "adult cartoon" series.Don't get me wrong...I have no idea if there is a G-d or not, and I do pray for friends by special request,but let's face it folks, once you're a grown-up your conscience and how you see the world dramatically changes from what you thought as a child.Lisa Simpson is the exception.She's a child that thinks like a logical adult most of the time.Religion developed as a way to control society and live by a code of conduct.It gave support to each group member and tried to help the sick and give a structure to what should be done with members that died.It tried to explain "miracles", and divine interventions like defeating an enemy,eclipses, crop abundance or failure, and dietary guidelines to prevent illness and poisoning. Religious leaders held the wealth and power.Normally,from what I can tell,many families are very religious while their kids are growing up,but after that they loose interest because they are, for the most part,older,wiser, and the line between issues have a huge gray area.
I am not for the tax exemption for any religious order. People hide behind this in order to get out of paying property taxes. Religious leaders own huge amounts of property. An example is the holdings of the First Baptist Church downtown.Until we recover from this depression,yes I call it that,it's not a recession in my mind,I believe tax exemption must be suspended for the sake of the community.
I am horrified that G-dnicts actually have murdered doctors because they disagreed with their professional orientation,kidnapped Haitian children by bribbing their families, returned adopted children because they were too difficult, and church leaders have fondled children.Religion is violent,selfish,and scary. How terrible it is to look at the crucifixion!You have to be an idiot not to be intimidated by the whole idea of what might happen to you if you go against the Christian G-d.
I read stories daily in newspapers about murders,robberies,rapes,drunk drivers,DUI arrests,perverts etc. Where are the G-nicts with their signs that demand swift justice, and their donations to help the tax payers with the bills of housing these sociopaths? That might actually do some good.Jack Kevorkian was chosen by the religious-right governor of Michigan to stop euthanasia. It's truly insane to me why we jump to put our pets out of misery,but don't give the same dignity to the sick if they so desire.
The Uptight and the Angry
Growing older is good. It's great to care about mundane things about as much as a "nit on a gnats nut" as D. Rather said. I wish I'd said that. I hope I think it especially fun to go to my ceramics class and make a dreamy knob that's no small cheese in twenty years. I'm just not hard-wired to behave like a sheep...except if he's really cute!
Age is a very high price to pay for maturity, so I say do both with style and enthusiasm. I think most people do what they please then become contrite. I prefer to just do as I please and skip the remorse part. If something that pleases you makes you unhappy then you're probably insane.
In my youth, I got asked a lot by concerned relatives, "Where's your sense of morality, child?"
My head was thinking, " The only thing worse than parents you can't control are ones you can."
That was where I got my grounding. I found out later "Sky-god" was thought to be responsible for peculiar events in almost every human life. How convenient!It didn't matter if you had diarrhea, lost all your money in a poker game, spent all your money on crack, elected the wrong President, helped murder the neighbor's tarantula, or diddled your grandson...it was Sky-god's pleasure, will, AND you could repent and be forgiven which would allow you to rest in the bosom of the "Sky-god Palace". Directions seemed to be vague, but money was accepted.
My security lies within, along with faith in myself. I'm curious about the beliefs of others, and respect them. Most beliefs leave me wondering and don't solve problems. Simply put beliefs either solve a problem or are part of it. I find most people's reality check is like a kite on a long string. It flies for awhile then will dip, tangle and crash because the string is finite and dependent. Wind comes from the four corners of the earth and is infinite, and does what it wants to do with the kite.
NEVER SUBMIT TO THE AGENDA OF ANOTHER!
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It's a little late to lament after death for a homeless person. There are literally hundreds of organizations nationwide taking in millions of dollars to help the homeless.Here is just one source:
https://www.justgive.org/donations/help-homeless.jsp
It sounds like there is a severe misappropriation of funds that are intended for the homeless population of Jacksonville.We put stories of children on television that need homes.We showcase animals that need homes.Why don't we put our homeless on local T.V.?I am continuously giving to charities,but then read stories about known victims of homelessness.
Are these people choosing to go in and out of jail,not work, and live on the streets?Or are they homeless by no fault of their own?If they have been to jail they will come down with Aids.Our mentally ill are in jail.Is this part of the homeless problem?Are these people addicts and only need treatment and support to become a contributing member of society?Is there some reason we cannot force people to submit to treatment in order to become productive?
None of these are new questions.I don't know anybody that hasn't had a friend or acquaintance that has not needed help. I've needed help. None of us get anywhere without help,another word for networking,trading, or knowing who to speak to get what you want or need.
We are so busy with hosting dinners for status,partying in the name of Jesus, or over-stuffing ourselves into obesity and early handicapped living that we can't seem to distinguish between those that really need help, and those that are just waiting to get into the promised land by showing up in church.
Churches need to shelter people, and open their doors seven days a week to help the shelters.They need to help feed,clothe,and medicate those in need,not just pay lip-service to these humanitarian ideals.Churches need to live what they preach, and show by example.If not, then they are no more than social clubs,selling followers toxic elixir.
https://www.facebook.com/atheistshelpingthehomeless