Heal Me, Kill Me

Have you noticed that there is a pill for absolutely everything lately?  Yes, every time I turn on my television I want to hear about incontinence, sexual enhancers and a host of other diseases.  Twenty years ago, people blushed at the mere mention of some of the diseases Pharmaceutical Companies are touting and giggling about.   Thirty years ago, there was no mention.

What is even more interesting is the new “disclaimer” that comes along with the commercials.  “May cause dizziness rapid heartbeat, blurred vision and in some cases death”.    These commercials run all day every day, regardless of whether the kids are home from school.  Any normal adult would be thinking …”I’m going to the doctor so that he can kill me with the newest cure”.  How do you explain these disclaimers to a child who is already petrified?  I can just hear the screams in millions of households in America  “MOOMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYY I don’t care about the lollipop I’m NOT going!”.  I’ll tell you something kids, I’m screaming too.  Knowing that the doctor is going to be pushing the latest and greatest, I don’t want to go either.

With the cost of necessary prescriptions so far out of control that people who really require medicine are doing without it, why is this excessive advertising necessary?  Rather than demand that every United States Citizen carry Health Insurance, would it make more sense to reign in these exhibitionist  pill pushers and reduce the cost of the product?  Of course it would.

Help for Homeowners

Our government is really trying.  What they are trying to do is beyond me at this point in time, but they are trying.

Take, for instance,  HAFA and HAMP.  No one can claim ignorance to these programs for no matter who you are, where you live, or what you do to earn your living everyone of us knows someone who is facing foreclosure.  At the very least, we have seen signs in our neighborhood advertising short sales or offering free big screen televisions with the purchase of the house.

Worse yet, we have all noticed the houses which suddenly sprout overgrown lawns and have window coverings that never budge.

Yes, HAFA and HAMP have been put into place to help the struggling homeowners.  Yet, let us consider where the government bail outs went.  Most banks are ditching FDIC insurance which means your money is gone if they go belly up, yet they continue to pay bonuses from TARP.

Most recently, we have seen whistle blowers.  That rare employee with a guilty  conscience who is simply not comfortable with the lack of ethics displayed by these organizations is shedding light on why more control  over these programs where the banks are concerned is necessary.

On April 5, 2010, the world of mortgages and real estate will take another drastic turn.  All other options will have to be examined prior to foreclosure.    Here is where we say “Houston…we have a problem”.

To date mortgage modification programs are not working for the majority of those that truly need help.  The banks have found a way around it.  Borrowers are required to go through a trial period, ensuring that the modified payments can be made in full and in a timely manner in order to qualify for the Mortgage Relief Act program.  A struggling homeowner goes into the bank requesting modification.  The modification is permitted.  The loan is paid in full and on time through out the duration of the trial period.  Three payments are received by the bank.  Although all conditions have been met, the homeowner then receives notification that they are not qualified for the program and foreclosure begins.  The bank has collected money, squeezing the payments out of the homeowner by giving them false hope then intentionally denies the applicant and forecloses on the property.

The news we have seen lately is discouraging.  Stringent regulations need to be placed to control the banking industry and stop the highway robbery.  We cannot simply blame sub-prime lenders, and trust that the Big Banks are going to step in and cure everything.  They obviously will not. Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  As the days progress, I am certain that we will see all of the disturbing practices of the banking industry come to light.

Short Sales and Loan Modification are viable options when they are executed with knowledge and experience.  Contracting experienced and knowledgeable processors to work with you to successfully execute your transactions is a very wise option.  Checking into ratings, complaints filed and past history of a company are very important when making a decision on who to partner with.

The Problem with the Healthcare Bill

I have to laugh at our “fearless leader” on television telling the world how great he is for accomplishing the impossible. President Obama has just set freedom and civil rights back 300 years.

We now have the government telling us what we can and can not do with the money that we have earned.

This is presenting a potential disaster here in the State of Florida.

Here is how getting aid goes. Depart of Family and Services knows you have no healthcare or income other than $800.00 monthly. You can not qualify for Medicaid because you make too much money. You can not qualify for cash assistance because you are not illegal, do not have 8 children with different fathers and all of them are in prison. You don’t qualify for food stamps because you make too much money. Your child gets medicaid…you are out in the cold.

Now comes the clincher. The same government that steps in and forces the state’s hand with illegal immigrants and offering them $11,000 in cash assistance while those who worked in Central Florida for years are homeless, steps in and tell you $400.00 out of that $800.00 now has to be spent on healthcare.

This is what your monthly budget for a family of two now looks like:

Rent $800.00
Electric $180.00 (thanks to Energy Commission Rent Hikes)
Food $400.00
Health Care Premiums $400.00
Luxuries (Land line, television) $140.00
Clothing $300.00

Median salary in Central Florida….$8.00 hourly!

Tell me, out of concern for all of those employees working at the Theme Parks who can only get part time employment because the powers that be do not want to pay benefits, and every company who refuses to hire outright, using the services of a temporary placement agency rather than paying benefits…WILL THESE PEOPLE GET HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY THE PREMIUMS?

The Health Care bill is based on a fictional society. A society that is employed, that is not ridden with foreclosures, that is not looking at faces in grammar school that have spent the night in a tent in the woods because they have no home. There is no middle class anymore, no one that can afford this program.

We have already seen the disaster that is medicaid and medicare, why do we need yet a third program riddled with corruption and problems?

Sea World – The Controversy Continues

Each morning at 4:30 a.m. a handful of employees arrive at Sea World, Orlando to feed, examine and ensure the health of the permanent residents.  Honestly, having been privy to a behind the scenes look, most Americans do not have access to the level of care and state-of-the-art medical equipment available to the host of feathered and finned friends who reside in the park.

Watching the joy in a child’s eyes seems to be reward enough for these employees.  Let’s face it…looking down the throat of a polar bear is a thankless job.

The controversy this week, over the death of a beloved trainer has given way to a bottomless buffet of fruitcakes who have at worst, accused a whale of premeditated murder.    Thanks once again to the Media…who seeks them out and takes every opportunity to press for yellow journalism over real news.

The earthquake in Chile took a back seat to the six looney-tunes protesting on Central Florida Parkway. Bold signs in hand, they stood getting soaked in the rain.  One sign stuck out…”It will happen again”.  Perhaps you believe that, but we would like proof…care to try it out?  Yes, it did happen before and if the public knew the circumstances surrounding the 1999 accident, I assure you no one would do anything but understand Tilly’s point of view.

The truth though, is that this was a tragic, horrible accident.  The trainers and medical staff that work with these majestic mammals daily, the ones who have done so for the past sixteen to twenty years, are the ones in a position to know what happened.  They have the video.  How can anyone know what a whale is thinking, unless they are a whale?

Earlier this week, a mother left her two-year old in the back yard with her pet “American Bull Dogs”.  The dogs mauled the child to death.  The press did not seek out dog experts to see what they were thinking.  PETA was not asking for the release of the dogs into the wild.  There were no news vans parked on the median of a major thoroughfare for days on end.

Dawn Brancheau was a shining star in an ever-darkening world.  She freely shared her love, passion, joy, knowledge and incredible sense of humor with many, turning strangers to friends with a smile on a daily basis.   Successful, happy and loving her job every single day. How many of us will ever experience that?  That my friends is a life well lived.

Dawn will be sorely missed and we mourn the loss of her life.  Strangers across oceans, Dawn’s family, her Sea World family, those who saw her shows daily or weekly and the little girl she made smile six years ago when there was no reason to smile stand heart to heart and mourn.

That is the point.  This is not an opening for those who feel they need to find ten seconds of fame, nor to voice political opinions.  This is not a time to use violence and threatening phrases to harm something Dawn stood for and loved.

Do you really want to send a message out?

America has, up until now, taken plastic and classified it as progress.  Think about this.  You are adding 22% interest to everything you buy with a credit card.  Each time you buy a $3.45 gallon of milk , you are adding 76 cents to that if you use a credit card after the big banks have jacked your rate to 22%.   If that does not stop you nothing will.

Do you remember the days where you carried a dime in your pocket so that you could call home while you were out with friends?  A time where plastic cards with endless funding did not exist?  I’ve been reminiscing and it is a time we need to bring back so that we send a message out to big business that rewarding those who squandered our money is not acceptable.

Each time you use your debit card as a credit card the bank makes a profit of at least $7.00 a transaction.  Regulations have been placed to “stop abusive practice”.  We’ll fix this right?  WRONG.  The fees to your merchants will be raised by $1.00 per transaction.  To absorb the increase, grocery, gasoline, fast food, and any other establishments will raise prices by $1.10 per transaction.  Who is paying the piper?  You are.

Getting the message out will not be easy.  Action and sacrifice will be necessary.    We will have to return to a time where values and restraint were commonplace and common sense was considered part of an education.  We will save money, we will save our merchants money.  We will stand up and make a statement, united rather than divided.

Can you imagine if, for one week, everyone paid for everything in cash?  If we could spend 7 days living within our means, not using debit or credit cards, the message would be loud and clear.  We will not reward bad behavior.

So…for the week of February 7th through February 14th, 2010 let us stop complaining and take action.  Go the bank, cash a check for the amount you will spend in that week.  Go home and take all your credit and debit cards out of your wallet.  Stick to your budget.  The impact will undoubtedly send the right message.