Be A Voice Against Wells Fargo
Posted by Michelle Moquin on April 24th, 2012
Good morning!
After almost 20 years of banking with Wells Fargo, two years ago I decided to leave and bank elsewhere. Now after finding out more about Wells Fargo, I am so happy that I did.
Anti immigrant laws like Arizona’s SB 170 and Georgia’s HB 87, are not only a consequence of racism but also of the greed for money. It is a huge business to criminalize and incarcerate OTWs because the federal government pays private prison companies and average of $122 per day per person in prison.
Private Prison Companies such as Corrections Corporations of America (CCA) and the GEO Group have influenced politicians to pass laws that criminalize OTWs just to increase the prison population for more profit. These companies are making millions, and those who benefit are companies (shareholders) that invest in the prison industry. And as you have read, our government is building more prisons, while cutting social services and schools, all with tax payer money.
Enlace in partnership with community groups and unions across the US, is calling on all public and private institutions to divest their holdings in Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group, America’s largest private prison corporations which have profited from billions in taxpayer money.
Enlace launched the Prison Industry Divestment Campaign to convince shareholders (banks hedge funds etc.) to divest their funds from the prison industry so people like you and me can make an impact on the prison business, and reduce the power of CCA and GEO to lobby for laws that imprison our communities.
Watch the video and see legalized racial profiling in action:
So what does this have to do with Wells Fargo? Guess what? Wells Fargo is a major investor in CCA and GEO – the nations two largest for-profit companies.
Over the past 3 years, hundreds of thousands of OTWs have been subjected to excessively abusive treatments in for-profit prisons run for the federal government by the GEO Group (GEO), and Corrections of America (CCA). So do you think Wells Fargo is innocent in all of this? I don’t think so.
These are the stats:
- 1 million immigrants have been detained in the past 3 years
- 3400 is the daily population in detention camp
- 80% of the beds are owned by GEO and CCA
- GEO and CCA’s profits in 2009 were 3.1 billion
- Wells Fargo received 43.7 billion in bailout money
- The cost to tax payers is 5.5million daily.
- Major investor
- Underwriter
- Broker-dealer of shares
- Trustee
- Documentation Agent
- Dealer manager
- Financial advisor
Wells Fargo pays lobbyists who help GEO lobby the government for policies that incarcerate more immigrants in for GEO run facilities. Wells Fargo made contributions to Georgia’s HB87 ( Arizona’s copycat law) sponsor Senate Bill Hamrick and to several politicians in state House and state Senate who voted in favor of HB87.
Readers: And if that isn’t enough to make you mad, Wells Fargo also holds the lead in foreclosures, finances more Payday lenders than any other big bank, and they’re America’s biggest tax dodger.
Want to do something to stop Wells Fargo? Join Bay Area, Causa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJC): a multi-racial, grassroots organization building community leadership to achieve justice for low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents. CJJC is part of a Wells Fargo shareholder protest taking place tomorrow in San Francisco. And you can be a part too.
We NEED YOU at our Wells Fargo action tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24 in San Francisco at Justin Herman Plaza, SF.
Join thousands in San Francisco, this coming Tuesday at 10am, to take over the Wells Fargo Shareholder Meeting (#wf24) and turn it in to a Peoples Meeting!
The shareholders want to meet about how to best reap profits from foreclosures, for-profit prisons and detention centers, student loans, and tax evasion.
We plan to put a crimp in their plan. More info at:
http://wfshareholders.tumblr.com/
Follow the action on Twitter with #wf24 #99power
On Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/events/203308649774621/
The broad coalition of community, faith, and labor organizations participating includes: Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Alliance for Just Society, Causa Justa/Just Cause, Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO), EnLace, International Forum on Globalization, National People’s Action, New Bottom Line, Occupy SF, POWER-LA, Pride @ Work, PICO California, ReFund California, and SEIU International, SEIU Local 1021, SEIU United Workers West, SEIU Local 87, San Francisco Labor Council, We Are Oregon .
This action is also part of 99% Power, a national effort to mobilize well over 10,000 people, from all walks of life and representing the diversity of the 99%, to engage in nonviolent direct action at more than three-dozen corporate shareholder meetings across the country.
Causa Justa :: Just Cause is a multi-racial grass roots housing and immigrant rights organization building community leadership to achieve justice for low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents. We have offices on both sides of the Bay.
********
Will you be there? Blog me.
Peace & Love…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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April 24th, 2012 at 6:41 am
Get Rid of Back Pain in Just 7 Minutes a Day
A surgeon tells how stretching may help you avoid surgery
Of the 30 million Americans who suffer from low back pain, only about 10% of the cases are caused by conditions that require surgery, such as pinched nerves or a slipped disk.
For the overwhelming majority of back pain sufferers, the culprit is tight, inflamed muscles.
Surprising: This inflammation usually is not caused by strain on the back muscles themselves, but rather a strain or injury to the spine—in particular, to one of five “motion segments” in the lower back.
Each segment, which is constructed to bend forward and back and side to side, consists of a disk (the spongy cushion between each pair of spinal vertebrae)…the two vertebrae directly above and below it…and the facets (joints) connecting the vertebrae to the disk.
Unfortunately, the segments’ disks or facets can be injured in a variety of ways—by lifting something the wrong way, twisting too far, sitting too long or even sneezing too hard—causing the surrounding muscles to contract in order to protect the spine from further damage.
This contraction and the muscle inflammation that it produces is what causes the intense lower back pain that so many Americans are familiar with.
WHEN BACK PAIN STRIKES
Low back pain caused by inflammation usually subsides on its own within three to six weeks.*
However, the healing process can be accelerated significantly by taking over-the-counter ibuprofen (Motrin) for several days after injury to reduce inflammation if you don’t have an ulcer (follow label instructions)…and getting massage therapy to help loosen knotted muscles and increase healing blood flow to them.
Also important: Perform the simple stretching routine described in this article. In my more than 16 years of practice as an orthopedic spine surgeon, it is the closest thing I’ve found to act as a “silver bullet” for back pain.
How it works: All of the muscles stretched in this routine attach to the pelvis and work in concert to stabilize the spine. Stretching increases blood flow to these specific muscles, thereby reducing the inflammation that leads to painful, tightened back muscles.
GETTING STARTED
In preparation for the back stretch routine described here, it’s important to learn a simple approach that systematically stimulates and strengthens your core (abdominal, back and pelvic muscles).
This is one of the best ways to protect your spine. Although there are many types of exercises that strengthen the core, abdominal contractions are the easiest to perform.
What to do: Pretend that you have to urinate and then stop the flow—a movement known as a Kegel exercise.
Then while lying on your back, place your hands on your pelvis just above your genitals. Now imagine that someone is about to punch you in the stomach, and feel how your lower abdomen tightens protectively.
To do a full abdominal contraction, combine these two movements, holding the Kegel movement while tightening your lower abdomen. Then, continuously hold the full abdominal contraction during all of the stretches described on this page.
7-MINUTE STRETCHING ROUTINE
Do the following routine daily until your back pain eases (start out slowly and gently if you’re still in acute pain). Then continue doing it several times a week to prevent recurrences.
Regularly stretching these muscles makes them stronger, leaving your lower spine less prone to painful, back-tightening strains.
1. Hamstring wall stretch.
Lie face-up on a carpeted floor (or on a folded blanket for padding), positioning your body perpendicular inside a doorframe. Bend your right leg and place it through the door opening.
Bring your buttocks as close to the wall as possible and place the heel of your left foot up against the wall until it is nearly straight.
Next, slide your right leg forward on the floor until it’s straight, feeling a stretch in the back of your left leg. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat twice on each side.
2. Knees to chest stretch.
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Use your hands to pull your right knee to your chest. Next, try to straighten your left leg on the floor.
While keeping your right knee held to your chest, continue the stretch for 20 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Finally, do the stretch by holding both knees to your chest for 10 seconds.
3. Spinal stretch.
While on the floor with your left leg extended straight, pull your right knee to your chest (as in stretch #2), then put your right arm out to the side.
Next, use your left hand to slowly pull your right knee toward your left side so that your right foot rests on the back of your left knee. Finally, turn your head toward your right side. Hold for 20 seconds, then reverse the movements and repeat.
4. Gluteal (buttocks) stretch.
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Cross your right leg over your left, resting your right ankle on your left knee.
Next, grab your left thigh with both hands and bring both legs toward your body. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.
5. Hip flexor stretch.
Kneel on your right knee (use a thin pillow for comfort) with your left leg bent 90º in front of you and your foot flat on the floor. Place your right hand on your waist and your left hand on top of your left leg.
Inhale and then, on the exhale, lean forward into your right hip, feeling a stretch in the front of your right hip. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.
6. Quadriceps stretch.
While standing, hold on to the back of a sturdy chair with your left hand for balance.
Grasp your right foot with your right hand and gently pull your right leg back and up, with your toes pointing upward. Be sure to keep your right knee close to your left leg. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.
7. Total back stretch.
Stand arm’s length in front of a table or other sturdy object and lean forward with knees slightly bent so that you can grasp the table edge with both hands.
Keep your arms straight and your head level with your shoulders. Hold for 10 seconds.
Next, stand up straight with your left hand in front of you. Bring your right arm over your head with elbow bent, then bend your upper body gently to the left. Hold for 10 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.
*If you suffer from severe back pain or back pain accompanied by fever, incontinence or weakness or numbness in your leg, see a doctor right away to rule out a condition that may require surgery, such as serious damage to disks, ligaments or nerves in the back.
Source: Gerard Girasole, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at The Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Center in Trumbull, Connecticut. He is coauthor, with Cara Hartman, CPT, a Fairfield, Connecticut–based certified personal trainer, of The 7-Minute Back Pain Solution—7 Simple Exercises to Heal Your Back without Drugs or Surgery in Just Minutes a Day (Harlequin).
April 24th, 2012 at 6:50 am
Did someone say that the GOP isn’t waging a war on women? I read this today.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) shocked the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence this week when he vetoed $1.5 million in funding for 30 rape crisis centers in the middle of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. State lawmakers allotted the money to offset an increase in need and a lack of sufficient funding for victim services.
——————————
I sure hope you Republicans here in the state of Florida are proud of yourselves for electing this crook. He had a bad record before he was elected and it was public knowledge and yet they elected him anyway.
He is ruining my beautiful state with everything he touches. I could strangle white women like my sister who voted republican because “she wanted to balance the scales since we have a black president.”
Another salvo fired by Republicans in the War on Women.
April 24th, 2012 at 6:53 am
Send the GOP packing. Time to re-take our government from the do nothing hateful spiteful GOP and get some real work done.
April 24th, 2012 at 6:54 am
Does anyone out there know what is going on with the Aliens besides the aliens?
April 24th, 2012 at 6:55 am
Simple thought to remember for November ….
Voting is a lot like driving a car.
Vote ” R ” to go BACKWARD
Vote ” D ” to move FORWARD
April 24th, 2012 at 6:57 am
I know your pain Mildred. If white women like my cousin continues to vote republican we could have 4 more years of go nowhere grid-lock.
April 24th, 2012 at 6:59 am
Remember when Republicans promised jobs during the last election. So people voted for them and they took control of congress.
Since then, all the Republicans seem to care about is cutting and eliminating entitlements, lowering taxes on the wealthy, cutting womans health, attacking unions, eliminating equal rights laws, eliminating health care for millions of Americans, and taking the total and opposite view on everything Obama does or proposes.
Mitch McConnell said “Our Top Priority is to make Obama a one term president”.
Greed and an unquenchable thirst for power has taken control of what once was the Grand Old Party.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:02 am
This used to be a blog with access to UFO and extraterrestrial information. I am rapidly losing my patience.
I will admit you can’t find stuff like what came in yesterday. But I for one would like some clarification.
Marvin
April 24th, 2012 at 7:02 am
When will you liberals stop bringing out this tired argument? The House has produced many jobs bills, budgets and other proposals and the Senate will not bring them to the floor.
We’ve had a democratic senate and white house. When one level of government won’t be heard and nothing they propose gets debated, nothing gets done. As for Mitch McConnells statement, who cares? Most all Conservatives feel the same way. ABO in 2012.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:04 am
What War on Women?
The men of the Republican party would first have to care about women at all before they would be able to focus on waging a war.
Right now they’re just doing what’s convenient. Slashing funding. Removing bothersome laws. making sure to limit a woman’s reach least she try to compete in the man’s world.
Read the rhetoric of the Republican candidates.
They want women to stay at home. To raise the kids at home.
No independent income. Completely dependent on the man to provide for the family.
That’s what they want. Now how does that fit into to the reality of the American family of today?
Yeah.
And you wonder why Republicans seem to pursue agendas and make decisions that are totally removed from the reality of the majority of American families.
It’s because the Republicans are not building an America for the majority of Americans. They are building an America for a select few and if we are good they’ll allow the rest of us to stay.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:05 am
It’s always the same old story with you lazy liberals, you feel like someone owes you a living instead of taking care of yourselves.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:05 am
I wouldn’t call it a GOP “War” on women. Maybe more of a GOP “Assault” on Women.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:06 am
Mildred, it’s part of the Florida’s Don’t Stand Your Ground Law for women.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:14 am
Is Hot Yoga Safe?
You don’t normally have to warn people about yoga. But in this case, I feel I must.
There’s a trendy kind of yoga that’s getting a lot of attention and that a lot of people are trying. It’s called “hot yoga,” a name that sounds almost soothing, like a relaxing sauna or a warm bath.
And if you’ve ever tried a regular beginner’s yoga class, you may assume that hot yoga is similarly gentle.
But don’t be deceived. Hot yoga is definitely not for beginners—it’s a much more intense form of yoga. That’s exactly what some people love about it—
but the flip side is, hot yoga is so intense that it can quickly lead to dehydration…fainting…cramping…heatstroke…and muscle injury.
Like I said, it’s intense. But there are good things about hot yoga, too, so I called Diana Zotos, a certified yoga instructor and physical therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, to talk it over.
I wanted to find out how you could practice hot yoga safely—and who should avoid practicing it altogether.
TURNING UP THE HEAT
Zotos told me that she initially became concerned about hot yoga when clients came to her complaining about shoulder or knee pain after attending hot yoga classes. So, what was going on?
Hot yoga is performed in a room that’s heated to between 90º and 105ºF.
The practice actually originated back in the 1970s with Bikram yoga, one very specific type of hot yoga that consists of 26 poses performed at 105ºF in 40% humidity for 60 to 90 minutes.
However, today the definition of “hot yoga” has expanded so broadly that it has come to include virtually any type of yoga practiced in a hot room where the instructor simply cranks up the thermostat.
The theory behind hot yoga is that performing poses in a heated environment enhances your ability to stretch (which makes you more limber) and increases circulation and sweating (which makes it more of a cardiovascular workout and encourages your body to release toxins).
The potential problem with hot yoga isn’t the poses themselves—which often are the same ones that you would perform in any other yoga class—
it’s that the heat adds a new dimension, in that it puts more strain on your cardiovascular system.
This is probably not an issue if you’re young and fit—but as you grow older and/or if you have a chronic health problem (such as diabetes, heart disease, high or low blood pressure, arthritis or other joint problems, balance issues or a history of heat-related problems),
you need to be more careful because you’re more vulnerable to the following health problems.
As the heat causes you to sweat, you become dehydrated faster than you normally would, which can lead to heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Other possible effects are cramping, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, headaches, dry skin, constipation and more.
And because heat makes you feel like you can stretch more deeply into poses, it gives you a false sense of flexibility, which can lead to muscle strains or joint damage.
That’s what led Zotos’s clients to injure themselves before they spoke with her.
And, Zotos told me, when people sign up for hot yoga classes, they aren’t necessarily told about the intensity of the workout or the health risks.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR COOL
If you have one of the chronic medical conditions mentioned above or another condition that might affect your response or endurance during exercise, Zotos said, be sure to check with your doctor before trying hot yoga, because it may simply be too dangerous for you.
And even if you’re healthy, if you’re a yoga novice over age 40, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor first because our muscles become weaker and less flexible as we age—
your doctor might advise you to start with a regular beginner’s yoga class and gradually work your way up to hot yoga.
You can also ask a hot yoga instructor to let you sit in on a class before trying one—most will allow this.
If you do decide to try hot yoga, keep these safety rules in mind…
Hydrate.
You’re going to sweat plenty, so drink plenty of water before class and avoid dehydrating beverages such as coffee or alcohol in the hours before class.
Also bring a bottle of water to the class and continue sipping throughout the session.
Listen to your body.
If you can’t keep up with the class, it’s OK. Don’t force your body into poses that are too advanced, and don’t hold poses beyond the point of comfort, or you’ll risk straining your muscles. Ask your teacher about modified (easier) moves.
When in doubt, STOP.
Excessive sweating can set the stage for dangerous heat-related conditions such as cramps, heat exhaustion or even heatstroke.
If you feel faint, dizzy, nauseous or overheated, stop immediately and leave the heated room so you can sit down and drink water in a cooler environment.
If necessary, ask your yoga instructor to call for medical attention.
Source: Diana Zotos, yoga instructor and physical therapist, rehabilitation department, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:16 am
I hear the GOP motto is, “Corporations are PEOPLE my friend. Women? Not so much.”
April 24th, 2012 at 7:17 am
You bleeding heart liberals are always complaining about something. Nice to see a politician who understands his responsiblity to the taxpayers and how their money is spent.
Preventing a duplicate program is a start. Political expediency isn’t a priority for Scott. He’s in the governor’s mansion for a reason.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:18 am
Some of you lazy liberal freeloaders seem to have a misconception of what these socalled “Rape Crisis Centers” are for. They are for counciling not law enforcement.
These centers are funded by the taxpayer. These same services are provided by private instiutions. The taxpayers owe you nothing.
If there is something you want or need, simply get a job and provide for yourself.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:22 am
This country is so full of Right wing nuts it is down right scary. I read this in an HP article.
=================
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio plans to release new findings in his ongoing investigation of President Obama’s birth certificate, which he believes is a forgery.
In an interview with birther-friendly website World Net Daily, the self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff” in America said he would soon hold a press conference to reveal new evidence that he believes will prove that Obama’s birth certificate and Selective Service documenation are fabrications.
Arpaio, who is currently the subject of a Department of Justice probe investigating charges of racial profiling against Hispanics within his office, told the website that he has no intention of leaving his post, even as he faces a federal trial.
“I have no intention of resigning,” Arpaio said. “They forget I have a four decades-long career in federal law enforcement.”
=========================
America’s weakest sheriff trys in vane too grab another fifteen minutes. What a rube.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:24 am
Alaska Birther Launches ‘Sovereign’ Attack on ‘Mulatto’ Obama
by Leah Nelson
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2012/02/24/alaska-birther-launches-sovereign-attack-on-mulatto-obama/
April 24th, 2012 at 7:27 am
Jason Smith said,
ON FEBRUARY 24TH, 2012 AT 5:43 PM
The 14th amendment is not legitimate. Please hear me out. The rules are that in order to pass an amendment two-thirds of the House and Senate approve of the proposal and send it to the states for a vote. Then, three-fourths of the states must affirm the proposed Amendment.
But! After the Civil War, Congress set up puppet legislatures in the occupied Southern States. These representatives were not elected by the people of those states. Do you remember from your history books how Blacks filled the legislatures of Southern states during Reconstruction? How can that be? Well, Congress passed a law making it illegal for combatants who fought against the Federal government to vote. This was literally all White men of the South. Thus White men couldn’t vote. Also remember that women were not allowed to vote until the 1920’s. Thus White women couldn’t vote.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were not passed according to the rules of the Constitution. Because many states were occupied by Federal troops and the legislatures were gerrymandered puppet legislatures, thus skewing the requirement of 3/4 state legislatures passing a new constitutional amendment.
Thus I contend that Blacks are not citizens. The Dread Scott decision of the Supreme Court still stands.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:30 am
Anon#20 is a paranoid, delusional, lunatic! But than again, ALL White supremacists are like that.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:33 am
Arpaio is just trying to create a diversion and smokescreen from the legitimate issues that he is facing, which could result in a conviction and a prison term. Wouldn’t that be poetic…
April 24th, 2012 at 7:34 am
“They forget I have a four decades-long career in federal law enforcement.”
We’d all like to forget that Joe.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:34 am
Board of supervisors coming down on Joe.
Joe: Launches investigation against board of supervisors.
Judges in Maricopa County coming down on him
Joe: Launches investigation of judges in Maricopa county.
Department of Justice coming down on him
Joe: Launches investigation of president
April 24th, 2012 at 7:41 am
I am tired of Ann Romney pretending she knows what it is like to be a stay at home mom.
I love the fact that there are also women out there that don’t have a choice and they must go to work and they still have to raise the kids,” Romney said. “Thank goodness that we value those people too. And sometimes life isn’t easy for any of us.”
Yeah, she loves that she can stay home and hire people to tend to the kids then call herself a stay at home mom.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:43 am
Too bad it’s an option only for women in her pay grade. I doubt that Ms Romney has ever experienced working and motherhood as most women have which makes her comments for lack of a better word, elitist.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:44 am
I’m new here. I came for the ET material. Will someone please explain the TAO to me.
Lewis
April 24th, 2012 at 7:46 am
Trudy, you said a mouthful. Ms. Romney, you are starting to piss me off. You are a rich mans wife, nothing more.
What I would have given for the luxury of staying home to raise my children!! And now, my daughter, age 30 is pregnant with her first and worried about how to pay the bills when she has to take maternity leave with no pay.
She and her husband are both teachers and they were just turned down for a mortgage because they didnt make enough money! and they both have excellent credit.
She gets four weeks maternity leave and then must leave her newborn with someone else just to try to eke out a living. Ann Romney, you really really piss me off.
April 24th, 2012 at 7:59 am
Most of the republicans could care less about the people or the environment they live in. Why women help elect that fat slob Christie in New Jersey is beyond imagination.
“Governor Christie has taken the side of polluters over the lungs of the people of New Jersey.”
Game, set match……
True to his GOP core – ignore the environment – act like it’s disposable…
April 24th, 2012 at 8:01 am
I like a lot of what Christie has done, but sometimes he puts Republican ideals ahead of what is good for the citizens of our state. That may make him a one term governor.
He has done that with medical marijuana and the EPA. Come on Christie, stand up for the citizens of New Jersey and not your Republican friends.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:01 am
Another great move by Christie, just like his canceling of that wasteful tunnel project. Once again, Christie proves he is on the side of taxpayers. Looking forward to another 4 years with him as Gov!
April 24th, 2012 at 8:06 am
I agree with the posters who say Bush did a terrible job as president. He did. But Bush has been out of office for nearly a full term. Instead of the economy recovering it has sunk further and there is no denying that.
Although the pundits backing Obama like to throw out that unemployment is down, it isn’t. The national debt has more than doubled and is staggering and scarey to intelligent people who know that it will have to be repaid.
With 1/2 the people in this country paying all the income tax paid in, I can’t really envision a solution. Point is that Bush was bad, but to be honest, it has gotten worse in this very critical point in our financial problems.
I wonder if there is a point of no return in the economy and honestly how close we are to that point. It is scarey.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:07 am
President Obama’s biggest fault that has pretty much stalled his presidency is he either foolishly or cynically considers Republicans to be loyal Americans.
That one huge blind spot has turned his first term into a net negative overall.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:12 am
Unrewarding Rewards Cards
Posted by Marjory Abrams on Apr. 18, 2012 in Money
I was surprised to receive a letter last week addressed to my 20-year-old daughter, who is away at college, thanking her for signing up for a new credit card for a clothing store she likes.
She already has a copy of one of our credit cards she uses to cover extra expenses, so it didn’t make sense to me that she would be signing up for an additional card.
When I asked her about it, she was almost as surprised as I was. She thought she’d signed up for a membership card that gives you store discounts similar to what you get at a supermarket, not a credit card.
Given that my daughter was feeling “bait and switched,” it was even more ironic when I saw, in working on this blog entry, that the top three synonyms for the word “rewards,” are plunder, loot and booty.
Are these banks really trying to benefit cardholders, or plunder us…and steal our loot for their booty?
We quickly cancelled the card and had no problem doing so with the issuing bank. They even erased the $5 balance (which neither the bank representative nor my daughter could explain) with very little fuss.
So why bother writing about this now? Two important lessons…
1. Pay attention to your mail. Open everything – even if it looks promotional and you don’t think you’re interested. I almost put this envelope straight into the recycling, and would have missed the notification altogether.
2. Talk to your kids about personal finance. Kids need to learn different lessons at different ages. I didn’t realize until this encounter that it was time to explain about understanding the fine print of what you sign up for. Lesson given, and learned.
Financial advisor Tom Henske of Lenox Advisors founded the firm’s Money Smart Kids program. Click here for a link to their list of recommended resources for parents to educate kids on financial issues.
I encourage young adults (in their 20s and 30s) to sign up for Ramit Sethi’s blog for his “no BS” money advice, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.”
TAGS: credit card, rewards card, bait and switch, money smart kids, store membership, personal finance, Tom Henske, Ramit Sethi, Margie Abrams, Marjory Abrams
April 24th, 2012 at 8:20 am
I respect and admire the President of the United States of America. He has faced Herculean tasks compounded by seemingly insurmountable odds.
There are obviously far too many criteria involved to rubber-stamp “performance” — President Obama’s day-to-day responsibilities are truly incomprehensible and way too complicated to grade collectively.
However, in the interest of robust debate, in my opinion it is nearly impossible to conceive of anyone currently upon the public stage doing a better job than President Obama — and most certainly NOT a single representative of the inchoate repugnant-can’t “party of self-service”.
All debate about the budget and spending and the deficit should begin and end with these criminal wars — and how these wars so graphically illustrate pure, unmitigated capitalistic greed.
For sheer classiness and aplomb, my President has earned a solid B+ in my estimation.
For accomplishment — against all odds — my President is above average, with a solid C+, despite the worst roadblocks that these hateful repugnant-can’ts try to throw in the pathway towards our Country’s continuing recovery towards prosperity.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:21 am
I give him an A+, after what Bush left behind and not getting help from the right, he did an excellent job, he’s got my vot
April 24th, 2012 at 8:23 am
I see Obama’s term differently. Obama promised to unite America. He divided us in every possible way including gender race and class.
Obama said he was a constitutional law professor and would not use executive priveledge . He uses it constantly.
Obama promised all his dealings would be transparent. He is the most secretive president ever.
Obama criticized Bush for overspending.Obama just keeps giving away our money and borrowing more.
Obama criticized the war. He escalated our involvement in Afghanistan.Ithink his term was a heartbreaking failure.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:25 am
President Obama has done a remarkable job considering what he inherited as he stepped into the job.
The previous 8 years of moronic republican policies drove this country into a ditch.
It’s laughable how people so easily forget that when Bush II took office we had a balanced budget with a surplus.
The President will win his second term because currently the only thing standing in his way is a moron who can’t decide where he stands on the issues.
My only hope is that in his second term President Obama will take the gloves off and throw caution to the wind.
It wouldn’t hurt if people would get their heads out of their A#**$* and get rid of the economic Terrorists known as the Tea Party Republicans.
They are the real reason nothing is getting done now.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:27 am
I will like to let you know that Obama has traveled all over the world for America’s interest, calling on european to save the Euro so it does not affect the us markets.
One other thing you are accusing his supporters of not paying debts how do you know? Make an intellectual argument not just assumptions: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/the-taxes-americans-really-pay-in-two-graphs/2012/04/16/gIQA6o4yLT_blog.html
On the debt you don’t question what he inherited you only focused on how it has doubled…and forgetting that members of congress want US soldiers to stay in Afghanistan and skyrocket the deficit as defence budget is rising.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:28 am
President Obama has done a good job as stated here. My only beef is this…he should stop
focusing on “bipartisanship”. Many of those to his left or right don’t want him to succeed. His
supporters need to be more active!
Come election, vote……………..the best way to send a message. Your “x” is the best way
to silence the naysayers.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:29 am
Given the circumstances and what Obama’s had to work with, he’s done a good job.
President Obama has worked hard for this country no matter what his critics say or would like us to believe.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Obama is an excellent and moving speaker. He has graced our Television sets hours on end. But, Obama spent more time running around, campaigning and fund raising for fellow democrats and himself than he did working on our economy and unemployed.
He wasted millions with his stimulus plan that could have gone to the jobless that have given up on looking for a job, put us further into debt and did not help the unemployed as he promised.
He apologized about our nation to nations that can’t begin to compare with us. In all this time he has not put out a budget and in the first two years could have done so totally unopposed.
He has put us into a debt that we will only be able to pay on the interest for over fifteen years. Much longer if he continues to put us further into debt. Otherwise, he is an ok president.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Worst since Carter.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:35 am
Awesome article, Professor! For me, President Obama deserves an A+++++++++++++++++++.
Not just for accomplishing all of the many things that no other president has done.
But for doing them all with style, class, sophistication and…(when dealing with the GOTP)…the patience of Job.
April 24th, 2012 at 8:39 am
I want to know what is with the all the snow in the NorthEast?
Are aliens doing something?
Now that the man who was knowledgeable about all things alien is gone, who will pick up the slack?
What will become of this site’s reputation for being the place for true alien knowledge?
What’s up Michelle?
I know you said that you would be too busy to answer individual questions. But this is HUGE!
Charles
April 24th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Newt is abusing the tax payers again. He is costing taxpayers $40,000 a day in Secret Service expenses.
Once a presidential candidate has been given Secret Service protection only the candidate can decide that his presidential candidacy is over.
Janis
April 24th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Looks like the Right wing contributor is following the suit of the rest of their ilk. Paying to play crooked.
========================
NEW YORK — Allegations that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. covered up the findings of an internal probe that proved its Mexican subsidiary bribed officials in that country could have huge implications for the world’s biggest retailer and its executives.
The alleged bribery scheme was revealed by The New York Times, which reported that Wal-Mart failed to notify law enforcement after the company’s investigators found evidence of millions of dollars in bribes given to Mexican officials in exchange for getting building permits faster and other favors to help it aggressively expand in the region.
======================
Typical of the Tea Party Walmart Waltons bribing anyone they can to get what they want.
BP getting criminal charges in their Gulf murder scam.
I hope the Koch Tbaggers are next.
April 24th, 2012 at 9:28 am
This will get me in trouble but I’m going to say it anyhow. Those Blacks who areprominent members of the Republican party are by and large those who have attained some wealth and think the Republican party will protect it.
April 24th, 2012 at 9:33 am
Did you hear Chris Matthews refer to some members of the Republican Party as “the Grand Wizard crowd?”
He said it and it seems true, the birthers, those that make racial negative comments are the heart and soul of the republican party.
April 24th, 2012 at 9:34 am
I agree with you CG. I hate that Michael Steele refuses to acknowledge the racism in his party. But I guess if he did so he wouldn’t be able to defend being a member.
April 24th, 2012 at 9:35 am
Mathews is spot on ! Which is why I and many other Republicans have left the party !
April 24th, 2012 at 9:37 am
I was rolling last night when I saw that. Steel was livid. Matthews was right. Glad he stuck to his guns and brought up the crazy birthers where Michael became silent with no comeback.
It has to be hard for many republicans to be republicans these days. It has to be extremely difficult to be in that party and be black. I guess Michael could rightfully be called a man of steel.
April 24th, 2012 at 10:12 am
About the Wells Fargo shareholder meeting in San Francisco:
Demonstrators plan to march to the site of the meeting near the bank’s headquarters in the financial district from a nearby park. Dozens of San Francisco police are in the streets and guarding the entrance to Merchants Exchange Building, where the shareholder meeting is being held. Bank stockholders were being asked to show certificates or other proof of ownership before being allowed past gates that have been erected.
The shareholder meeting is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. PST (20:00 GMT)
/SB
April 24th, 2012 at 10:19 am
Congress is preparing to soon vote on the Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). This broad legislation would give the government, including military spy agencies, unprecedented powers to snoop through people’s personal information — medical records, private emails, financial information — all without a warrant, proper oversight or limits.
CISPA is worse than SOPA.
Please oppose CISPA by a simple click on the link below. It automatically finds your lawmaker’s phone number and provides you with a very short script to say. (I actually got a live person at my rep (Woolsey’s) office.)
I urge you to join me and PLEASE TAKE TWO SECONDS to protect your freedom.
http://act.demandprogress.org/call/cispa_call/?akid=1320.1679174.ejt7Ug&rd=1&t=2
Thank you for your consideration.
/SB
April 24th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
SB I have joined. Thanks for the heads up.
April 24th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
The chevy Volt has won the car of the year in 2011 for America and this year has won 2012 car of the year in France.
The Right is lying so hard about the car in an attempt to destroy the success of GM to defeat Obama.
It is disgusting that they would destroy jobs, business, and sales generated by the car to keep Obama from having saved the industry in America.
Debbie
April 24th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Our conquest of outer space shall be a function of robotic technology for the next fifty years. Robots will build what we need to survive out there before we move there. Comfortable habitats will be waiting for us when we do. Our interactive robots will evolve into independent androids.
Heck, we may even run into Howie out there.
April 24th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Bluffing at Poker
Secrets the Pros Won’t Tell You
Poker players can’t always count on catching good cards. To win consistently, they must know how to bluff.
Bluffing doesn’t come naturally to some players—but surprisingly, it’s often players who are disinclined to bluff who bluff most effectively.
Opponents pick up on these players’ conservative nature and believe that they must truly have good cards when they raise, reducing the odds that their bluffs will be called.
Women have a big advantage when it comes to bluffing, too. Many male poker players believe female players don’t bluff.
How to bluff effectively…
HOLD OFF—AT FIRST
When you play poker against opponents who don’t know you well, the way you play early in the game has a substantial effect on whether your bluffs are believed. For the first hour, play very conservatively. Do not bluff at all.
WHEN TO BLUFF
After the first hour, bluff with approximately 5% of your hands. Any more than that, and the odds of getting caught quickly increase.
If you do get caught bluffing, bluff very rarely if at all for the remainder of the game—your opponents will be much more likely to call your bets once they catch you bluffing.
On the bright side, this makes it more likely that your bets will be called when you have good hands.
Helpful: Don’t bother bluffing in games where the stakes are so low that your opponents seem unconcerned about losing money and multiple players remain at the end of most hands.
It’s often very difficult to bluff effectively in friendly, low-stakes home games and at $1/$2 casino tables.
Select bluffing hands carefully, based on four factors…
Opposition. Bluff when all the players remaining in the hand are skilled, tight players—that is, they play well and play relatively few hands.
Unskilled players often are too stubborn or oblivious to fold even when you create the impression that you have a strong hand.
Table position.
It’s generally best to bluff when most or all of your fellow players must act before you. That way you can gauge your opponents’ strength before making your move.
Board.
In Texas Hold’em, the best opportunities for bluffing are when there’s a pair on the board or the potential for a straight or flush. Opponents easily can imagine that you caught a big hand.
Size of the pot. It’s not worth risking your conservative table image unless there’s a big financial upside.
MAKING YOUR BLUFF
Inexperienced players often tip off their bluffs by trying too hard to act like their hands are strong when they’re weak and vice versa.
Instead, think to yourself that you have the strong hand you’re trying to convince your opponents you have, then try to prevent your expression from betraying your happiness about this. The result will seem much more authentic.
When you bluff, the size of your bet should be similar to the amount that you would bet if you actually had the cards you are pretending to have.
Source: Sheree Bykofsky, a literary agent and professional poker player based in Brigantine, New Jersey, who hosts an annual poker boot camp for women in Albany, New York, sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
She won a World Series of Poker Ladies’ Circuit Event in Atlantic City and is coauthor of Secrets the Pros Won’t Tell You About Winning Hold’em Poker (Lyle Stuart). http://www.Shereebee.com
April 24th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
SAN FRANCISCO — A measure to abolish California’s death penalty qualified for the November ballot on Monday.
If it passes, the 725 California inmates now on Death Row will have their sentences converted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It would also make life without parole the harshest penalty prosecutors can seek.
Backers of the measure say abolishing the death penalty will save the state millions of dollars through layoffs of prosecutors and defense attorneys who handle death penalty cases, as well as savings from not having to maintain the nation’s largest death row at San Quentin prison.
Those savings, supporters argue, can be used to help unsolved crimes. If the measure passes, $100 million in purported savings from abolishing the death penalty would be used over three years to investigate unsolved murders and rapes.
The measure is dubbed the “Savings, Accountability, and Full Enforcement for California Act,” also known as the SAFE California Act. It’s the fifth measure to qualify for the November ballot, the California secretary of state announced Monday. Supporters collected more than the 504,760 valid signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot.
April 24th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
The use of cyber war to disrupt Iran’s oil production is going to backfire if the republicans have their say.
Just as Obama was prevented from altering his Secret Service, so was he prevented from controlling 50,000 line of software that made up this code.
Now every nation and every good hacker has that information. Because the republican won’t allow the government to regulate the loss of security and technological corporate secrets China and most any competent hacker has access to every business secret in the USA.
The republicans are willing to destroy the ability of the US to protect or defend itself to prevent Obama from being elected.
I really don’t think losing a few entitlements because I am white is worth losing our security for.
Usher
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