Ron Paul:Closet or Blatant Racist?

Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas who is running for the Republican nomination has made some racist remarks that he is now trying to avoid. Now the question is: Can we really have a president who is known to have biases toward groups of people who are American Citizens? Some of the rants include Ron Paul saying that the L.A. Riots only ended because Blacks had to go pick up their welfare checks. He has also said that there is no such thing as a hate crime which means that he see nothing wrong with Blacks, Jews, or Gays being attacked. He was also against Ronald Reagan for making Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a holiday. He called it hate "whitey" day. This congressman is also a medical doctor. He is responsible for treating patients and caring for lives! What would happen if you were a Black or Jewish patient? Would your life be worth saving? The media is not even asking that question in this blitz of information that has come forth. The American citizens has to really examine these candidates because your fate can be in the hand of these extremist.

Air Jordans: Christmas Gift or Curse

One of the greatest NBA players of all time Michael Jordan has not only made money on the court he  has made tons of money from his brand Air Jordan tennis shoe and athletic wear.  Most notable the tennis shoe Air Jordan that has always caused frenzy.  Back in the 1990's kids were killed for these shoes.  To have the shoe was like a badge of honor or status symbol especially in the low economic neighborhoods across the United States.
Now lets fast forward to 2011. The new Air Jordan XI is causing frenzy all across the nation and technically its not a new shoe! It"s a retro version of the shoe that came out in the 90's!.  There has been violence in Seattle and Atlanta at locations selling the shoes.  Some locations had to suspend sales and lock their doors. In Baltimore, MD  there have been incidents of police using pepper spray as well as other cities such as Richmond, California where gunshots rang out!  Reportedly, a man shot in the air to clear the crowd so he could get closer in line. Now if this is happening in the neighborhoods where kids who have them are around kids who do not have them and would do anything to get them? We are about to see, hear, and read about senseless violence over a materialistic item! In reality the Air Jordan tennis shoe only costs about $9.00 in materials to make. So you do the math on the mark up and profit margin.  It's ironic that during this season of Christmas that is supposed to symbolize giving, greed has crept in and led to this frenzy that will hurt or take human lives. Let's take precaution if you are partaking in acquiring of the Air Jordan XI.

Payroll Tax Obstruction

This recent sham that the Republicans are doing will put 160 million Americans in jeopardy of losing their tax break as well as causing those who have unemployment insurance to not receive an unemployment check.These people depend on that check to pay their rent, utility bills, food etc while they look for employment. To cut this money will cause some to choose between paying their electric bill or paying for their insulin. To play politics at such a time of need for Americans during this crisis is just unforgivable and unacceptable.
 The fact that they have come out and said that they will do anything to make President Obama look bad by creating a bad economic climate and preventing any viable solutions from passing is childish yet dangerous. There have been Senior Republicans even coming out slamming these so called "tea party" Republicans. The Wall Street Journal and other major news publications has come out and slammed these obstructionist also. Not only are they hurting the American people they are damaging the Republican Party. They can never come back from this debacle. They cannot be let of the hook. The news pundits and political analysts have to press these incompetent idiots when they are trying to spin this foolishness during interviews. The American public have to press with letters, emails, texts, tweets, etc to their congressional representatives expressing discontent. Go to these rallies and show your support. Most importantly, make sure you are registered to vote so you can Vote them out!

Class Warfare

President Obama is trying to push a much needed jobs bill and the obstructionist Republicans are trying to stop it calling it "class warfare." Now of course even a five year old knows the concept of fairness and it would go to say that the poor majority should not be paying the majority of the taxes,especially not more than the millionaires and billionaires. The problem is that this has been going on forever! its always been about the wealthy. These laws are designed so that they can keep their wealth. Now the the scam has been exposed and they want to scream class warfare. Lets not continue to fall for the scams and the shenanigans. The lower class has always suffered and needed jobs but now that it is affecting the middle class it is a problem? This is the same thing that happened with the drug epidemic.  It was not a problem unit it affected the middle class. Well with this problem everyone is affected but there is a cure......Jobs! Jobs can be created but they have been outsourced. Lets hold these companies accountable. Lets fix these broken bridges and highways. We can improve on our mass transit and rail system nationwide. This would create jobs with the construction as well as maintaining and operating these new and improved mass transit systems. Stop with the lies Republicans. Lets not fall for the obstructionist Republican Rhetoric.  Lets get behind this bill and push our local congress and senate to do whats is right and fair.

The Death Penalty.......Fair Justice?

The Troy Davis case has sparked wide world debate over the fairness of the death penalty in America. We have clearly seen that it is flawed with human error. We are suppose to be a model of humanity for the world but yet in 2011 we are still committed barbaric acts in the name or guise of justice. This has to be addressed or it will continue to happen. Thanks to groups such as the Innocence Project, Amnesty International, and Al Sharpton's National Action Network this case and other alike have come to light. But what does this mean to the average citizen in the state of Georgia and Texas who could easily face a similar fate? This has to be a wake up call for action against the unfair life and death call of the justice system. No man shall possess that much power especially when it has been proven that they have been in error. We have to press for change through the legislative process. The aforementioned groups will be pushing for this to be on a bill that is pushed through congress. Lets follow and support this cause.

Profit Over Humanity

There is a lot of money being made in the United States of America but is it benefiting the people? We are operating on a system of what I call is "Profit Over Humanity." We will value profits of money more than the value of a human being. Lets start with the manufacturing and sale of cigarettes. Cigarettes causes cancer and deaths in this country at an all time high but they are still allowed to make them sell them, and make huge profits from them at the expense of peoples health. They even attach a surgeon general label telling of the dangers. Now lets not say people have a choice because we know the power of advertising media and addiction. The tobacco companies were already fined and exposed for making ads that were targeting children. They had already being doing that for over twenty years so the vulnerability was already in play. Now how come we could not just stop it? Huge profits to the companies which equals tax dollars and payoffs for the government.
Another way the Profit Over Humanity has occurred is because of companies being allowed to move their business over seas for cheap labor. Companies like NIKE for example were using child labor and poor work conditions in the form of sweat shops. It cost just $9 in material to make a NIKE shoe. The kids they had working were barely getting that much per day. This is not the only company. There are about 18,000 companies with off shore status which saves them money but we lose jobs here in America. When you call your cell phone company you are talking to rep in India. These are customer service jobs that we could have here. As long as companies are allowed to do this those customer service and manufacturing jobs will never come back to America.

Can You Afford to Retire?

Retirement is something that most people perceive to happen around the age of 65 but there has been a new trend emerging as a result of the economy and people living longer.  Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies reports that 39% of people said they will work past 70! People are saying that they can't afford to retire at 65 because their retirement and social security is not enough to live on. Another 54% said they would work until at least age 69. These are things that we must think about and plan for. We sometimes take these things for granted if we are already in a comfortable position financially. Are you planning for retirement? Do you have a backup plan?
 Your Health is your Wealth. Staying healthy should be part of your plan as to maintain your longevity to work if you had to and to decrease the amount of medical bill debt with no workable income coming in. Also create alternative income streams not just your job and savings. Wealthy people(46%) with 3 million in investment assets  said they will continue to work in retirement! These are people with millions so what happens to the average working person who does not have that. We have to "read the tea leaves" and plan accordingly. Out of those with the 3 million in assets only 49% of them said they would leave an inheritance to their children. Some feel you will need at least $250,000 in retirement savings to survive after retirement. Can you afford to Retire?

No Teacher Left Behind

Job security was never a problem when it came to the teaching profession but in 2011 the security is not there. There has been a decrease in job security in the teaching profession due to misinterpretation of the No Child Left Behind Act, flaws and inconsistencies of that Act, budget shortfalls, etc. This has not only caused Teachers to be unstable in keeping there job but the most damaging effect is on the student who suffers from inconsistency in the classroom coupled with now overcrowding.
Let us examine some of the facets of this problem. For example, there is a formula that was used in Baltimore City Public Schools to save money by decreasing the payroll. This plan was veiled as if it was a recommendation coming from the No Child Left Behind Act. The district would say that the teachers were under performing  or did not have credentials. They would create a solution which was to import teachers in from the Philippines and pay them less. Now this created a situation in which the students were in classroom with teachers who could barely speak the language and had absolutely no classroom management skills which lead to massive classroom disruption. This equal no learning. Some of these teachers would quit under the pressure of the disruptive student. Now the district would put a long term sub in that position for the remainder of the school year thus saving even more money. The result of the student is that they did not effectively learn due to the inconsistency and the incompetency.
Another formula that is being widely used is just to hire long term subs from the beginning. For example, if there is a teacher who has been teaching 12 years and apply to work in a new system, they will not get paid at their current step. There has been a salary cap placed on new hires in systems all across the country. They would only pay up to 5 years on the salary scale although you have worked for 12 years. This means that you have now taken a pay cut. A principal told me that they could hire 2 first year teachers for the price of i veteran teacher. They then went on to say they could just hire 4 long term subs for the price of 1 veteran teacher! They would save money because there would be no benefit package for the subs and they would not get paid for the holidays. This makes the principals look good to the district officials for saving money in the budget. In some cases the principals feel that they have to do this to save their own job. All of this once again has damaging effects on our students and this spills over into our larger society. There are real dedicated teachers ho are being left behind due to these formulas of saving money. This problem must be exposed and addressed to prevent the further dismantling of our education system.

The Loss and Return Of Civil Liberties

In the U.S. Constitution citizens are granted certain rights and civil liberties especially when it comes to movement at home and abroad. We also had rights of privacy through our communication but all of that came to an end on 9/11/01. The implementation of the Patriot Act allowed for people to be held without due cause but rather suspicion. You could simply be accused of being a terrorist or connected to one and you could be detained for years without any contact or phone call to family members. There were multiple ethnic groups with similar religious backgrounds and skin color now lumped together and stereotyped which made them targets of public scrutiny, humiliation, and some times violence. People who are from Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, etc...were now facing scrutiny and suspicion from other American citizens. I say other because these too are American citizens and most of whom were born in America. African Americans in this country should be familiar with how that scrutiny feels. This unfair treatment was driven by fear and had serious consequences on daily life for Americans.

Air travel had changed for the worst as it related to time for travel due to heightened security. Passports are now need for travel from the U.S to places such as Jamaica, Mexico , and Canada when before all you needed was a birth certificate. People began to feel violated by the intrusive nature of the search process at the airport from aggressive groping to full body x-rays. Citizens were no longer living with the civil liberties granted to us by the U.S. Constitution. Although this was happening it was a slow process that some did not recognized because they co-signed to this because of fear and probably rightfully so. This leads us to now the recovery of these rights and liberties due to the U.S. success in killing Osama Bin Laden.

 This was a great day for the families and the world. President Obama did a great job and displayed great ingenuity and execution to accomplish this task. Where does this leaves us with getting some of these rights back? Should travel be eased as far as the security measures? Should the Patriot Act be revised, amended, or abolished? Should we remain in the same state of paralysis as far as movement about the country and abroad? Are we going to obtain our original rights and civil liberties? Should we?

Is the U.S. Prepared for a Tsunami?

The recent catastrophe in Japan has raised concerns here in the United Sated about the level of preparedness in the wake of a similar disaster. Well the answer is NO! There are fault lines along the west coast in the ocean that could cause a Tsunami that would effect Canada, Washington State, Oregon, and Northern California. Japan was the most prepared country to deal with the earthquake and tsunami that just occurred and they still have face one of the worst disasters in human history. We do not even have the warning systems in place so what would happen to us? The East Coast is also vulnerable to a similar fate because of fault lines in the Atlantic Ocean.
 The preparation for these natural disaster must me taken serious and some things has to be put in place. We spend so much time in this country arguing over democrat vs republican, Black, vs, white, vs Latino etc, Gay vs.straight and a host of other descrepancies. These things do not mean anything if a disasters wipes everyone out. There are towns in Japan that has lost over half its population. A generation completely wiped out! I am not even focusing on the buildings and infrastructure but more so the human life. All of those ills and conflicts aforementioned has no significance in a time like this. In this country we need to put aside the petty conflicts and debates and focus on practical ways to preserve human life in wake of these disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Japan Earthquakes and Tsunamis. There is no conversation or budgets being implemented to address these issues of preparation and the discussion has to start now along with some real action plans. There are people still displaced from Hurricane Katrina which happen in 2005! What about he people who are still suffering in the aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake? All of these things can happen here and some has happen here. Are we prepare for further disaster?

Union Busting: The Dismantling of the Middle Class

The purpose of Labor Unions is to protect the workers. History taught us the need for these unions during the Industrial Revolution. During that period workers were forced to work in dangerous conditions for long hours and low wages. The creation of the Unions gave workers protection as well as a away to bargain for better pay called "collective bargaining." This created a somewhat level playing between the worker and the employer. Now the fact has been proven that there was a need and this also created a middle class and substantial working class as it relates to income.

The state of Wisconsin is trying to eliminate the unions under the veil of trying to balance their budget. Now this alludes to my theory of "Profit over Humanity" which I will expand on in a future writing. The break up of the union will have a detrimental effect on the workers ability to protect themselves from unfair labor practices by their employers or shall we say "Big Business" in some instances. History has shown us that companies will sacrifice the safety of their workers as well as their livelihood for a huge profit. I emphasize the phrase "huge profit" because these companies could still make a profit by giving the worker substantial pay, safe conditions, better benefits, etc..... however the companies want the 'huge' profit thereby creating greed. It is greed that would make a company demoralize its worker for profit.

The American working class has to come together on this issue in order to keep the protection of workers as well as their right to collective bargaining to maintain a livable wage in this topsy turvy economy. This include all teachers unions, labor unions, service employee unions, etc.... The people of Wisconsin has shown that you have to protest in order for people to even be aware of the issue that are affecting millions of Americans. If the Unions are dismantled you will definitely see an erosion of the middle class and working class families. Once it is gone it will be harder to reestablish.

The Change and Downfall of Education

In the recent years there has been a transformation all over the nation in the field of education. It has had some adverse effects on the student, parents, teachers, administrators, and society as a whole. There are various problems that can be addressed with this issue but for the sake of this article I will focus on just a few and not too extensively. The rest will be discussed in future blogs as well as an upcoming book. I want to focus how the mindset of today's student as it relates to a feeling of entitlement, no self accountability, and laziness.

Most students of today have poor work ethic. They do not try hard to complete task or go outside the box to acquire different resources to help themselves. The irony is that these resources are at their fingertips...literally! They have computers and smart phones. This allows them to access this information. When I was in high school we would have to go to the library and make copies of the books or check them out. Then we would have to go home and use a typewriter......and god forbid if you made a mistake in the middle of your paper...there was no backspace! You had to be on point to complete these tasks therefor being successful in school. Now imagine your child or other students of today in that situation....how would they fair? Allow me to bring this to life. I was teaching a class and gave a homework assignment to research Andrew Carnegie. The students came back and said that they could not find any thing on him. I just looked at them with a blank stare. I asked for all students who had computers at home to raise their hand. Every hand in the classroom goes up. I then ask them who had smart phones and more than half of the class hands goes up. I then tell them to take out their phones and go to google. I instruct them to type Andrew Carnegie in the search box. They all look as the info pops up on their phone. So this is very prevalent in today's classrooms all over the country. What is going to happen when this is the mindset of our Doctors in a critical situation? We already see how some of our government officials are acting....could you imagine this mindset running our country? Making decisions for you when you are elderly? This is and will have an adverse effect on society.

There is also a sense of entitlement with today's youth. They really feel that they are suppose to have these expensive items like the smart phones and computers which they do not even use to the best of their abilities as illustrated earlier. This has caused them not to try because they think it going to come to them because they are suppose to have it. This lack of initiative and laziness is going to have adverse effects on them if and when they graduate and face REAL LIFE situations.

The technology has been something that was suppose to launch us into this information age and bring students the world to their monitors. It was suppose to be a tool to further s students educational ability but now it serve as the number one distraction. Students are not focused in classrooms because they are not being visually stimulated as they are with their phones,laptops, ipod's, and video games. Teachers have to really change the way they teach. I use technology as far as using power point instead of a chalk board. I also show mini video clips and documentaries. When I assign homework it is Internet based. These are just a few things that has to be done to deal with the changes in the way our youth receive information effectively. I would love to assist any teacher or school with how to achieve better results with better Best Practices. Feel free to contact me at shawnmurry1@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog. Parents must take control of the media that their children are being exposed to. There should be limits to TV time. computer time, and video game time. Wow that was a lot of categories...when is it time for reading and studying?

New Ways of Making It

In my last blog I talked about the conventional methods of saving and investing money are now antiquated and simply does not work for the average American. I will now explore different ways of saving and investing and it starts with paying yourself. When you receive your pay check there should be a certain amount of money that you pay yourself. Your check is already taxed and then you go and buy items in the market place and you are yet taxed again. So when you wonder where is your money going it's going to the latter as well as you are confused to how much money you actually have and spend because we do not normally do tax calculations let alone calculate ATM fees and other hidden charges out there. Instead of going to the ATM machine go into the bank and make a withdrawal. Take out the amount equivalent to what you would have taken out the ATM in one week. Pay yourself the fees that you would have paid the bank in ATM fees. After 30 days calculate the amount you have earned in thirty days. That is YOUR interest that YOU have been paying the bank as a convenience fee for them to allow YOU to access YOUR own money! In addition if you do not have cash but have the debit card just make the purchase with the card. Change your habits and delete the ATM from your daily program. This is just one out of many ways to create more money for yourself as it related to savings.

Innovation and creativity is what you need to have in order for your money to work for you. There are people who are making money by buying and selling on EBAY. There are also are also people who have acquired merchandise and started their own online stores. I have even seen people who have a talent like writing poetry create a book of poetry and a website and published and sold there book as a result.These are just some examples of the creative ways of making money and there are many more....if you want to know more just contact me via email at shawnmurry1@gmail.com or leave a comment on here. So invest in yourself or better yet invest in GOLD! Yes the value of the dollar is based on GOLD. So it would be wise to by some ounces of gold to guarantee a solid return. Just check the market and you will agree.

Straight Talk: Saving and Investing Money has Changed

Straight Talk: Saving and Investing Money has Changed: "The American Dream....house with white picket fence, car, kids and a dog. Well nowadays our pursuit of this dream has turned into a nightmar..."

Saving and Investing Money has Changed

The American Dream....house with white picket fence, car, kids and a dog. Well nowadays our pursuit of this dream has turned into a nightmare but not just for the individuals but the entire system as a whole. More specifically the result of this is a paradigm shift in how to save and invest money. The conventional methods have changed and frankly do not work anymore. Lets examine 401k plans. Your job and the 401k plan was a sure investment into your retirement just 10 years ago but now its a disaster! You are losing money if you have a 401k ...just check your statements. Next up is the old reliable savings account. The savings account was promoted and sold like bread. Now if you look at the current rate of interest of a savings account it is 1%. If you maintain a daily balance of $3,000 for a year you will accrue $30! This is not an investment in savings. Some banks are paying out less than that with additional fees. Yes its bad but gets worst. Next up is the housing market. This was the most dependable investment of all time and was sold and promoted throughout the history of this country. To invest in a house now is the equivalent of buying a car that loses its value as soon as you drive off the lot. This has changed the way of life in America for many. People have lost and are loing their homes at an alarming rate as a result. The people who were successfully paying their mortgage still lost the value in their home and could not refinance on it. Now imagine the people who owned rental property that lost value and went into foreclosure. At this point the renters have now discovered that their landlord is in foreclosure and has no incentive to pay you if you are not even paying your own mortgage. You are now forced to cut and accept your losses and walk away because it is impossible to recover from it.

So as you can see the Savings and Investment model has changed as a result of the overall economy or the lack thereof. This could have all been avoided. This was a result of greed as well as a host of other nefariousness and deeds of ill repute. People have to re-create ways of investing and saving money which I will illustrate in an upcoming blog.

Global Warming......it must be Real!

The topic of Global Warming has been a controversial one in the past but the the evidence is mounting on the side of the "believers" with the change in weather patterns the last two years. Growing up in the Midwest(East St. Louis, Illinois) we had harsh winters as it relates to cold temperatures and pretty moderate snowfall but not too bad like our northern counterpart Chicago. I escaped the frozen tundra when I moved to Atlanta a.k.a "Hotlanta!" Yes this was nice weather with NO snowfall! The winters were very mild...a jacket at best. Well that was between 1994-1999.....now lets fast forward to 2011 and Atlanta is being hit with snowfall constantly as well as others cities in the south such as Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Shreveport, Little Rock, and a host of others. The weather pattern has definitely changed in this region.

Now I have also experienced living on the East Coast(D.C./Baltimore Area) and there was no real snow in Baltimore when I first arrived in 1999. The snow would always miss us. Well that soon changed. We started getting snow fall after 2000. Now lets fast forward to 2010 and 2011. In 2010 I missed almost two weeks of school working in D.C. as a teacher at a Charter School. It was then that I decided that I had enough of that lifestyle of being snowbound and getting cabin fever so I made a plan to move to a warmer climate. California! Southern California where it never rains....yeah right. When I moved here last summer it was not as warm and the locals would say that this was unusual but it was sunny and it did not rain for months when I first arrived here. But that soon changed as we suffered a rain slaughter for seven days in a row a month ago. Everyone was paralyzed it seemed. People were walking around in disbelief but not as bad as my former East Coast friends in D.C /Baltimore as well as the rest of the East Coast. So the evidence has proved that the patterns of weathers has changed. The causes could range from anything from Divine intervention to the shift of the Earth but it most be noted that there is a change. This has clearly proven that something is happening with the weather pattern. Is it Global Warming?