Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Sharks Out of Water

There are two grievous actions I would like to bring to your attention. The first one has to do with the, oh what a pittance and you had better be grateful for that of a cost of living raise you received, $3000 raise our Congressmen and Senators seem to believe they have earned. The second issue has to deal with the practice of these 'PayDay' loans. People are taking you for a ride, and the Brass will not provide a credit union for you.

The problem I have with the first issue is they claim they have no say[1] over the Blue Ribbon Committee who determines whether or not they receive a raise. This is a flat out lie. They can vote that raise down any day of the week. If they do not, then the raise goes forward. (The only one to vote it down[2] was a Democrat. What is happening to this world? Kudos where kudos is earned.)

On the other hand, it is like pulling teeth to get them to vote on a raise for our Military people. A Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) has to be voted on, whereas theirs does not. It is a millionaires club in our government.

I do not begrudge anyone having money but when they get in the way of the people who are truly earning the money so they can sit on their big, lazy butts and complain all the day long, well, that's where I draw the line. (Actually, I believe I draw a lot!)

I do not care which party they come from either. They are both hypocrites[3]. Are you aware that the averave pay per year is $25,000-$30,000! New York City bus drivers earn at least $65,000, and they go on strike. We need to start demanding more accountability from our elected officials. It isn't enough to just vote. We have to light a fire up under them.

NOW for the other issue. I could not believe my ears. Men are being rolled in broad daylight[4], and the Brass is allowing it to happen. For shame! Men, stop going to these sharks who want to loan you money. If you do not have the money, you Really cannot afford them!

Some people are getting caught in these traps where they end up paying several times more than they actually borrowed[5]. They are losing their families behind this. Do our men and women deserve to go to war to secure our future only to come home in debt?

If you believe this is a travesty, please call your Congressperson and Senators. Write letters to them and the president. Write to your hometown editor. Together we can conquer them. I believe this. Let's get to work on both of these issues.

I heard about this today as I listened to the radio while working on my template. I was listening to Gregg and Kevin of Pundit Review as they substituted for the Independent Guy at WRKO. They will be on the radio each day this week at 9am until noon, EST. They have their own program, also, on Sunday at 9pm until 10pm. You will be able to streamline both their programs. (Great job, guys!)

Sources: Pundit Review, Your Congress[1], ABC News[2], Town Hall[3], Consumer Affairs[4], and Seattle PI[5].