I'm HATIN': Because We The People Just Aren't That Organized

I received the email, enclosed below, this week, about what the American people should do regarding the debt crisis situation, and thought, "What a FANTASTIC idea... Now, if only we could come together to make it happen!"

Sad to say, but we, as American taxpayers and voters, are just not organized, passionate or pissed off enough to illicit the changes we wish to see, in how our country is run.


Here is the email:

Thought this was worth passing on....if it would only work!

I have totally cleaned this e-mail from all other names, sending it to you in hopes you will keep it going and keep it clean. This is something I will fight for and I hope you all read it all the way through. You will be glad you did.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!


I swear, I LONG for the day where we, the people, collectively say enough is enough, follow the footsteps of our ancestors and rebel/revolt against injustices done to us, each and every day, i.e. inappropriate taxation, inequality, racism (yes, it still exists, no matter how much we'd like to believe in the heavily marketed "Post-Racial Society") cuts to federal programs, healthcare, education... the list could go on forever.

I get excited at the thought of marching on Capitol Hill, boycotting in some major way or one day being able to say to my kids, kids, that this country was going to "hell and a handbasket" (random saying, I know, but that's what you say when you're old and you're kids have kids) and I took a stand to give them a better future.

Honestly, I want to pull out, my "Power Fist" afro hair pick, and not just for nostalgia!

But, the one thing that this otherwise AMAZING email is missing is the ACTION STEPS! Emailing it to eachother is just the beginning. After everyone has seen it, what then? How are we to get it passed? How are we to apply pressure and get what we want? Lots of questions, very little answers!

Keep HATIN' Alive, People!


Just for fun, I've also included, for your viewing pleasure, a HILARIOUS... but kinda sad, take on the debt crisis situation, as told by John Stewart and the Daily Show.

SMH

The Daily Show - Armadebtdon 2011 - Nonfiction Captain America
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

I'm HATIN': Summer Madness

Now that the summer is in full swing (almost over, as a matter of fact), there are a few happenings and running trends that should be stopped immediately, if not sooner, for the sake of all that is holy and non-stupid.

Fall into the HATIN’

Flash Mobs
Philadelphia this means you.

Leave it to the “City of Brotherly Love” to take something jovial and lighthearted and turn it into something violent and ridiculous. You’ve seen the stories… citizens being threatened, physically accosted and robbed at the hands of young boys and girls, who collectively plan, through use of social media outlets, attacks on City residents.

Where did we go so terribly wrong?

Historically, “Flash Mobs”are typically a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, and perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire (Wikipedia). When did it get violent?

I’ve actually seen a Flash Mob in action, first hand, and it is a bit terrifying. Hundreds of kids (aged 12-20 approximately) screaming, fighting each other in the streets or even running into people, like some sort of riot.

This must end. Flash Mobers, please find something constructive to do. Thanks!

Planking
This is just stupid. I’m almost tempted not to HATE on it because planking, if done correctly, is actually kinda funny. But the mere fact that people are dying as a result of this ridiculous act, leaves us just cause for HATIN’

As defined by Wikipedia, planking is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the Internet is an integral part of the game. “Plankers” compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play. The location should also be as public as possible, and as many people as possible should be involved.

Below, I’ve pictured some of my favorite planking shots.

Again, this seems like harmless fun but when people begin being hit by cars for planking across a three-lane highway or falling to their death as a result of planking on a balcony or fire escape, we must speak up.

SMH HATIN’

Livin’ the Lyrics
OK, so this may not be a new phenomenon, but it is seemingly making its way back to popularity so let’s attempt to “nip it in the bud” before this goes too far.

Now, I hear you asking, “What are ‘Livin’ The Lyrics’?” Good question.

“Livin’ The Lyrics” is when an individual incorporates language found in popular songs of the day into general conversation.

For example,

Gentleman 1: So, after you told your boss that you weren’t coming in, what did he say?
Gentleman 2: Oh, he flipped like he was “ON ONE*.” But he knows what time it is. I run this!

Or

Lady 1: So, how was your date last night?
Lady 2: Girl, he was straight trippin’. Acting like I’m not his Motivation*… But I made sure to let him know who Run The World*

*Songs referenced: I’m On One by DJ Khaled, Featuring Drake, Rick Ross and Lil’ Wayne; Motivation by Kelly Rowland and Run The World (Girls) by Beyonce.

Yea, it’s just that bad.

HATIN’ Since 1984

I’m HATIN’: Because bin Laden is “Dead” and We’re Still Up Crap’s Creek

You know I had to talk about Osama bin Laden!

In writing this post, I tried to wait until the fanfare surrounding his ALLEGED death, died down, to truly get to the bottom of this issue. With the US’ ‘Public Enemy’ number one now ALLEGEDLY dead, who will we blame EVERYTHING on?

The America public is gullible, The US government, liars and, therefore folks, I’m HATIN’

I’m not going to get into my thoughts on the details of Osama bin Laden’s SUPPOSED death, but more on what we’re going to do now that he is “out of the picture.”

I was listening to NPR (no judgment) last week and a gentleman by the name of Rob Schultheis, author of Hunting bin Laden: How al-Qaeda Is Winning the War on Terror, was on the air, discussing the recent news on bin Laden’s death, President Obama’s decision to keep American troops in Afghanistan and what the US can expect as retaliation from al-Qaeda. Yes, retaliation is inevitable... or use of fear tactics surrounding retaliation is inevitable. But moving on… Mr. Schultheis said something in that interview that REALLY resonated with me and spoke to me on another level, and, as a result good HATERS, I’ve had an A-HA moment. In the interview, he mentioned that al-Qaeda is winning the ‘War on Terror’ by hitting the US where it really hurts; our capitalist wallets.

Let’s break this down, shall we?

Schultheis explained that the 9/11attacks, known worldwide as a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001, outside of killing thousands of Americans, has cost the US more, financially, than it cost the terrorist to plot and execute.

Think about it; the US has spent billions of dollars trying to rebuild and repair much of New York City, where the towers fell; medication for those directly affected, i.e. fireman, police officers, etc.; going to war (which we are still fighting, by the way); enhancing and beefing up airport security; training pilots on how to fight against terrorist take-over; and hiring special agents to fly the not-so-friendly skies, as a safeguard. The list could go on forever, just tallying up what we now spend on American safety. It may have taken a few years to plan and thousands of dollars (maybe even millions) to assault the US, but we’re the ONLY ones still paying for it, almost 10 years later.

Think about how even smaller-scale, planned attacks have affected us… chemical warfare, anti-terror raids, missile attacks, etc. – We’re paying for that too.

From this interview, I realized that we are being attacked in the smartest way imaginable… by fear and by weakening our own economy. Spending money we don’t have and relying on other countries for resources foreign to our own territories.

As of May 6, 2011, the Total Public Debt Outstanding of the United States of America was $14.32 trillion, meaning that we are borrowing more than 40 cents of every dollar we spend. That’s INSANITY (bet your credit debt isn’t looking so bad, right about now).

Terrorists understand that the US has an exhausted military and expense account and are taking advantage of that. What’s worse, we’re helping them. Our recession, almost new-age depression, may be a terroristic attack and we don’t even recognize it.

So, while people are concerned with the REAL story about Osama bin Laden’s death, body buried at sea and how the US has “won,” our dollar is weakening, the poverty rate is increasing and we’re showing our vulnerability by breathing easy at the “death” of a leader and assuming that the hate, ideologies and plans weren’t passed along to those who formerly followed.

Silly U.S., Terrorism doesn’t work that way… It’s not for kids!

Oh, So HATIN

I'm on Facebook at work too... But, In my defense, I am NOT in charge of running a country

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaks while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire Monday night as the House convened to vote on a new budget. (AP)

The guy sitting in the row in front of these two....he's on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores.

And these are the folks that couldn't get the budget out by Oct. 1. The same ones in control of your health care, cap and trade, etc. This is how they spend one of their 3-DAY WORK WEEKS that we all pay for (salary is about $179,000 per year, per person).

Certifiably HATIN'

I’M HATIN’: Because Technology is Making Us as Dumb as a Box of Rocks

Technology is making all of us dumb and dumberer.

I’ve been struggling with this post for some time now and am not so sure how to capture all of my anger, frustration and general confusion over the subject except to say, we are being stupefied by technology and are too dumb to know or care about it. And for that, my friends, I’m HATIN.’

I’ll try to make this post short and sweet seeing that, through research, I found out that most Americans, teen aged through adult years, only have a span of about 8 seconds for focused attention… 20 minutes for sustained attention, which is the level of attention that produces consistent results on a task over time… like reading this blog.

Technology is a double-edged sword. It is great in that it fuels the progression of our society, makes life easier through use of machines and devices and creates an air of possibility, posing the question of “what will they think of next?” But we have to ask ourselves, at what cost will all of this have on future generations.

Today’s millennials, also known as the “Google Generation,” are most at risk. In reading over a dozen articles/news stories about this topic, one conclusion is clear; today’s youth don’t know the basics of what most of us know (or should know). Now, I hear you asking, ‘well, what exactly don’t they know?’, so I’ve created a list of daily “do’s” that today’s teens should be familiar with, but aren’t. If you are a teenager and are reading this blog, I, a) want to applaud your attention skills, and b) implore you to review this list and rate yourself honestly against it. Today’s kids don’t know (and probably will never learn) how to:

• Read maps (GPS has that covered, I guess)


• Convert simple measurements, i.e. cups to quarts, tablespoons to cups, etc.


• Recount days of the week (we think it’s simple, but with schools opting for “block scheduling,” many students see weekdays as letters, not dates)


• Write checks or even balance a checkbook


• Use a ruler


• Read/interpret a food labels (no wonder their obese)


• Tell time with an analog clock (yes, I mean a traditional clock with a face and hands)

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The problem really lies in the fact that technology has increased our response time to sending and receiving information and data, accounting for our decreased attention span, while also creating a world of distractions.

Even as I write this, I have my Facebook and Twitter pages up, have answered at least 3 text messages and checked incoming email from two different accounts.

Another adverse effect of technology is social interaction. I wholeheartedly believe that technology is the main cause for the increase in school violence and teen suicides.

Let’s face it, in this era of “Twitter Thugs,” (See I’m HATIN’ The Biggest Black Shames of 2010 post) instant digital video recordings and being able to bash/bad talk “friends,” classmates and peers with 140-characters or less, our kids have not had to deal with actual, face-to-face confrontation.

I find it hilarious that the media portrays bullying as this brand new phenomenon. It’s not. Grade and high schools have been hot beds for bulling since the beginning of time. I can say, with almost 100% certainty, that everyone, at some point in time, has been bullied. Maybe not beat up, but made fun of or talked about in some way. Right or wrong (mostly just wrong) it’s a part of growing up. But today’s kids don’t know how to handle bullying. With so many outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube, used to bash and bully people, I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it either.

Today’s youth have, on average, 387 Facebook “friends.” Not REAL friends. They spend more time alone, in their rooms, connecting with people digitally as opposed to sitting, face-to-face, conversing. If they only know how to communicate online, why does it shock us that they deal with confrontation online? Technology has made speaking to one another passé; you want to talk to a teenager today? Text them. Facebook them. Mention them in a tweet.

I cannot solely blame technology for our new-found stupidity; we are also to blame. We need to set boundaries and limitations as it relates to our use of technological devices. We must not be afraid to turn off our cell phones, mobile apps, iPad’s, Facebook and Twitter. The digital world will continue on without us. And I’m not saying, go cold turkey, but if your teenage kid is spending 6 hours a day on social media and internet sites or playing Xbox, unless otherwise doing homework, give them three hours, shut everything off and tell them to go outside or read a book… you know, that bound, 4 x 7 inch paperback instrument with words.

HATIN’: JLChapple Tested and Approved

It’s a SHE Thang: Women in Business are Kind Of a Big Deal

I AM WOMAN- Watch me lead. Just in time for the recognition and celebration of Women’s History Month, The White House officially released “The State of American Women” and I must say, Sisters are doing it for themselves and, specifically, in the boardroom, business has never been better. But, what makes women such a vital component to the success and viability of today’s businesses? Is the post recession-era business model better suited for the fairer sex? And, what is it about the management style and work environment of women-owned businesses that trumps that of their male counterparts? Let’s dissect this “new-age working woman” phenomenon, shall we. Job Creation and Financial Domination- Used to be a “HE Thing” but now it’s a “SHE Thang” A recent article on Forbes.com claims that “Women are becoming the nation's job-creation engine,” starting and sustaining small businesses and establishing new jobs at a rate that far exceeds males. Female-owned small businesses, now just 16% of total U.S. employment, will be responsible for creating one-third of the 15.3 million new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018. This job growth projection is based on factors that include faster growth rates of female-owned vs. male-owned businesses; higher college graduation rates by women than men; predicted growth of industry sectors and occupations traditionally dominated by women; and the fact that female-owned businesses, are more often self-funded than male-owned ones, therefore ending a reliance on bank financing at a time when lending practices are more restricted. When it comes to CEO pay at the top companies in the world, a handful of elite female executives are earning more, just ask Yahoo's Carol Bartz, who pulled in $47.2 million last year; Kraft's Irene Rosenfeld's, who brought home $26.3 million; and Indra Nooyi, the CEO of Pepsi Co., who earned $15.8 million. Bloomberg News recently reported that “Sixteen women heading companies in the S&P 500 Index averaged earnings of $14.2 million in their latest fiscal years, 43 percent more than the male average. The women who were also CEOs in 2008 got a 19 percent raise in 2009 -- while the men took a 5 percent pay cut.” Resourcefulness, Empathy and Inclusion as a Diligent Approach to Business Management- It’s a She Thang… Not Really a HE Thing Let’s face it, men and women are different. We have unique personality, physical, mental and psychological traits that set us apart, so why keep acting like we’re the same? Studies have found that female small-business owners and employees execute a deeply engaged, inclusive and horizontal approach to business, counteracting the top-down, command-and-control style long practiced by male-dominant businesses. When it comes to operating, running or working in most industries, women are shown to be concerned about:

• Creating a positive working environment and opportunities for all


• Employee satisfaction and happiness; giving employees reasons to feel part of a team


• Valuing the range of business information and input available to them from sources such as the Internet, professional associations, hired consultants and employees


• Having a succession plan in place and preparing for retirement


• Keeping the customers they have


• Cultivating customers who appreciate what they do


• Meaningfully differentiating their businesses from their competitors'


• Taking advantage of economic conditions, and


• Knowing what other businesses in their like are doing to improve, succeed or fail

Male dominated business is typically authoritative in nature, brash and competitive and tends to stifle creativity and collaboration- undesirable for the post-recession business model.

WINNING Because Failure is Not an Option- The Most Important SHE Thang

Women have been undervalued, underpaid and underutilized in business since its very beginning. As a result, women have had to adapt, show strength and ability, and in many cases work twice as hard as their male counterparts to be recognized as an asset.

A 2007 MSNBC.com survey suggests that one of the most damning obstacles blocking women from the boardroom is negative attitudes about women leaders — attitudes women themselves still harbor.

“One cannot live in a sexist society without absorbing some of those messages, which make women feel worse about themselves and suspicious of other women," said Janet Lever, a professor of sociology at California State University in Los Angeles, who helped conceive the survey. "The enemy is omnipresent cultural messages, not women themselves."

“It’s all about preconceived notions of the leader image,” says Claire Babrowski, the former CEO of RadioShack. “When people close their eyes and visualize the top dogs sitting around the corporate table,” she explains, “We picture men in leadership roles. As a woman you already have this hurdle to overcome.”

But we DO overcome. With more than 10 million female-owned businesses, more than 66 million women employed in the United States and by recently surpassing men and becoming the majority of the workforce for the first time in our country’s history, we continue to show and prove.

Like I said, it’s a SHE Thang!

I’M HATIN’: Because “She Gon’ Leave With Half”... And May Not Deserve It

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I decided, that instead of following the masses and continuing with the incessant barrage of commercial expressions of love and spam promoting the latest, greatest gifts to get your boo (sidebar: when did we start spending Apple iPad money for Valentine’s Day? I mean, REALLY? Close to $1,000 to say, “I love you?” I guess love doesn’t know it’s a recession), I’d like to reflect on the anti-love campaigns that have been even more prevalent this year.

I have received, seen and heard more “Love is for Sucker’s”-type of sentiments and advertisements than ever before and wholeheartedly believe that this is now the new norm. With the national divorce rate at more than 45%, more than 50% of the entire female population unmarried and the marriage rate in a constant, steep decline, it’s no wonder people are starting to bank on the failure of love. It’s profitable... and, hell, love costs.

Speaking of love costing more than a “thang,” the recent celebrity dramas surrounded by whether or not, after a divorce, the not-so-famous spouse should get half of the riches, intrigues me.

Think Tiger Woods and ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, who walked away from Cheetah... I mean, Tiger, with a reported $750 Million. Or Michael and Juanita Jordan; she reportedly left their union with $168 Million and also got to keep the couple's seven acre estate in Chicago and custody of their 3 children. Even Kelsey Grammer and his soon to be ex-wife Camille are fighting over the $10 Million she demanded as settlement.

These women are setting the new standard for big divorce paydays, but with the price tag of break-ups soaring, I have to ask, how much is too much?

From the breed-winner perspective, I can see how shelling out millions of dollars to your ex is not ideal. Did your other half put in the long hours at the office? Were they shooting the baskets and winning the games, unbeknownst to you? Did your spouse experience every hi and low that was associated with your climb to fame? It’s hard to say.

But, I also see the homemaker’s side. Kids don’t raise themselves. Long hours, in one way or another, takes a toll on them too. No, he/she didn’t exactly make the shots or produce the films, but comforting you when things weren’t going right or selling first copies of your CD’s out of the trunk of their Toyota Tercell still constitutes as work.

Personally, I like to look at marriage like a business deal/transaction because that’s precisely what it is. Remove the love and religious implications and ultimately what you have is a contract between two individuals; one that states what both parties are allowed to do and not do. The way I see it, when the contract ends both individuals should split the assets acquired together, equally and leave the union with whatever they had separately, prior to marriage. In the case of either party breaking or not fulfilling the contract, i.e. infidelity, violence, deception, etc., than the party who committed the infraction is at fault and should be held liable. It’s like when you break your cell phone contract and are forced to pay a cancellation fee, maybe there should be a marriage cancellation fee, minimal not in millions.

I think lawyers and disgruntled exes have gone too far in demanding financial retribution. When we start petitioning for money to maintain or “upkeep lifestyle,” monthly child support that rivals the cost of brand new sports cars and alimony in excess, we move past ending things amicably and begin to show traits of greed and entitlement.

If we look at other countries around the globe, many cultures and societies still consider divorce taboo and rarely allow it. In Ghana, for example, if two people decide to divorce, it means that both the man and woman have failed and brought shame to their respective families. And in Bali, Indonesia, as many of us learned through the novel and movie Eat Pray Love, the woman has absolutely no rights in the divorce proceedings and receives nothing, not even the children, once the union is dissolved.

The solution to this issue of how much is too much, as I see it, falls within the creation of a simple formula to assess just how much one should be awarded in a divorce settlement.

Judges should take into consideration the following marital attributes, prior to rendering their decisions:

• Time- How long the couple was married? If anything less than 2 years, neither have a leg to stand on and each should take their own, individual bearings and go.
• Income- This includes, of course, annual household income, but also factors in what each individual makes and what they made prior to the marriage, including a measure to account for inflation. This would help in eliminating the “gold digger” complex.
• Children- How many were produced and a value of their general care.
• Reason for Divorce- This is where we factor in the terms of the marital contract that were broken, pinpointing the individual at fault, and finally,
• Future Selves- This is where we determine how well each party would live/survive without the other. If one half of the couple doesn’t work and has been out of a job for some time, consideration has to be given. And vice versa, if the divorcee is signing deals to be on the latest installment of Real Housewives of Bitter or Whatever County or already is on to the next boy/girl friend, then, obviously, their monetary settlement would decrease.

Now, I’m no mathematician, so figuring out the numerical/monetary values associated with the listed attributes and developing a Theorem of Love and Marriage is not my job, but ultimately you should arrive at a fair and decent number, in which both parties can live and be comfortable with.

Because if the roles were reversed and, let’s just say for sake of argument, your ex is now in the poor house, would we be so quick to demand half of his debt? Half of his repossessed car, truck or foreclosed home?

I don’t think so.