Skip navigation

Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Why is The Lie!


Have you ever noticed whenever a person lies to another and are asked “why”, the answer to the “why” is always a lie? We have sunk to the lowest depths when a person cannot tell another the truth, if they know it. We expect this from politicians and corporations, and other business entities but not necessarily from another human being. The recent events in a major city in central Illinois has pointed out the futility of lying to the question of “Why”. This city is besieged by arrogant politicians , administrators of for profit , and non profit organizations that have come to depend on lying about why instead of  doing the work they are hired, elected or selected to do. If it were actually possible for someone to spin in their graves then the founding fathers, the peacemakers and great thinkers would have many burial sites churned up. The legacies of this Nation’s founders and progressives are being stained by the personal ambitions of people who have only their own well being in mind while mouthing the platitudes of  public good. There is no progress made when leaders put themselves above the good of the public. The public is the base of this pyramid and if it collapses then the structure will fail! A good foundation will support a bad structure for just so long before the structure fails and has to be rebuilt. This is where we are right now in Springfield,IL.

The President Knows


The entire United States and possibly the free world is upset with the president for some reason or another. Look at facts: First and obvious he is not “white”, second he is intelligent, third he is trying to manage a war  he inherited and last he inherited an economy the was on the rim of the toilet when he took office. Take a good look at these facts. There are some Americans who do not like the idea of a Black man sitting in the White house (and not in the kitchen), there are several Congressional members who feel that he is not a team player because he is attempting to put the economy back on track, and the myriad of lobbyists, special interests, pundits and other Washington insiders who love to pot shot the Government are all taking turns “poking the bear” while not offering any valid or even invalid solutions. This is the pattern of life that we as people have elected to live and how we allow ourselves to be lead down the garden path by ineffective and largely dishonest political “electees” and corporate leaders. We must remember the Congress and the Presidency are both major O.J.T. positions, some take to it and learn, others take to it and steal

Rusty Halos


I am listing the first ever award for the ” Rusty Halo”. This is awarded to holier than thou organizations private and public.
Award to: Municipal Government: for wasteful spending-Lawsuit settlements (that never would have been brought if the leaders were honest).
State Government: for wasteful spending- fast shuffling on pressing issues to insure jobs stay in the state, keeping citizens safe
Non Profits: for Profiteering, reaping profits that should have gone to employees and under servicing the community
Developers: For ignoring one side of the city to the point of being Racist
There are no fast fixes for any of these problems since they have been ingoing for years while the perpetrators continually publicly present an understanding face and continue business as usual. It is unfortunate that the average person has to rely on such poor representatives to do what is correct and just. The solution is outrage! Become active and voice strong opinions at these flagrant misuses of power. The public needs to restore the “public” in public service. The current administrators are no longer able to be trusted as they have failed us time and again.

Nonprofiteers


Alliance: In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other’s pocket that they cannot separately plunder a third. -Ambrose Bierce- The above quotation describes National and local politics better than I can write it. The heart of this quotation exemplifies the reason for our current financial crisis which extends from the Congress to the local governments. By the natural connection of non profit agencies to government funding this also applies to them. A once proud grass roots organization now has become its own evil twin. By definition, non profits are just that, the monies contributed, donated or otherwise obtained are used to continue the work and pay the workers who actually do the work while carrying on the mission of the organization. There is no bottom line that benefits shareholders and the owners, but when the managers begin to feather their own nests on the backs of their clients and the workers then you have a corrupt organization that is at once dangerous and weak. The public face of such an organization is then hiding dishonesty and greed behind a smiling countenance. Every revolution starts with the recognition of injustice at the hands of the master’s lieutenants and at that point the workers begin to reject the organization by all legal means up to and including violence if necessary (remember this country’s beginnings?). In these modern times it is done through information. An informed populace is as strong as an armed force and much more effective. Lies and deceit have become the life blood of such non “profiteers” creating a fertile environment for uprising and rebellion. An immediate answer to the question of what agency is this?, for the answer look for the crumbling anchor agency on the East Side.

The Mask of Propriety


Under the guise of improving the quality of service within the organization and the programs it administers, a local non profit hired a Lawyer who had been investigated by The Hearing board of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. While the results may not result in any fines or punishment, it is certainly not a good impression for the Non profit’s image.This person has no knowledge of how the agency operates and what its needs are but he apparently is useful as legal figurehead. The work put forth by this individual is more of a hatchet man than a useful adjunct to the agency. this brings me to this point: Illinois is an “at will State”, this means you work at the behest of the employer. This non profit has exhibited a mindset of walking on the backs of its workers and used this semi legal person to accomplish this in a semi legal fashion. In some states the workers do not need Unions because they are “right to work ” states. Right to work states pay better on average than at will states even though the cost of living is lower. This amounts to treating workers like human beings and not slaves. There will always be instances of companies literally enslaving their workers but most appreciate the work done and acknowledge on a daily basis. Locally in Lincoln land the plantation is alive and well.

Our Existence


The sum total of our existence can be summarized by the outpouring of joy or sadness in our passing. The madness we call life is an opportunity to make positive or negative changes for future generations. Why then do we blindly follow the baseless howling of political aspirants and elected leaders who in their zeal cannot deliver the truth even under oath. Do we accept outright lies and innuendo because of our own fears and prejudicial thinking? We have always seemingly been at the mercy of the “Con”, is it because we are are easy or just because the lie sounds more plausible than the truth?

WAR?


Were you aware that in June 2010, the Springfield Urban league terminated 200 plus Head Start employees to save $18,000? The normal “layoff” period in the summer was changed to “termination due to the healthcare provisions mandating the company to pay part of the “laid off” workers COBRA . When questioned about it SUL stated that this was normal procedure. Normal procedure for the school year ending in May has always been layoff for 20 plus years. It is peculiar that the CEO received an increase in pay of 19% while average worker received 1.84%. Now the agency is embroiled in a Unionization fight and has terminated 30 plus employees because of their job titles in order to dilute the voting pool. There has been no reduction in funding from the Federal Government yet some terminations were due to “budget Constraints”. It is not a large stretch to see the forest for the trees when the agency has hired high priced union busting lawyers to address the issue of Unionization.

New People


There ought to be one day – just one – when there is open season on senators.
-Will Rogers-
This was spoken by a humorist many years ago but unfortunately it is more true now than it was then. Now open season is a hunting reference and while we really can’t indulge that fantasy, we can expedite a similar means to an end in the voting booth. All of the so called “political power hitters” are extolling the virtues of their party, the non virtues of the opposing party and independents however not one of them has a clue as to what their constituency really needs. They have spent so many years cultivating a smooth plausible answer for most of their actions but immediately jumping on any available bandwagon that they think will excite their constituents to flock to them via public forums or nowadays electronic means. The unresolved issues facing the American voters are based in an economy that was flushed down the toilet by Congress (both parties) over the past 50 plus years and the constant stream of sound bites, innuendoes and outright lies that serves to divide the voters over Race, religion and personal convictions. It is of no consequence that an elected top official is Black, White (or anything in between) and what their religious preference happens to be, what should be considered is: will this person do what it necessary to get our economy back on track? None of the necessary methods to correct these problems have come about with current group but they have steadfastly insisted that the other party has not allowed them to help and if we give them another opportunity they will correct all of our ills. Rallying cries do not solve problems, people do and we need new people.

Politics or Parlor Tricks?


We have been subject to countless hours of listening to Television and radio spots that extol or decry the virtues of a political aspirant or existing politicians yet we never hear anything of substance that clearly defines either candidate. The truth (if we ever hear it) would possibly curdle in their mouths like spoiled milk. We as voters have been assailed by more innuendo and half truths to the point that we just of point and shoot in the voting booth. We are faced with folks who try to convince us that they have the answers or the ability to solve the economic problems we face. Let’s look at recent newbie’s on the job, understanding that they can do nothing unless the veterans allow it. The old timers are busy doing the “fast shuffle” to cover their rears. This leaves the voters in a situation that calls for the not so neutral position of booting the old guard out and taking a chance that the new guys will do better or else!

Hello world!


Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!