A MESSAGE TO RICK SANTORUM & NEWT GINGRICH

There are two things that I can’t stand in a politician.  Number one is a Panderer and the other is a Panderer who uses race baiting in an effort to get votes, and this week we saw both in the persons of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.  For years I and those like me have made excuses for what at best passes for insensitive and at worse are out right racist comments by both Republicans and those on the quote “Christian Right”.  Well this week, I finally had enough and decided that those folks need to be called out for exactly what they are.  Now I know that some of you won’t agree with me, and that’s ok, however please don’t email me, or leave postings trying to defend what these two idiots said, or make excuses for what you think they meant, because we all know what they meant, and there is no excuse or explanation for it. 

First there’s Mr. Santorum who said at a campaign event:

 “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.”

Then there’s good ole Newt who said:

Gingrich told a town hall meeting at a senior center in Plymouth, N.H., that if the NAACP invites him to its annual convention this year, he'd go there and talk about "why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps."

Well gentlemen (and I use that term very loosely), In Iowa and New Hampshire where the populations are 95% white, and most have probably never had a meaningful conversation with a black person, they may believe your idiotic statements and take them as fact;  but the truth is (and both of you know this) that there are 10 times as many White Americans collecting welfare, foods and other public assistance as there are Blacks.  Your implication that black people don’t pay taxes, are all on some sort of public assistance and don’t want to work is a blatant attempt on your part to appeal to the “Ignorant White Vote”.  You both seem to think that by implying that because the face of the current president is black that somehow other black people are benefiting could not be further from the truth.  Obama is so busy pandering himself, that he doesn’t have time for ordinary black folks.

There is no question that there are far more poor whites than blacks in both Pennsylvania and Georgia receiving public assistance, and you know that, but for years both Republicans, Democrats and the News Media have painted the face of the poor black.  You’ve done this despite the fact that in places like Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Texas, Kentucky and a whole host of other states there are twice as many poor whites as there are in any inner city in America!  Fact is that we all know that black people don’t have the market cornered when it comes to generations of families receiving welfare and other government benefits, but when politicians are looking for votes; the face of those receiving benefits is always painted black!   Why not take cameras into the hills of West Virginia, Kentucky, or Pennsylvania and put the faces of those poor whites who have been on welfare for generations on the 6:00 news?  No, we can’t do that, because making scape goats out of blacks is much more appealing to those ignorant of the actual facts.

I have to say that Newt is right about demanding paychecks rather than being satisfied with food stamps, but that’s true for every American who doesn’t have a job, who is willing to work, but can’t find it.  Newt was the Speaker of the House when NAFTA was passed, so perhaps part of his platform should be to cancel NAFTA and bring some of those jobs back to America, rather than continuing to give tax breaks to companies who export American jobs to other countries. 

Finally, a couple of messages to Rick Santorum, I agree that I don’t want to give my money away either.  I didn’t want to give a loan to Bank of America, CITI bank, Goldman Sach’s or any of the other big banks who were bailed out.  I don’t want to pay more so that Exxon, Chevron and the other oil companies can continue to get tax breaks at my expense either, but I don’t hear you talking about cutting those folks off.  Maybe that’s because the fat cats make campaign donations and have the resources to fight back when you attack them, and poor blacks don’t!  By the way, what kind of Christian would vote for a Racist homophobe?  That’s right, I called Mr. Santorum what he is, and I make no apology for doing so, he has a long history of making both racist and homophobic remarks, and it’s time that someone called him on it.  Those of you who really know me, know that I do not take the "R" word lightly, but the comments of these two idiots have been eating at me for almost a week now, and I couldn't let it pass without comment.

I’M JUST SAYIN!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As we enter 2012, I hope that everyone will take the time to realize how fortunate we all are to live in such a great country.   Almost every day in 2011, the news was about how bad things are in America, and nearly every person that I came into contact with seemed to have a complaint about how bad the economy is doing.  The problem with all of this is that none of these people were unemployed, living in a box on a street corner, or in need of food assistance; nope from where I sit, they are all doing pretty well in life.  In fact most have excellent jobs, making considerably more than the national average, yet they had complaints.

America is now and has been the greatest country on the planet for two hundred years.  People still come here from all over the world to live in peace and enjoy the kind of freedom that only a handful of countries on the globe can offer.  Our standard of living is still the highest in the world, and no matter how much we borrow from China, they are still a hundred years from having our standard of living.  It’s true that we have many people in our country who are poor and disenfranchised, but if you’re going to be poor or disenfranchised, what better place to improve your lot in life.  You see, contrary to popular belief, in America, people can still start with nothing and end up with every advantage that America has to offer.   If you don’t believe this is true just ask someone who has had the good fortune to move here from another country.  I have no doubt that we all know someone who has moved here from Asia, Africa, Europe or some Latin American country who came here with nothing, but now owns his/her own business, has a home and is thriving.  These people came because they believed in the promise of the American Dream and believing is a huge part of every successful persons receipt for success.

2012 will be for all of us what we make it!  My plan is to make 2012 the best year of my life, to enjoy all that life has to offer and I sincerely hope that you’ll join me.   

HAVE A SAFE, PROSPEROUS, HEALTHY, & JOY FILLED 2012

NEW RULES

New Rule – It’s Christmas, the time of year that Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ it is not the Holidays!  The Holidays are: Labor Day, Memorial Day, 4^th of July, New Years Day and so on.  If you choose not to celebrate Christmas, that’s fine with me, but when greeting me, please refrain from saying happy holidays, it’s Christmas and the proper greeting is Merry Christmas!  Can anyone tell me what a Holiday Tree looks like? You can’t because there’s no such thing as a Holiday Tree, and if you believe there is, you probably believe in Santa Clause and the Loch Ness monster as well. 

New Rule – No more saying that the Denver Broncos have a winning record since Tim Tebow has been starting because he has a direct line to God; trust me while God may very well be a football fan, I’m sure he’s not rigging the games to help Tebow win.  It’s admirable that Mr. Tebow doesn’t hide his faith, and I have no doubt that faith has helped him believe that he can win at crucial times but, has everyone forgotten  that Tebow was an all American QB at Florida, he won the Heisman Trophy and a National Championship?  He also threw 93 touchdown passes in 4 years while at Florida, so it’s probably not a fluke or divine intervention that he’s a winner.   

New Rule – If you’re a person who hangs out in the Bad Boys room after golf on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday and find yourself still there after 2 or 3 hours with a person whose initials are CR, MC, MG, SD, GD, TN, JF, SP, BG, DM, LH, GD or MS, you’ve had enough to drink and must get up and go home immediately.  All of these people like alcohol way too much, and clearly so do you, and if you refuse to follow this advice, you could end up in one of the following situations:

·         You will need a ride home and possibly have to crawl up your driveway when you get there.

·         You r wife may have to wake you up from a drunken stupor, and yes you’re on the kitchen floor.

·         You may wake up in your car at midnight still sitting in the parking lot.

·         Your mind doesn’t work right for the next 2 or 3 days.

New Rule – No more political arguments about who’s better between the Democrats and Republicans!  Both parties are a bunch of Butt Holes who have no regard for the people who supposedly voted them into office.  The Democrats are only interested in keeping poor people poor and at each other’s throats so that they can continue to distribute nickels and dimes to the poor while lining their own pockets with millions.  The Republicans primary interest is in protecting the deep pockets on Wall Street and the fat cat bankers who they bailed out at the expense of the rest of the public.  No, I say a pox on both their houses.   

New Rule – People using cell phones without a hands free device and cause an accident should be treated the same as the person who points a loaded gun into a crowd and pulls the trigger.  A 4000 pound car is not the place to have an argument, love affair, talk to your momma, papa, boss, baby sitter or anyone else.  If you don’t care about your life, please have enough courtesy to care about mine and the rest of the people on the highway with you.  Anyone proven to be on the phone in an accident where someone is killed or seriously injured should be tried for depraved indifference and sentenced to the maximum jail term permitted by law.

Tune in next week for the week in review blog, and don’t forget to put your email address on the web page so that you get automatic updates when new post are made. 

Log onto I’m Just Sayin at:

http://crobrun-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/

THE OFFENDED

Has anyone besides me noticed how easy it is to offend people these days? I mean really, we're almost to the point that no matter what you say or do offends someone. We live in a world where Black people are no longer Black, their Africans, but you can't mix up the real Africans with the African Americans, because now you've offended two groups. We have people here from every country in Latin America, and they all expect that we should know they’re not all Mexicans! I grew up in North Jersey, where we had Cubans, and Puerto Ricans, which makes me much better understand why my parents confused my Cuban friends with Puerto Ricans, after all both groups spoke Spanish. I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to tell the difference between a Mexican and Honduran, and frankly but for the fact that most people from Africa have some sort of accent and don't comb their hair, I wouldn't be able to tell them from African Americans either.



Tried telling a joke lately? Well if you haven't, don't, because there will surely be at least one person in the crowd who's going to be offended.  Last month we were out having dinner with friends when the conversation turned to mowing the lawn. One person said that she had to get home to mow her lawn by the weekend, to which I replied "you need to hire a Mexican". A week later, I get a call from one of the people at the table telling me how offended someone was by my statement. For the record, the guy who does my yard work is a Red Neck. Do you think anyone would have been offended had I said she needed to hire a Red Neck? Probably not, since the only people it's still ok to insult in America are white males. Ever hear a joke that starts out, there were 3 guys, one white, one Polish and one ___________? I know you're tempted, but don't you dare fill in that blank! If you do, be prepared for someone in the offended class to report you to the PC Police.



Like a good Cigar, or do you smoke or chew, how about a good stiff drink? Those in the Offended Class can't stand that you're smoking or drinking, after all if they can't have any fun, why should you? In places like NY, MD and CA people have actually filed lawsuits to keep their neighbors from smoking in their own apartments or condos. In NY, you can no longer smoke in a public park, and most states (yes even VA) have banned smoking in bars and restaurants with the exception in VA being that a smoking area can be designated. Here's a novel idea, if I spend the money to open a bar or restaurant, how about letting me and my patrons decide if we want to smoke or not. Do you suppose it ever occurred to the offended that if they don't like what we're doing, they can eat and drink someplace where people aren’t drinking or smoking.  Oh, and let’s not forget about profanity (that’s cursing for the uneducated).  The use of profanity in any setting will surely be banned at some point, after all, profanity goes naturally with smoking and drinking.



RECAP - These are things that you can no longer say or do without being ridiculed by the Offended!

·          Either learn the difference between a Mexican and other Spanish speaking folks, or just call them all Hispanics.

·         Remember, Black people are now Africans and the best way to tell them from regular Africans (those from African countries) is to listen for the accent as some African Americans don’t comb their hair either.

·         All jokes must have 3 generic people in them; no longer can you make a joke that identifies anyone by race or gender.

·         The above goes double if the joke has a Gay person in it.

·         No smoking or chewing within a mile of a non smoker.

·         No profanity within earshot of women, children or Christians, even if you are in your own car, home or office.

·         No female jokes.  This is especially true if the female is a race other than Caucasian.

·         Please never use the word Retard.  Yes, I know that we all grew up calling people Retards, but evidently that word is now on the banned list.

·         Finally, never use the following words that are so bad that we can only use the first letter of each.  They are: The N, F, B, S, R, H words.

 I'm, Just Sayin!!!

EVER BEEN TO CLOWN COURT?

In 2009, a tenant started a grease fire in the kitchen of a rental unit that I owned in Norfolk, and I ended up paying $5000 to cover the deductible as part of a $14000 claim.  Given my knowledge of the tenant’s financials, I decided that it would not be cost effective to file suit against her to try and recover the 5K, and since it didn’t put me in the poor house I dropped it.  Two years later, my insurance company had different ideas and decided to file suit to get their money back and of course my deductible was going to be a part of their recovery effort.  This blog is about my day in the Norfolk, VA General District court, or what I have dubbed “My Day in Clown Court”.

I get to court 30 minutes prior to our scheduled time, and meet with the two lawyers hired by the insurance company and all seems to be going well until they tell me that the judge is running about two hours behind schedule.   Once I sat in the court for a few minutes, it was painfully clear why she was behind, and thus I resign myself to the possibility that I could be here all day.  This judge may have been the most incapable person in her profession that I have ever encountered, and considering I’ve traveled the world and met thousands of people, that’s saying a lot.  It was clear from the very beginning that she had a serious distain for corporations, business people in general or anyone who appeared to have any wealth at all.  Let me give you some examples of how this judge settled cases, and I assure that while I cannot quote word for word what was said, this is pretty close to how things went.

1.       Attorney presents a case against a former tenant who departed owing the property owner approximately $3000.

Judge – Miss, do you agree that you owe the amount stated?

Defendant – Yes Judge

Judge to lawyer – This defendant would probably never be able to pay off $3000, would your client settle for $500? (Never heard a judge ask that question before, so I’m now officially worried)

Lawyer – I don’t think so Judge.

Judge – Can you call them? 

Lawyer – I can try, but they are out of the country. 

Judge - Try, I know she can’t pay, and $500 seems fair!  I (don’t know how it ended up, but really judge?)

2.       Attorney ask judge to enter Summary Judgment against a defendant who’s case was set for trial today, but he failed to file his defense documents prior to the stated due date.

Lawyer – Your honor, we request a Summary Judgment against Mr. X, based on his failure to meet the court’s filing deadline.

Judge – Mr. X, do you have a reason why I shouldn’t enter judgment against you?

Defendant – Judge, I went to my country for a visit, and when I got back, I had Jet lag.

Lawyer – Judge, his reason is not relevant, we are asking for Summary Judgment.

Judge – Ok, Mr. X, I’m going to give you until December 7^th to make your filing, but if you don’t file this time I can’t help you.  CAN YOU SAY JUSTICE DELAYED? By the way, she never responded to the attorney.

3.        Guy owes $14000 to loan company.  (Only Caucasian defendant of the day but don't worry, he got the hook up tooJ)

Lawyer – Judge, Mr. Y owes Capital One $14K for a car loan.

Judge – Mr. Y, do you admit that you owe this debt?

Mr. Y, Yes judge.

Judge – Ok, I am going to enter judgment fir 14K with 6% interest starting today against you.

Mr. Y to Judge – Judge, the original amount was $10K before they started tacking on interest payments, so I think that I should only have to pay back $10K.

Judge to Lawyer – We’re entering judgment for $10K with 6% interest starting today.

Ok, you’ve read enough, so I’m not going to bore you with the details of my case, but it suffices to say that when Rich Black Guy with Heavy Hitter Insurance Company shows up in this judge’s court against poor down trodden grandmother, the evidence really doesn’t matter!  This judge ignored the expert testimony of the fire inspector, claims person and everyone else in record time as she denied our claim in favor of the defendant.   As I said, I had written off my $5000, so not getting the judgment wasn’t a big deal, but the way that this judge handled her rulings all day was really disturbing. 

I’ve been in enough VA courts to know that thankfully this judge isn’t the norm throughout our courts.  This judge is a person who has determined that she’s going to protect the little people at all cost, even if it means that she has to deny justice to everyone else.  My guess is that she proudly voted for Obama, and believes much like he does that wealthy people are the problem in the world and that irresponsibility by most of the people who pass through her court really isn’t their fault.  She’s an enabler, she’s one of the reasons why there will always be an over abundance of poor and disenfranchised people in America, because she will never, hold any of the people who pass through her court accountable. 

Yes, I went to “Clown Court”, and the Court Jester was the judge!

I’m Just Sayin

YOU’VE GOTTA LOVE VEGAS

Las Vegas has got to be one of the greatest cities in America to visit if you’re an adult, it doesn’t really matter if you’re smart enough to control your gambling or not, but it sure helps if you can.  You just have to love a city where people still have the freedom to decide where they want to go and what they want to do.  Unlike Atlantic City, NJ where the smoking Nazi’s have taken over the entire state, including a ban on smoking in the casinos, bars and restaurants.  No,  in Vegas you can actually engage in adult activities like smoking cigars and cigarettes in the casinos, bars and restaurants, in Vegas, people can drink as much as they want (as long as they behave) and the place never closes.  The only place that comes close is New York, but those communist (like their neighbor New Jersey) have outlawed almost all individual freedomsJ

At 2 in the morning on a week night, I’m in a restaurant eating Thai food, smoking a cigar and drinking beer as I watch the ladies of the evening wander in with their latest prey, and not a single person is passing judgment, tongue wagging or worrying about the activities that others are engaging in.  Now I know that for someone reading this, you’re thinking that you wouldn’t want to be any place near people smoking, drinking or gambling their money away, but that’s the beauty of a place like Vegas.  It used to be that way in all of America.  We all actually had choices about what kind of behavior we chose to engage in, but over the last 20 years everyone seems to b e much more interested in controlling the behaviors of others that they deem not appropriate.  Whatever happened to minding one’s business?

It was fun to just walk the strip and take in the sights while you dodge the people trying to get you to take business cards for the local Strip clubs, or the young people trying to sell you on free tickets to a show if you stop by and spend a couple of hours listening to someone try and sell you a Timeshare.  I always find it amusing that the folks with the stripper cards could care less that you’re holding hands with your wife or girl friend as you walk, they just want to get that card into your handJ  It’s also fun to watch the obvious visitors walk around as they cross the streets in hoards trying to get to the next casino or shopping mall.  Vegas also has some of the best entertainment in the world, and we always take in a show or two while there, so on this trip we decided to see Donnie and Marie at the Flamingo, and they were both fabulous.  Ok, before any of you comment, yes I went to see Donnie & Marie and I actually enjoyed it, so there!   I also got to play a little 3 card Poker and some Roulette, but the truth is that I’m an awful gambler, and thus my time at the gaming tables was very limited.  While I didn’t gamble much, I did spend some at the bar people watching and drinking Tennessee High Balls, which is absolutely my new favorite drink.  Here’s the recipe just in case anyone would like to try one:

TENNESSSE HIGH BALL

1 oz Jack Daniels, 1 or 2 dashes of bitters, 1 part orange juice and 1 part ginger ale, over ice, shake and enjoy.

Yes, I highly recommend Las Vegas, but I wouldn’t take minor children, however as a lover of freedom for all, I’ll leave that up to you.  If you get there stop in one of the bars and have a Tennessee High Ball for me, and if I get there before you, I’ll have one for you.

Finally, just remember the new Las Vegas motto:

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS ON FACEBOOK AND YOU TUBE

I’m just sayinJ

NEW RULES

I don’t know how many of you watch Real Time with Bill Maher, but Bill has a segment called New Rules that I really need to borrow this week.   During the course of the week, I have numerous conversations with people about any number of subjects, but there is one subject that I find people constantly distort the truth, lie and just make crap up is with politics.  Now I know that we all want to think that the guy we voted for is honest, he’s really working for all of the people, doesn’t take special interest money, and when he/she talks, you can take their word as gospel.  As a rule, I get my news from a number of sources, which include but are not limited to Fox News, ABC News, CNN, Yahoo and a free subscription to news papers in other English speaking countries.  As I read and listen, I hear all kinds of statements made by politicians and their supporters that at best are only half true or a repeat of some other false statement they’ve heard some other knuckle head make.  As an example; I had a conversation with someone recently who tried to convince me that OSHA, at the direction of President Obama has established a rule that says if a construction worker is using a ladder to get to a space more than 3 feet off the ground that the ladder must have safety lines.  Now, I’m going to give this person the benefit of the doubt and say that he was simply misinformed, but because he was so passionate about his position, I decided to pull the OSHA rule on ladder height, and it’s listed below for all to view.

If the total length of a climb on a fixed ladder equals or exceeds 24 feet (7.3 m), the following requirements must be met: fixed ladders must be equipped with either (a) ladder safety devices; (b) self-retracting lifelines, and rest platforms at intervals not to exceed 150 feet (45.7 m); or (c) a cage or well, and multiple ladder sections, each ladder section not to exceed 50 feet (15.2 m) in length. These ladder sections must be offset from adjacent sections, and landing platforms must be provided at maximum intervals of 50 feet (15.2 m).

Now because I don't know anything about construction, 24 feet might be a stupid rule, but it's a long way from 3 feet.

Ok, now that we’ve cleared up the ladder height thing, let’s get to my New Rules.

New Rule – If you’re on the payroll of a State or Federal Government, you don’t get to complain about deficits, after all, you’re part of the reason we have deficits.  It really doesn’t matter what you do for government, I’m still paying for it, so shut up and cash your check!

New Rule – If the tax payers are paying for your Health Insurance, you don’t get to be against Obama Care.  After all, if government sponsored health insurance is good enough for you, it’s good enough for the rest of the population that wouldn’t have health insurance without government assistance.

New Rule – If you make more than $250,000 a year, you don’t get to complain about your tax burden.  Unless you would just rather not have the 70% that’s left after paying taxes.

New Rule – Unless you’ve actually lived in a Socialist country, you don’t know what Socialism is really like, so stop calling people who don’t agree with you a Socialist.  By the way, that goes for Communist as well.

New Rule – If you’re truly a Christian, try reading the bible, I think you’ll discover that god wasn’t a Democrat or a Republican.  Jesus spread love, not hate, and contrary to what you might think, judgment is not yours.

New Rule – If you’re waiting for the good Union Jobs to return to America, get a grip, those jobs are gone for good, and they are not coming back.

New Rule – If you’re an employer who hires illegal workers because their cheaper, just be honest enough to say that.  Don’t add to the lie that American workers would rather collect welfare than work.  The truth is that Americans would take the job if you paid a living wage.

New Rule – If when you shop you look for the cheapest price, knowing that it couldn’t have been made in America, stop complaining because the unemployment rate is 9%.  If you took the time to look for the Made in America label and purchased those items, you could help create thousands of jobs in this country.  By the way be careful, the next job shipped offshore could be yours!

I’m Just Sayin, if you like New Rules, send me yours and I’ll try to publish another segment in a few weeks.