You can go to her personal site and read more about how LegalShield has effectively helped some of their clients……-A True LegalShield Story

You can email Cheryl for more information at cheryl63@legalshield.com

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I hate to break the bad news to y’all, but the American legal system does not work in our favor……at least not for the majority us…….

First of all, if the case you need representation for is not easy to win….you can forget about finding a lawyer who will agree to get paid on contingency.

And nowadays, because lying and the skewing of facts are so prevalent in our society (and what attorneys are trained to do), laws have become so technical and complicated that 1) You cannot defend your own case, an attorney must be retained and 2) because of the technical detail, trying to prove anything becomes very difficult…..because some technicality is probably attached to the proof that makes almost all proof inadmissible as evidence.

And, if you happen to be going up against another person who happens to have money to buy a good attorney to defend themselves….you might as well save yourself the time and energy and chuck the whole thing up as “shit happens”

You may say to me that there are many free legal centers and pro bono lawyers……

Yes, if your case is open and shut…..no one is going to take time out of their busy schedule to look through your paperwork that is most likely (according to their perspective) going to be a lot of bull…..oney and amount to nothing in the end.

Why do think movies like “Erin Brockovich” and “A Civil Action” become movies…..because it is very heroic to devote yourself against all odds to what you believe to be the call of justice despite the fact that it may seem that there are oodles of hurdles stacked against your success.

And what about divorce?

If you have ever been through a nasty divorce with attorneys involved, I would be willing to bet on the fact that those attorneys milked you and your soon to be ex-spouse for as much as they could before the divorce was able to finalized through the “justice” system…….

Has anyone ever looked at an invoice from an attorney?

I found this list on a website advertising legal services…(Law Office of Sterwart Andrew Sutton, LLC)

There are at least 10 ways for an attorney to overcharge a client who is paying an hourly rate for legal services.

1. Phantom Billing
   “Phantom billing” occurs when an attorney invoices a client for work that was never performed.   An audit of the client’s file is necessary to detect phantom billing.
2. Unnecessary Work
   An attorney should not be compensated for performing work that was not reasonably necessary.  An audit of the client’s file is necessary to determine whether the legal services were reasonably necessary.
3. Block Billing 
   “Block billing” is when an attorney provides no description or an inadequate description of the work performed.  For example, the attorney might have an entry on the invoice that states “case work” or “reviewed email”.    Such billing entries are insufficient, because they do not inform the client of either the nature of the legal services performed, the source and nature of the communication, nor why the work was reasonably necessary.  When an attorney block bills, the attorney may face difficulties in seeking to recover legal fees based on either contract or quantum meruit. A proper invoice from an attorney should be in a format that is clear and should be reasonably particular regarding the nature and the necessity of the legal services performed. Diamond Point v. Wells Fargo 400 Md. 718, 760 (2007) (“It goes without saying that attorneys who bill on a time basis should make their billings as detailed as reasonably possible, so that the client, and any other person who might be called upon to pay the bill, will know with some precision what services have been performed”).
4. Lack of Contemporaneous Time Records
   It is the responsibility of the attorney to maintain accurate billing records.  This is accomplished by making contemporaneous billing entries.  When a client does not receive a monthly bill, it may mean that the attorney is not maintaining contemporaneous time records.Without contemporaneous time records, an attorney will often resort to reconstructing the time records or backdating bills.  The inherent inaccuracies of such reconstructed invoices should be resolved against the attorney.
5. Large Billing Increments
   Most attorneys bill in 0.1 hour (6 minutes) increments.  When an attorney bills in 0.2 (12 minutes) or 0.25 hour (15 minute) increments, the amount billed does not reflect the actual work performed by the attorney.  Such inflated bills are unacceptable and should be discounted.
6. Duplication of Effort
   Duplication of effort is not compensable.  For example, when a firm has 2 attorneys attend a court hearing, the client should be billed only for the appearance of the senior attorney.
7. Excessive Conferencing
   At large law firms, junior attorneys report to senior attorneys.  Unfortunately, this means that both attorneys bill the client for their meetings.  While occasion conferences are often necessary, constant meetings are usually unproductive and wasteful.
8. Billing Rate Increases
   A law firm may not unilaterally increase its billing rate.  Nevertheless, many firms increase their hourly on an annual basis without their clients’ permission.
9. Change in Personnel
   A client should not be charged for a new staff member or an newly assigned attorney to review the client’s file to get up to speed, because such effort does not advance the client’s cause.  When the law firm assigns new staff, the additional costs associated with the change in personnel should be charged to overhead, not to the client.
10. Excessive Supervising and Training
    Law firms are always training new staff and attorneys.  The law firm should reduce its hourly rate for the on-the-job training of its staff.

I worked at a patent-trademark law firm for a very brief period (two weeks) and I will never forget about the time that the whole floor got to order lunch on the firm and bill it to the client.  Very enlightening experience…….

Is this the way the American “fair and balanced” legal system is supposed to work…….that only the wealthy are privy to fair and balanced justice?

If anyone has any good experiences with the legal system…..that didn’t involve paying thousands and thousands of dollars for justice to be served…….I would love to hear from you!

Other posts you might like:

When I see Reality Shows like the one I saw recently…..I think it was called Chef Roble & Co. (Bravo)…I have to wonder what people are thinking….

Here’s a clip found from a website called : Doggie Wedding @ Obsessive Chihuahua Disorder

This is what was on the doggie’s menu at their wedding:

• Appetizer:  Hudson Valley Duck Meatballs (Duck Breast, Carrots)
• Entree:  Prime Steak Flank and Eggs (Grass Fed Beef, Watercress)
• Dessert:  Peanute Butter Wedding Cake and Ice Cream

Total cost for 30 people and 15 dogs: $25,000

This is just the epitome of waste.  Whenever I watch my favorite, the Housewives, and others like the Kardashians, I can’t help but wonder what pleasure these people get from spending millions and millions of dollars on things that last for only one night (Kim Kardashian’s mega ridiculous wedding for example).

And…..when they travel to different parts of the world….how do they feel when they see unbelievable poverty…poverty that could be significantly helped for the price of ONE of their cars.

Last night on the Housewives of Atlanta, there was a scene of the ladies visiting a very poor village in Africa.  They bought about $3000-$4000 dollars worth of food and toiletries and were crying that they really felt that they did not do enough.  Not only that, these poor kids were dancing and singing for them.   Phaedra (one of the housewives) who is not generally an emotional character on the show, couldn’t help shedding a few tears at the clear inequality of life.

Do you think they thought for one minute while they were visiting these happy kids that singing and dancing – despite the fact that they had no shoes and their clothing was ripped and they lived in huts –  that these children’s families simply had to work a little harder to get the luxuries that these ladies had the benefit of acquiring in their lifetimes?

Is that what wealthy people think when they spend millions upon millions of dollars on nonsense……….. that they earned it and why should they care what others don’t have?

I suggest that if you are very wealthy and you are thinking about throwing a $25,000 dollar party for your dogs….take half of that and visit a poor village in a 3rd world country and give the other half to that village…..

You will probably feel a lot better about yourself in the end…..and the feeling of instant gratification that you might get when wasting money on nonsense won’t be over in a couple hours.

Other posts you might like:

Apparently, Mr. Romney made the following comment that received a lot of negative backlash….‘I’m not so concerned about the poor, they have a safety net. If it has holes, I’ll repair it.’

I believe that the reason that this remark is considered a political gaffe is because by dismissing the poor by saying there are safety nets in place that must mean that he ultimately has no real intention on focusing on the problem with intent to find a solution.  This statement makes it sound as though he is really saying ;;;;”we don’t gotta worry about poor people because I can just make sure they keep getting their freebies and be done with it.”

Maybe that is really what he was saying, but short of this solution, can anyone think of a better one?  Does anyone really think that there is some hope for the “middle class” in this nation – let alone the poor?

Maybe Newt Gingrich’s solution of offering janitorial jobs to children is a reasonable workable solution…..

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t even care who wins this nomination – because I feel that none of them care about the plight of the poor and even if there was some rare candidate that did, the damage is so severe I doubt there is a true solution.

I can’t even believe that we are still considering Mr. Romney as a potential US president after we found out this:

“NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made $42.7 million over the past two years and paid $6.2 million in taxes, according to documents released Tuesday by his campaign.

Romney and his wife, Ann, filed a joint 1040 reporting $21.7 million in 2010 income and $3 million in federal taxes. They also said their 2011 income was $21 million and tax bill was $3.2 million.

Over the two years, Romney’s effective tax rate – the percentage of his income that he owed in federal income taxes — was 14.5%. 

Nevertheless, and contrary to popular perception, Romney’s effective federal income tax rate is still above that of many Americans –80% of whom have an effective rate below 15%. That tax rate is higher when other federal taxes — such as the payroll tax — are included.

The reason Romney’s rate is so low — despite having one of the highest incomes in the country — is because his income was derived almost entirely from capital gains and dividends from his extensive portfolio of investments. And that form of investment income is typically taxed at just 15%, well below the 35% top tax rate for high earners.”

For full article click this link: Romney Tax Return

How can we trust anyone who doesn’t understand that the “middle class” in this country cannot afford to meet thier monthly bills let alone have money left over for investments and simply looks at the situation as a legal one as opposed to an ethical one?

Most “middle class” people in this country are paying the highest rate in taxes because it comes out of their paycheck as payroll tax.  Most “middle class” people in this country don’t have the luxury of deriving most of their income from smart investments that their financial advisers and accountants suggest.

My question is while it is great that there is a safety net for the poor in this country…where’s the safety net for the heart of America – the “middle class”?

You think maybe the person who is voted as the Republican nominee will somehow lower the price of living so that our bills will be easier to pay?

Maybe he will require each state to raise the minimum pay to at least $20 per hour so that we can keep up with inflation and mothers can stay home with their children for a change.

Or….maybe every middle class family will get a free accountant or financial adviser to personally guide them when it comes to investing their money wisely as well as free tax advice that will enlighten the “middle class” to all the tax secrets the wealthy are privy to.

My parents have worked HARD their whole life – both of them.  One is a paralegal and the other is an optician.  Both have maintained their jobs (at the same company) for several years.  They are valued employees and they are serious about responsibility.  They are now in their 60′s and cannot stop working because they need to pay their bills.  Social Security is not going to cut it and they have lost a large portion of their retirement pensions due to the current economic situation.

Is anyone going to help them and everyone like them….which I believe must be a large percentage of this country?  Where is their safety net?  There are plenty of holes….are those going to get fixed?

As far as Obama is concerned, again I am not one to have opinions on any individual politician.  I think they are all the same.  They want power and money – just like the rest of us.  The only difference is that they are so motivated by these two things that they have devoted their lives and every ounce of their minds to making sure they have them.

Bottom line is this….”Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber”  ~Plato

Other posts you might like:

To Imitate or Initiate – That is the Question

The Federal Reserve is Privately Owned

Government Bails Out Banks – Not People

Status of Occupy Wallstreet

Democrats vs. Republicans – The Third World War

Peace is a Right of Every American Citizen

Greed – The Deadliest Sin of Them All

Why is Life Unfair?

Kim tends to holler for Sweetie every time she needs something.  If Kim is getting sick of doing anything or needs anything thing done, you will hear her yell “Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” from under her covers in her bedroom until Sweetie comes to her majesty’s assistance.

Now according to Sweetie, Kim is paying her to do be her “personal assistant”.  According to the other housewives, they are embarrassed by the relationship between Kim and Sweetie, because as black women they are not comfortable with the way Sweetie is being treated.

Here is a clip of a fight that ensued over the controversy:

Kim and Nene Fight on Tour Bus

This topic is something I have very strong opinions about and not everyone agrees with my opinions.

I feel that the line is crossed the minute that the employer is intentionally disrespectful to their employee.   The reason I feel this way is because everyone knows, especially our bosses, that employees need their job…and to feel comfortable enough to intentionally disrespect someone you pay money to sends a message (in my opinion) saying …. “I pay you to take my shit and if you want to keep your job, shut up and deal with it”.

I feel this way because I have had personal experiences that have enlightened me to the fact that if you allow your employers to treat you badly – they will – and it will only get worse.

I had a boss once that literally abused everyone around him – including his wife.  Of course, when I first started working there, he didn’t lay it on me as thick as the other employees, but I couldn’t help wonder why in the world they just sat there and took that on a daily basis.  Slowly but surely, he started doing it to me.

At first, I disregarded it because 1) maybe if I ignored it, it would go away and 2) I needed the paycheck.  After a few months, it progressively got worse until one day after refusing to follow his petty instructions on how to “correctly” enter bank statements into Quickbooks, he ended up calling me stupid because I didn’t want to do it his way.  That was that.  I didn’t care about the money anymore and I got up and walked out on him – with no notice.  His wife called me later that day to apologize for him and asked me to come back.   Since I was  a very honest, intelligent and hard working employee – and I knew my value – I told her that I was not going to come back unless her husband called me himself and apologized and would agree to NEVER treat me that way again.  Sure enough, a few minutes later, he called apologized and never treated me that way again.

Now I realize that a slave is called a slave because they were not paid at all and the treatment of slaves was beyond disrespect, it was downright abuse…however, in America, no one is a slave any longer.  Slavery has been outlawed and standing up for the rights of all human beings equally is considered the American way.  So while it may seem that I am making a weak comparison, I am actually trying to emphasize that though we think we are all free and that slavery has been abolished – I still think there are remnants of it left.

Furthermore, up to about 60 years ago we were able to justify slavery by limiting the natural human desire to enslave people to a minority group of people that were not strong enough (as of yet) to fight for their rights.

Since that time, African Americans have come leaps and bounds – despite obvious disadvantages – and are clearly not going to be mistreated any longer……But, our natural instinct to enslave people (definition – to cause someone to lose their freedom of choice of action) still remains.

So instead of focusing on one vulnerable group, we have collectively accepted this notion that if we earn the right (make a lot of money) to restrict someone’s freedom to choose by paying them to do whatever we tell them to, we can still justify disrespect and enslavement.

In other words, we have earned the right to treat people anyway that we want to if we can pay to do it.  Money affords us (or our bosses) the right to mistreat others.

So, instead of not getting paid and being mistreated and abused by others – which we all agree is considered slavery, we all have collectively agreed that if we get paid to get abused – then that is not considered slavery anymore.

And here is the clincher……the less money a person is paid, the more abused and disrespected he becomes.

For those of you out there that have employees and treat them all with dignity and respect – G-d bless you.

But for those of you don’t try and make it your business to treat your cleaning lady with the same respect as you would treat a perspective client…I ask you….

Employer and Employee vs. Master and Slave – When is the Line Crossed?

Other posts you might like:

How Good This Must Have Felt

To Imitate or Initiate – That is the Question

Inequality is not a Racial Issue – It is a Human Issue

Paycheck or Self Respect – I’ll Take Self Respect

What is our Purpose?

Sadness is Necessary Sometimes

Why is Life Unfair?

When talking about spirituality vs reality (the physical world that we live in), it becomes hard to express everything that I think about in one post.  I invariably fail to express everything that I feel about the topic…..because I would not be able to stop typing.  And…when I write another post, I still may miss some crucial points that may tie things together.

That is the reason I encourage everyone who is reading my blog to please ask questions.  I may not explain something as fully and as coherent as I would have liked and I will never know unless I get feedback telling me so.

Back to the subject….

I have found one pretty major inconsistency within my blog.  The topic of sticking up for one’s self.

You might say the right to stick up for one’s self is obvious.  It is not so obvious to me according to the way that I think about things.  In fact, intention is always the root of behavior so, in this case intention also matters.

Don’t get me wrong – it is never wrong to stick up for one’s self, but there are many different reasons why one would need to and many different ways to do it – and these variables make the difference to me in how I decide the appropriate time to stick up for myself.

Being defensive is not necessarily a good thing.  Yes, we all get defensive once in a while…but what is it that we are defending.  Are we defending something that maybe we are wrong about and we just don’t want to see the truth – or are we defending our right (and everyone else’s right) to dignity.

That is the question I ask myself (or try to ask myself) if I feel myself becoming defensive.

Here is the difference;

If someone accuses of me of being selfish because I am not willing to put myself out for them, I try and consider what they are saying.

If they are right and I am being selfish – meaning I am not doing a favor for someone because I just want to be mean (that would be a the only selfish reason I can think of) I would reconsider my willingness to help them.

But….if after considering what they are saying and I decide that my reasons are not selfish for not helping them (for example, I feel they are just trying to take advantage of me because they know that I am usually a helpful person) then I will defend myself by insisting that I am not going to help them because past experience has proven to me that they are very willing to take advantage of my help (by continuing to ask for free labor whenever they need it) and I am not willing to allow that.

In fact, I don’t think anyone should be willing to allow others to take advantage of them – and this is the reason I would feel it necessary to defend myself.  In other words, I am not only defending myself, but I am defending anyone who may have been used for free labor.

The way I see it is that if you are not being treated with dignity and respect, that means that person may treat others without dignity and without respect.  I feel it is an obligation to object to this treatment – because if we all would object to being treated disrespectfully, then maybe disrespect would eventually become extinct.

If I treat someone disrespectfully, I may not have been conscious of it, but I would expect the person I treated disrespectfully to let me know and refuse to accept that treatment from me.

On the other hand, if you are simply just fighting with people because you are always right and everyone is always wrong….I wouldn’t say that this is the best form of sticking up for yourself.  Eventually, you will sound like an idiot because no one is ALWAYS right.

And….if someone just wants to annoy you by saying obnoxious things and trying to get you mad and you retaliate with defense…..this isn’t necessary either.  That is just encouraging a different kind of bad behavior that should also be extinguished completely from humanity.

Bottom line…..if you are defending humanity as a whole – speak up loud and clear and with dignity…..but if you are defending your own ego……you might want to consider turning the other cheek.

Other posts you might like:

How Good This Must Have Felt

Karma is a Bitch

Respect Others…But…Don’t Trust ‘Em

To Imitate or Initiate – That is the Question

New Yorkers – You Are Being Taxed By The MTA!

Selfish vs. Self Preservation

Why is Life Unfair?

Here are the lyrics:

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you ?
People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”
You thought they were all kiddin’ you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin’ out
Now you don’t talk so loud
Now you don’t seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

You’ve gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you’re gonna have to get used to it
You said you’d never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but know you realize
He’s not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain’t no good
You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain’t it hard when you discover that
He really wasn’t where it’s at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They’re drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you’d better take your diamond ring, you’d better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

I think we can all agree that Bob Dylan was a successful, intelligent, famous and wealthy person – someone everyone aspires to be…..and he was able to have the insight to understand that it all means nothing.

He was able to understand that anonymity is sometimes a greater blessing than fame and fortune.

Other posts you might like:

Why is Life Unfair?

To My Old Master

Wow……

How many of us would dream of an opportunity to be able to write a letter like that to one of our previous bosses, let alone our previous “master”.

I just want to point out one interesting thing to note.  Obviously Mr. Jourdan Anderson (the name of the former slave), despite poverty and abuse, was a man of integrity and intelligence.

In fact, it seems that he may have been even more intelligent than his very wealthy and successful “master”.

These are my favorite stories.  The stories about the quiet, unnoticed, unimportant, ignored and assumed worthless people that are brave enough, smart enough, confident enough and angry enough to stand up for themselves against their abusers with dignity…….AND still are able to get ‘em where it counts – right in the gut.

Other posts you might like:

To Imitate or Initiate – That is the Questions

Inequality is Not a Racial Issue – It is a Human Issue

Paycheck or Self Respect…I’ll Take Self Respect

Status of Occupy Wallstreet

Being Richer Does Not Mean That You Are Smarter

Why is Life Unfair?

This guy is a good guy, but I had to set him straight.

NO! – the problem with this country is precisely the opposite….the wealthy that have enough clout to dictate how government revenue (our tax dollars) are to be spent.

How else can we explain the following waste of our tax dollars and avenues available to  the wealthy (not the poor) giving them the ability to influence what the government does?:

• Wasteful earmarks (please visit “Citizens Against Government Waste” website for more details about how MUCH the government spends on things that we don’t know about)
• Extravagant White House parties like the one that took place on Halloween of 2009 (see my post “Is It OK?” for more details
• The ability of lobbyists (paid by the wealthy) to change opinion and influence the agenda of government
•  Unnecessary Federal agencies (i.e. the FCC, The Dept of Agriculture if the FDA does the same thing and numerous federal regulatory agencies – just to regulate us unnecessarily)
• The amount of money spent on war.
• The amount of money we give to other countries LIKE PAKISTAN – you know, the country Osama Bin Laden found very comfortable for a number of years!?!?
• Medicaid Fraud – not by the poor, by the doctors!!!!
• The amount of money “donated” on behalf of presidential campaigns.

And many more unacceptable spenditures and deals that take place when it comes to the making and enforcing our laws, taxing and collecting the citizens and just good old, down home, outrageous unjustifiable governmental extravagance. ($16 muffins?)

And…not to mention the tax loop holes that can be taken advantage of by only the wealthy…..

With that being said…..can we really compare the trivial amount of money that is spent on our poor, sick and lazy to the undeniable and unbelievable spending of the wealthy?

I would say to blame the poor for the economic problems of American would be at the least naive….at the most evil.

If we, the underprivileged = who represent the majority of society, don’t do something to help ourselves, we will be left in the cold.  The Government bails out banks – not people.

How do we do this?  I say that we all go on strike.   We learn to be content with very little and don’t continue to feed money into a system that is ready to collapse.

Isn’t that what people do when they are unhappy with conditions at a job and they want change?

I am on strike.  I do not spend unnecessary money.  Between my husband and I, we find a way to come up with the minimum amount necessary to live; our rent ($1000 a month which includes utilities) and food (very little – bread and water will do if we don’t have money that week).  It is not hard to do, because we don’t require much.  I refuse to work to get paid to do stupid things because I have to have a job to spend money on even more stupid things so that the economy “works”.

The economy is not working.  It is an illusion – just like a ponzi scheme.

Please understand, that if you love what you are doing and you feel a benefit and satisfaction from the actual work that you do – I would never suggest that you stop – that is a true blessing.

I am suggesting to strike out against the rat race that the government, the media, our friends and family have convinced us is necessary to have a “good” life.  The rat race that we face everyday the moment our alarm clock beeps at 6AM every morning –   is only bringing stress to our minds, bodies and souls.

Instead, spend your energy figuring out what really makes you happy.  Take time to smell the roses.  Take a long walk somewhere and look at things that you have never taken the time to look at before.  Breathe fresh air. Learn something new.  Explore yourself.   Work for what you must have not what you think you want or need.

Learn how to be content with little and you will understand what freedom is.

Stop chasing the dream of fortune and, instead, define fortune as freeing yourself from the chains of governmental oppression.

I realize that this sounds crazy to most people (trust me, I am very aware of how crazy I sound)….but…..all I ask is that you think about what I am saying.  Don’t react, just think about it.

How much do we really need?

One more question to think about….

Do we need what we think we need for the sake of our happiness…or…do we need what we think we need to impress others?

There is a Hebrew saying that translates into the following:

“A rich person is someone who is happy with his lot“

Other posts you might like:

Inequality is Not a Racial Issue – It Is a Human Issue

Avoiding Controversy at All Costs

Paycheck or Self Respect – I’ll Take Self Respect

Status of Occupy Wallstreet

New Yorkers – You are Being Taxed by the MTA

Being Richer Does Not Mean that You are Smarter

What is Our Purpose?

Greed….The Deadliest Sin of Them All

Why is Life Unfair?

We are living in hard times nowadays. There is civil and military unrest as well as economic strife throughout the world. We cannot trust that the intentions of our own government are truly for the benefit of us, the citizens. Everything that we are faced with on a daily basis, including simple things like trusting your “friend” seems to be wrapped up in lies and presentations that are skillfully manufactured.

Is there a remedy for, what seems to be, a dire global situation?

Martin Luther King was a true leader. We all know that he was a leader in the fact that he was able to create a platform for all people to stand up for what is right. A black man in ’60s to be so vocal and so renown throughout the world with the ability to effectuate a following of others that may have never been able to find their voice otherwise, must have a been a true leader. He was a “molder of consensus“.

He did not ask what us what we want and what we need – he told us what we wanted and needed.

He did not wait for the time to be right. “A right delayed is a right denied” was what he told us.

He was not afraid of being ignored or worse – quieted. His his answer to those that ask why bother was the lesson that a person who breaks a law that he consciously feels is unjust, is really expressing the highest respect for the law.

This is a leader.

Where are the leaders nowadays? Where is the person that is standing up for our basic human rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Has the government done its job when it comes to leading this nation to peace? How would we know? Everything seems to be a lie.

This generation has a big hurdle to overcome before we can have a true leader that will guide us to our salvation. We are drowning in lies. Everything we see and, unfortunately, we say is one big lie. We don’t even know collectively what we want anymore. At the same time we claim to want to eliminate starvation from the world and make sure everyone has equal rights, we also want to live in million dollar mansions and drive $100,000 cars so that we can be “winners” like those that we have been convinced are more successful than us.

Which one is it? Which one do you really want? To be the most wealthy and powerful like the wealthy bankers and business men, politicians, athletes and celebrities, you read about or see on television – or – do you want peace and equality throughout the world?

First we have to make a personal decision. We have to decide to pick a purpose. Is our purpose in life on a collective level to compete for the “leadership” role – or – the most powerful position (whatever that may be)…or is our collective purpose to work together as one to create peace throughout.

The first of these choices is not true leadership. There will never be a collective consensus as far as your personal power goes. However, the second choices opens up a whole new possibility for you. You have the potential to become a leader by deciding what you stand for and what you believe in and then going out there and making it happen. If what you stand for and what you believe in benefits society as a whole – you have then become “a molder of consensus“.

With that being said, knowing that our society is filled with lies that are hard to differentiate from truth, become a leader and create truths that everybody will agree with and fight for with you. This can be done, but we must first make the initial decision – do we want to lead or do we want to follow?

In other words do you want to imitate or initiate?

Other posts you might like:

Inequality is Not a Racial Issue – It is a Human Issue

Avoiding Controversy at all Costs

Paycheck or Self-Respect…I’ll Take Self Respect

Status of Occupy Wallstreet

Democrats vs. Republicans – The Third World War

Peace in the Midst of Terror

The Root of All Religions – The Awe of Creation

Why is Life Unfair?

I want to make some comments because I was a poor white, Jewish kid and I feel I have a right to argue certain facts that the very smart Mr. Marks has stated – that are not necessarily as factual as we take for granted.

“It takes brains.  It takes hard work.  It takes a little luck.  And a little help from others.  It takes the ability and the know-how to use the resources that are available…“

Again, I was not a poor, black kid, however, I can assume that it was only worse than my experience – and my experience was not great.  You have to imagine that we are talking about children here – not adults that have had a life time worth of experiences that have the advantage of understanding retrospectively.  In my case my parents worked hard and made sure I went to private school, however, I was the odd one out.  I was the poor one.  As a kid that doesn’t do much for your self esteem.  I lived in a poor area, so I was too embarrassed to have friends over, which resulted in not many friends.  I had brains, however, for some reason – which I definitely did not understand as a child, I was never given the same recognition as the other kids in my class.  As a matter of fact, I have a clear memory of being in math class and we had to play a game for prizes.  The game was whoever was able to convert percentages to decimals the fastest got points and whoever got the most points got a prize.  I was always the first to be able to do it so my teacher made me be the one to tally the points.  I did not receive a prize.  As a child, I did not fully understand why I was left out of the contest.  In fact, in my innocence I did not even take this as a punishment.  I felt privileged to be the score taker.  However, a few more years of the unfair advantage of the wealthy eventually defeated me.  Hard work, help from others and finding resources don’t matter when your self esteem is shot.

“If I was a poor black kid I would first and most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. I would make it my #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently.   I wouldn’t care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city.  Even the worst have their best.  And the very best students, even at the worst schools, have more opportunities.  Getting good grades is the key to having more options.  With good grades you can choose different, better paths.  If you do poorly in school, particularly in a lousy school, you’re severely limiting the limited opportunities you have.“

Using the same logic as above, we have to realize that children only are aware of what they see.  They have a limited amount of insight.  To say something like they should get the best grades possible and make it a #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently or they will severely limit already limited opportunities is the same thing as saying – if they don’t do these things, too bad.  I am sorry, but let’s be reasonable.  How can we expect children to understand what is in store for them in the future as compared to others who live a completely different life than they are exposed to on a daily basis.  This just seems so unconnected to the real world.

Also, can we ignore the fact that even if a few kids do get good grades despite their harsh circumstances, do they really have the same opportunities later on in life as the ones that have money already that enables them to buy additional opportunities for themselves….And – if you want to deny that this in fact does happen in the world that we live in, then I can’t even argue with you.  You are simply not living in the same world that I do.

“In Philadelphia, there are nationally recognized magnet schools like Central, Girls High and Masterman.  These schools are free.  But they are hard to get in to.  You need good grades and good test scores.  And there are also other good magnet and charter schools in the city.  You also need good grades to get into those.  In a school system that is so broken these are bright spots.  Getting into one of these schools opens up a world of opportunities.  More than 90% of the kids that go to Central go on to college.  I would use the internet to research each one of these schools so I could find out how I could be admitted.  I would find out the names of the admissions people and go to meet with them. If I was a poor black kid I would make it my goal to get into one of these schools.

Or even a private school…..”

Really?  A child is supposed to make sure that they go to a private school.  Besides understanding from a very young age the implications and setbacks of being a poor black kid, a black child is supposed to also be smart enough to suggest to his stressed out mother and father (assuming they have both) both struggling to work two jobs just to put food in the fridge, that they are not doing enough for him/her and they want to go to private school.  A child is supposed to find a way to tell their parents that they deserve more in life so get to it?  Is this a realistic expectation that a child should have of their parents?

My parents did send me to private school, but they got scholarships – and everyone in my school knew it.  What if I went to my parents and said that being poor is embarrassing and they need to work harder so that I shouldn’t be so embarrassed in the school they put me in.  After all, they want the best for me, right?

I can tell you one thing for sure..that would have resulted in a 100% chance of bruising.

“President Obama was right in his speech last week.  The division between rich and poor is a national problem.  But the biggest challenge we face isn’t inequality.   It’s ignorance.  So many kids from West Philadelphia don’t even know these opportunities exist for them.  Many come from single-parent families whose mom or dad (or in many cases their grand mom) is working two jobs to survive and are just (understandably) too plain tired to do anything else in the few short hours they’re home.  Many have teachers who are overburdened and too stressed to find the time to help every kid that needs it.  Many of these kids don’t have the brains to figure this out themselves – like my kids.  Except that my kids are just lucky enough to have parents and a well-funded school system around to push them in the right direction.

Technology can help these kids.  But only if the kids want to be helped.  Yes, there is much inequality.  But the opportunity is still there in this country for those that are smart enough to go for it.“

OK. Now I am really confused.  The kids have to be smart enough to want to be helped before they can be helped, but, most kids “don’t have the brains to figure this out themselves – like my kids“.  Huh?

So, let me get this straight….it sounds like this guy is saying that only “smart” people have a chance in this world – despite inequality.

Isn’t that the definition of inequality?  Isn’t equality when one group of people has an advantage over another.  So, according to Mr. Marks, inequality is not ok when it comes to whites vs. blacks – but it is ok when it comes to what the general public views as “smart” vs. what the general public does not view as “smart”.

This whole article just sounds like a rich person bragging about their brains trying to justify why they are rich – instead of giving credit where credit is due – The Life Force of the Universe.  Please refer to my article “Being Richer Does Not Mean That You Are Smarter” for what I think about that…..

If you disagree, I welcome the opportunity for friendly, intelligent banter!  Please comment below.

Other posts you might like:

Status of Occupy Wallstreet

Gender Balance – Have We Achieved It?

Peace is a Right of Every American Citizen

Why is Life Unfair?