If you can name one person in your life who (a) does not have a credit card or (b) has never experience some sort of debt than you are either living on Mars or that person (and you) really deserves some serious recognition. Now a days the credit industry has surpassed extending lines of credit so people can purchase, albeit with electronic funds, their own piece of the American Dream. No. Now a days the credit industry is down right predatory with kids getting credit offers as soon as they hit 16 years of age. Let’s not even go into how micro-targeted college students are with people touting great rates and give aways to push kids probably already in debt with student loans even further in the hole. What’s more, how often do any of us stop and ask what got us to this point? How have we, as a society, thrown savings out the window and opted to over-extend ourselves to the point where many of us are plunking down credit to pay for necessities? I’ll tell you how.
Thanks to folks like Wriston Walter (pictured above), the long and highly powerful Chairman of Citibank. (The picture also makes me want to say, “yes satan!”) While a seemingly pleasant looking grandpa like figure, Mr. Walter was a key architect in drastically changing US banking legislation that paved the way for huge banks like Citibank to systematically rape their customers. This basically did away with small banks who used to actually evaluate the probability of someone re-paying a loan before extending credit to them. This also pretty much did away with the concept of saving money because why save up when you can have it now with your new shiny credit card. Perhaps more disturbing is that first shift in policy targeted lower income, i.e. more at risk, people. Seems counter-intuitive for a bank to lend money to a person that presents a risk of not re-paying it but through some slick language, fees and fees on top of fees the banks keep their pockets well stocked while the bulk of Americans have their lives slowly ruined.
Wake up people. Get pissed.
Get pissed that so many kids are coming out of college tens of thousands of dollars in debt but can’t find an adequate job to even begin to repay those sums. This is not only about numbers and stats but the human cost involved as well. This is killing peoples livelihoods. This is killing peoples marriages and families. Students are coming out of college spending more time worrying about student loans than coming up with great inventions or providing American companies the intellectual capital we so desperately need to compete globally.
So get pissed. Get informed. Here is some recommended reading: “Maxed Out” by James Scurlock.
If enough of us get fed up maybe we can start to get some favorable changes in Washington DC, you know, from our elected officials that represent the people.
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May 12th, 2008
7287pwkr
There have been numerous articles, news segments and in-depth focus pieces dedicated to the problem of obesity in the US. Of course there have also been hundreds of new diet gimmicks, pills, books and even surgery to suck the fat out of our fat asses. The irony of all this struck me yesterday while I was in the supermarket.
Have you ever taken a second while in the check out line to notice what people are buying? If so, did you ever take a closer look at what an overweight person might be buying? What about an entire fat family? Well this is exactly what happened yesterday that lead me to my epiphany. While in line I glanced back and noticed a family of four with a cart full of frozen dinners, frozen french fries, ice cream, cookies, sugary cereal and, of course, lots and lots of soda. So what business is it of mine if people want to eat like this? Technically none but I can’t help but notice what a bunch of fat asses we’ve become and we have no one to blame but ourselves. There was not one whole food - fruit, vegetable, grain, etc - in that cart and by extension those parents are teaching their kids their own awful eating habits.
But in a sense it does affect me -and you - because this mentality is dragging down our society from within. We are less healthy, less active and those two things directly affect performance, be it in school work or other. The drive and innovation that made America the leader in so many sectors has dwindled greatly and, believe it or no, a lot can be traced to the table. The biggest kicker is that instead of realizing this we just push deeper and deeper down a path to destruction and look for short term quick fixes rather than looking in the mirror. We’ve had to go the extremes of people having to be lifted out of their homes by a crane but it still doesn’t resonate that changes need to be made on an individual level.
I guess my question is how can you expect to be a proper weight and healthy if all you eat is processed food? We let food marketers cram their health claims down our throats and think because it says ‘low fat’ that we can eat an entire box of ice cream sandwiches and some how be healthy! Let’s get a grip people and realize what we’re ingesting.
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May 9th, 2008
7287pwkr
I understand fashion is about expression and everyone has their unique sense of style. I also recognize that fashion goes in cycles with certain elements re-inventing themselves for another go round. But let me point out what I don’t understand: tight ass jeans on men with skinny ass waists.
(Let me point out that I am a fashion conscious professional male living in NYC who does take pride is his apparence. I’m not writing from the backwoods of the South nor do I shop at Wal-Mart).
In short there is no excuse for a male - gay or straight - to have a waist smaller than a teenage Asian girl. Guys, you do not look good. If you’ve ever seen these so called ‘hipsters’ you’ll know what I’m talking about; jeans so tight they look like the need Crisco to get them on and off. The look is usually topped off with some other accessory like glasses resurected from a bad 80’s movie that have obnoxiously big frames. Of course don’t forget the equally tight t-shirt that reveals neither muscle nor mass, just a skinny boney frame. And a pair of shoes that, I believe, Clark W. Griswold wore in National Lampoons Vacation.
It seems ironic but it is almost as if the objective is to look as much like a piece of shit as possible. The tighter the jeans, the smaller the t-shirt, the bigger the glasses the better!
Anyone knows the key to fashion is subtle style and whenever you try too much you’re going to look like an idiot. Case in point. I beg whomever started this “fashion” trend to please buy a mirror.
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May 8th, 2008
7287pwkr
Wow, congratulations to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit, MI for the superior media coverage he is getting lately for puttin’ wood to his Chief of Staff, Lying underoath and paying out $8million for a lawsuit that included a NDA for his sex-filled text messages with Christine Betty. You’ve embaressed the city, wasted tax-payer dollars, made your family look like idiots and used the “N” word in your own text message that were jsut released as part of a court order.
Here is his mugshot when he was recently formally charged with numerous counts of perjury.
Mayor Kwame on Daily Show
Way to go “nigga.” Bling bling on the pinkey ring- you fucked dumb ass!
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May 8th, 2008
7287pwkr
It’s 2008 and apparently people have lost any last semblance of self respect for their own privacy. What do I mean. People don’t think twice to whip out the cell phone in a movie theater, packed subway, dinner or any where else. Are these people so important that our economy would collapse if they don’t take that call? Hardly. Remember back in the Zach Morris cell phone days where the phone came with it’s own bag and suction cup antenna (!)…that was when movies like New Jack City showed Nino Brown portrayed high power important people who needed to stay connected for the prupose of business, ilicit or otherwise.
There was that aspirational element (read: not to be a drug dealer but to be important enough to have/need a cell phone). Today everyone from the illegal immigrant with the pay as you go plan to the obnoxious tween with the Sidekick is talking and texting about what type of Rice-a-Roni they had.
Some might argue, “people staying connected, whats wrong with that?” On some level, nothing. But when I’m in an airport bathroom and some guy is in a stall taking a dump talking on the cell phone without missing a beat you gotta ask yourself what the F is wrong with us. And don’t ever let me find the jack ass who created the Nextel Walkie Talkie! Now we are privy to both sides of the conversation…yippie!
In short, we don’t want or need to know every last detail of the house warming party you went to at Mary Beth’s and how fantastic it was that Aunt Shirley brought tuna casserole. A little tact and a little common sense is all we’re asking.
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May 7th, 2008
7287pwkr
The sun is out and the weather warm, which means the layers of clothes gradually come off. So let me ask the question that probably has been on so many of our minds: When did exposing your belly become sexy ladies? Please put the jelly doughnuts and cottage cheese away, literally and figuratively. By this I mean two things. Figuratively speaking, please do not wear tiny shirts if you’ve got jelly rolls hanging over. And do not wear shorts that ride up if you’ve got more cottage cheese than the dairy section. Literally speaking, maybe stop eating the crap food that contributes to the above-mentioned.
Of course men aren’t much better. While the pot belly has traditionally been overlooked, men this does not mean it is ok to be a slob. And please refrain from wearing wife beaters, mesh shirts and muscle shirts just because the weather tops 70 degrees. You know who you are.
You don’t need to be a pretensious beauty queen or metrosexual. Just a little pride in your appearance here people.
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May 7th, 2008
7287pwkr
If my child did this- I’d beat the taste from his mouth. The video requires sound and it paints the full picture.
www.wpbf.com/video/16030876/index.html
This is a perfect example of the age-old saying that “it’s all how you raise a kid” that reflects on how they act in public.
The mom and “grandma” should be beat, and this kid should be picking up garbage on the side of the freeway full time.
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May 5th, 2008
7287pwkr
Someone sent me this. I watch it- to the end. I didn’t hurl, but it was amazing in many ways. I was utterly amazed- and you will be too. You may not want to see this- seriously. You may jsut want to forget about the link below. Probably don’t even click it. It’s jsut “wrong.”
http://www.2girls1cup.com/
#1 How do people do this?
#2 Why do people do this?
#3 Why do people send me this shit?
#4 Where is this legal?
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October 2nd, 2007
7287pwkr
I’m never surprised anymore as much as I am aggravated. Today, or this morning rather we got rain. This Tsunami that required me to put the windshield wipers on the first click also made my normal commute of 20 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
It was a steady rain that happened on the way to work. This rain was very welcome to the dry environment Michigan has encountered the past 3-4 weeks. We need a good long steady pour. Get the lawn wet and shit cleaned off.
(more…)
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September 26th, 2007
7287pwkr
Apparently a little rain can bring NYC to a grinding halt. Nothing like a two hour commute - 3/4 of which was spent walking - in 80 degree temprature and 100% humidity. This morning, after a tough night of drinking and strippers, I was greeted with no subway service, long ass bus lines and seemingly few options to get to work. After a 50 minute walk to a subway line that was working I arrived to a train platform so packed it looked like refugees fleeing from an Indian shanty town. Nothing like being crammed into a hot ass train, sweating profusley with whisky coming out of your pours to start a day. Once inside the sardine can of train with the rest of the miserable commuters I had the ultimate kick in the dick; some numb nuts behind decides he wants to use the walkie talkie function on his Nextel to see “where his boy” was at. Fuck off. Oh, and how could I forget the bitch next to me dripping her fuckin sweat on my arm. Fuck off people.
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August 8th, 2007
7287pwkr
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