Seriously?

Have y'all seen this article? Let me back up. I work in the financial industry. Here's the dirty laundry you're not hearing. Not all the institutions that received bailout money wanted, or needed it. But, the government didn't want people to know which ones were hurting, so they grouped a bunch up and said, "Here's how much you're taking. Not an option." As soon as we could pay ours back, we did. With interest. And fees. And all the extra's. Now, it appears that AIG, GM, and others may not be able to pay there's back. So, Mr. Obama, your solution to recoup the costs are to levy taxes and other fees against everyone who took the money??? Hold up. How is that any different than said "Big Evil Banks" giving a loan to a person with all the fine print, etc., that goes with it. That person pays it back early, paying all the penalties, and fees associated with it. Then, the bank says, "Oh you know, Mr. X over there didn't pay his back, so uh, client? Fork over some more dough." What. the heck. Seriously? Why is it wrong for banks to make money? They are a FOR PROFIT industry. If you don't like paying overdraft fees, here's a novel concept. Don't spend money you don't have. Don't like late penalty rates, and over limit fees? Pay your bills on time, don't spend more than what you have. Realistically, the majority of people never overdraw their account. A few will do it once or twice a year. A handful will repeatedly overdraw their account. Guess who's making the most noise? Ugh. I'm so tired of hearing about this. When you make bad decisions, there are consequences. If those are bad business decisions, than your business would fail. Some of these badly-run institutions need to fail. There are plenty of good ones that are eager and waiting to help people be financially sound and successful.

Getting off soapbox now. Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts . . . . it's a pretty hot topic for a lot of people.

Rant and Rave Wednesday

Wait . . . I saw this on a blog, and for the life of me this morning, I can't come up with it to link. So, if it's you . . . let me know and I'll fix it!

I don't have any pics to play with this early, so I figured I would try this one this week. Pretty self explanatory.

Rant: Idiots who fly up the interstate, and try to run everyone else off. I don't have a problem with you speeding - I don't usually run dead on the speed limit. But, when you run up on someone, swerve around them, run in the middle of both lanes, and then slam on your brakes in front of them? You are begging for an accident. And, let me tell you - you are NOT invincible.

Rave: The new song by Michael Franti "Say Hey". Have you heard it yet? You can't help but be happy when you hear it.

Rant: The first Tuesday of the month. It's chock full of meetings, and it is NO fun. Yesterday, I went from one from work straight to the squad meeting. I took enough time to let Britney out, exchange heels for flip flops and call it good. L O N G Day.

Rave: Verizon. Everyone I know that I love to talk to uses it, now including my BFF Msh. So, texts, convo's, everyone, unlimited. And, let me tell ya. That's a very good thing. I would be very broke if I actually had to pay for the minutes that I use!

Rant: Rude people. Case in point. "You need to XYZ immediately." There's no quicker way to get my bristles up, and to make sure that is the LAST thing that I'll be working on. The flip side? Next case. "Could you possibly have ABC ready in 24 hours? I realize it's a lot to work on, but it would be really great to have it." Guess which one was ready?

Rave: Fresh veggies. This time of year is so awesome, and every time I turn around, people are helping me/giving me yummy produce. Susan is going to the farmer's market today, so I'll have fresh corn tonight, and I gave Laurel the tomatoes my neighbor gave ME, and she's turned them into Pico de Gallo. I lurve me some summertime!

What about you? Any rants and raves to share?

Rant for 03 07 2008

Let me preface this by saying, I love my job. I love what I do, I enjoy helping people, and I'm pretty darn good at it. Lately, however, I have noticed a lack of manners. And the kicker? It's not from the "younger" generation that you would think. It's typically older people. My desk is out in the lobby. It's not particularly conducive to privacy, and it is a struggle. I find it extremely rude when people figure that since there isn't a person physically there, you aren't doing anything. For example. I'm working on one issue for person A. Person B just sits right down and then gets offended that I'm not instantly available! Same thing goes for the telephone. My friends know that I may have to hang up quickly, but if I'm talking to another client, that invades THEIR privacy by having someone sit down. I've had to excuse myself, and go find someplace where I can continue the conversation. Believe me, I saw you come in the door and I will get to you as quickly as possible, and then afford you the same level of attention I gave the previous person! Hey - I've even had Person A sitting with me, and person B come up and sit down in the other seat!

While I'm on "things that bug", how about this. People whose dentures don't fit quite right. Then, while they are sitting there talking to you, the dentures are smacking and sliding around. Ugh . . . . makes my skin crawl! It's right up there with people who chew with their mouths open.

It's a cold, drizzly day here - which I love. You need a grey day every now and then to remind you how nice the sun-shiney ones are. And, the water is good for the flowers that I hope are in my flower bed. I can't wait for the dogwood trees to bloom. It's officeial: I have Spring Fever.

This weekend promises to be very tame. Racing on Saturday, girls night out Saturday night, then a peaceful Sunday. My kinda weekend. Do you have anything planned? What kind of things bug you?

"I like to have nice conversations with a man that teach me something, make me mad, make me curious. Then I find him attractive." -Renee Zellweger in Cosmopolitan