Steve's Random Thoughts » USA

In God We Trust

Steve — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:23:13 +0000

In God we trust. At least, that’s what our money says. Who do we really trust? According to GFK Custom Research (2009) we don’t trust people much. And the level of trust is based on occupation.
Here are the percentages of people who trust the following occupations:

92% Fire service
85% Teachers
81% Postal workers, Doctors, Armed forces
66% Clergy
64% Environmental protection organizations
61% Police
60% Charities
57% Judges, Civil servants
55% Market researchers (like the source of this info)
47% Lawyers
43% Trade union representatives
41% Journalists
39% Marketing professionals
37% Bankers
33% Top managers
28% Advertising professionals
18% Politicians (this is 2009 data, you think this has gone up?)

As a life insurance rep I may fit into the marketing professional category but I hope people see me as more trustworthy than 39%. There are several standards and codes of ethics that I have to live up to, as should everyone in any field. But it is unfortunate that some people just don’t care if they take advantage of others for their own gain. As the joke goes:
The bad lawyers make the other 3% look bad.

Only two out of three people trust clergy. That’s sad. Judges? Even worse. Probably because they make up stuff and misinterpret the laws. Trade union reps? They lie about political candidates to get people to vote for them. Bankers try to keep you in debt, yet everyone keeps giving them money. There’s a better alternative. Advertising professionals use words like “heavy duty” and “professional” when clearly they mean something else. And at the bottom of the list is politicians. At 18% trust rating I don’t think either political party is doing well with the trust issue.

There is only One who is always worthy of your trust all the time. Never a promise broken. Never a lie told. Never will He leave you.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding.”

Everyone Against Abortion, Please Raise Your Hand

Steve — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:49:28 +0000

I’m keeping commentary to a minimum on this one. This video speaks for itself.

Warning: this one is even more disturbing.

Vote

Steve — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:15:49 +0000

As they say in Chicago, “Don’t forget to vote; and vote often.” They have cracked down on that since the 1920′s or when ever that saying got started. But I thought of it today. Lisa and I voted today and we brought our four kids with us, armed with coloring books and a small Thomas Train to pass the time. They had a table set up in the large voting room which was perfect for the kids to color at. At the end I handed in my ballot card and as usual they had stickers. I was offered one for each of the kids which I thought was nice. But then it occurred to me that if the kids got stickers that say they voted it would be a lie unless they really did get to vote. So I asked for ballots for each of the kids. Fortunately they knew I was joking and didn’t throw me in jail for attempted election fraud. Someday the kids will vote. They are already learning about it. Hopefully you voted today too. Let your voice be heard. Every vote counts. Once. I know someone who thought her vote should count more than once because she was so important. Not so. We are all equal. Unless we don’t vote. If you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice in our government. And if you don’t vote you have no right to complain when “they” do something you don’t like. Vote. Your future depends on it.

Rootstown Township Trustee

Steve — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:44:39 +0000

Are you fed up with our government? Do you want to see change? Do you want your voice heard? There are a lot of positions in government that are elected by the people. And there are many ways to do what you can to improve your community. Your chances of becoming President are slim to none, but you have opportunities right in your own community to help direct the country in the way you think it should go. One way to become involved in government is to become a township trustee.

What does a Rootstown Township trustee do? Why do we need them? There are many “little” but important decisions to be made that effect our everyday lives in ways we might not ever think about. Take a look at the Rootstown Township web site to see all that goes on “behind the scenes”. It’s a big responsibility. It’s not something that just anyone can or should do. Think carefully about who you vote for.

Based on his integrity, education, and experience I am voting for Brett Housley for Rootstown Township Trustee. Please consider joining me.

The Preamble

Steve — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:34:51 +0000

I remember very little from junior high school (probably a self-defense mechanism) but I do remember the preamble to the Constitution. I was amazed at how this country was formed and the values that imperfectly yet strongly supported the common man. I say imperfectly because obviously slaves and women did not have the rights that they deserved. Yet the framework was there from the Declaration of Independence in which “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Yet, for some reason, I rethought the preamble and rewrote it to express how some might feel. I mean no disrespect to my favorite country. Nor to either major political party, both of which need a major overhaul. But this is how I see the preamble sometimes.

We the elected officials of the United States, in order to form a more controllable populace, establish our rule, ensure domestic obedience, provide ourselves with the common man’s dollar, promote the special interests that benefit us , and secure the blessings of power to ourselves and our party, do ordain and establish this constitution for the benefit of the elected.

World Trade Center Memorial

Steve — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:52:16 +0000

The day that changed the lives of so many, September 11, 2001, should never be forgotten.

In honor of those who died that day, as well as those who have died because of that day, I offer this World Trade Center Memorial. Not much, I know. But I had to do something. Here’s the plan:

Get everyone you know (including the person in the mirror) to fly or display an American Flag on September 11. We must not let politics divide us on this day. Our Founding Fathers cared more about freedom than health care. If America loses her freedom she loses everything. Let’s honor those who fight for freedom, past, present, and future. We are all Americans and we are in this together.

Your flag can be smaller than this one.

National Debt Statistics

Steve — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:05:26 +0000

The national debt statistics are hard to really comprehend. I’ve heard examples before about laying one dollar bills next to one another and something about the line of dollar bills going to the moon and back. I’m not sure if that is accurate or not but this video seems to be a great example of our national debt statistics looking at them in a way we can all understand.

I haven’t seen this movie yet but this clip looks very interesting.

So what is the answer? It begins by getting rid of your debt.

Can you get out of debt without changing your budget, your lifestyle, or your payments? Find out here.

The Fourth of July

Steve — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:34:51 +0000

To all American military personnel and their families: Thank you for making and keeping this the best nation to live in.

Happy Birthday America!

Even Google gets into the spirit!

Boston Tea Party?

Steve — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:16:12 +0000

Boston tea party. Taxes. Is it time for another American Revolution like in 1773? The continued bailout of badly run corporations in America is going to have a huge impact on the taxes we pay later. What are the biggest expenses in this life? Taxes and interest on debt. How can we stop the madness? I’m not sure how to stop the taxes completely. But how can we pay less in interest? Did you think your house was your biggest expense? It should be, but it isn’t. The truth is most people pay more in taxes in their lifetime than they do for their house. Most people pay more in interest than they pay for their house. You would have better cash flow and more discretionary income by paying less in taxes. A great way to do that is through legitimate home based businesses. To pay less in interest, saving potentially tens of thousands of dollars on your mortgage, you need the Money Merge Account^TM program. This proven system has already taken ordinary people with years’ worth of debt and gotten them out of debt ahead of schedule. In many cases there was no change to their budget or standard of living. They tried to do it on their own but there is no way to match the performance or convenience of the Money Merge Account system. Give yourself a financial bailout, one that puts you in control of your financial future. An American Revolution has begun in taking back control of our financial future. Don’t get left behind.