Xumluv's Blog

      558,000.  The number of people who lost jobs last month and applied for unemployment.  

     I want the economy to get better.  I need the economy to get better.  And I'm watching to see how it all gets spun .  How the Rush Limbaugh's of the world are going to go about rooting against the new stimulus working and win back the government.  How they are going to throw their shyt against the wall and make it stick.  

     So as a result I was watching FOX, my favorite disinformation news show which refreshingly has some of the best moments on TV.  Today was the battle of the congressmen.  One Democrat, one Republican, both talking about yesterday's congressional vote.  And I wish to break this down.  

     For  8 years.......we have ran up an incredibly high war deficit.  Yes, war deficit.  If we "win", we lost.  Like some situations in life there just always isn't a clear winner.  Kick your dog, he watches when someone breaks in your house.  You got the pleasure of kicking your dog.  The robbers get the pleasure of watching the Super Bowl on your 54 inch TV.  No winner.  

     8 years the policies that allowed the deficit to grow.  The jobs to leave.  The money to be stockpiled by some, and barely pass through the hands of most.  And now they are becoming the standard bearers for "fiscal responsibility"?  The democratic rep said this and I loved every minute of truth.  Spin sucks.  Keep it real.

     Where was the "transparency" with the first stimulus?  Where did the money go Mr Bush?  I believe it went to pay debt.  Money borrowed to pay for a war.  Money being charged to the government by government contractors like Haliburton awarded no bid contracts.  Some went to banks.  Some went to corporate monsters like AIG.  And now, other corporations are laying off with the idea of getting future government hand outs!   

     In my buisness, most of the people are conservatives.  They believe in what will benefit them!  I had a coach who used to call the concept of I as "stinkin thinkin".  "I" means the "we" lose.  This is not socialist.  It is common sense!  So with that in mind....

     Replacing Pell Grant money done away with 8 years ago to encourage continuing education is not a bad thing.  I dare say its not criminal.  Health care and continuing benefits for the newly unemployed family is also, not a waste.  It is if you have a job and nothing has changed in your world!  And you voted for McCain.  He lost for a reason.

     And this whole the rich are paying more than any other group and more rich were created over the past 8.  True.  At the expense of the middle and poor.  Either you have now, or you do not.  Working middle class got killed by deregulation.  Drivers of trucks are now being contracted all of their work so buisnesses do not pay health benefits.  Do not pay sick time.  Do not pay expenses and they pay less!  So who do they get insurance from?

     So the game is cut em off and make a stink when they ask for what they need...coverage.  The owners who are supposed to provide for the workers do not and also do not pay the wages they once were.  They use the money to expand and hire more workers at less pay?  They get tax breaks for this?  This is how they reinvest?  By paying less than affordable wages and complaining when someone says they should about "How good we have it"? 

    I used to talk to more folks at my old bank than now and to tell the truth, it wore me out.  Listening to how many people you cannot help and seeing all of the problems in the economy firsthand will do that.  No job or lost job.  Cut hours and not enough income.  Low property value.  Foreclosure.  No food.  Or just don't qualify. 

     If the private sector is allowed to fix this alone, you would see more of the same.  More low paying jobs and people saying, "at least they are working"!  You have it good here.  But it should be better.  Seriously.  Next time, jokes.  I need it!

PEACE,

X 

     So finally Friday comes and honestly I am glad.  This week has been a frustrating lesson in "No matter what you do....."!  But that is all work related with more to do with the current economic climate than anything tangibly bad.  I guess that now includes moi in the title!  

     I've been browsing pages and threads and am seriously amazed at the level of crazy on BP!  How to define crazy?  Black people angry at Obama being President for one.  Others just spewing hatred for black folks who portray themselves as the "intellectual superiors" of others.  Obviously those not familiar with the verse "It is one thing to be a fool, another to open your mouth and confirm it"!  It is making me rethink my stance on education if all we are getting is educated fools!

     Now even if you did not support Obama you must realize that even most white people have joined in the elation with the prevailing thought probably being "Maybe we are not so bad after all"?  I expect a spike in interacial dating not  seen since Jerry first hit the air and Bubba showed up in black churches led by Vernon and a love of Jazz Saxophone.  You know, the "Glory Years"!  I digress.

     But could it be I have been missing the point or at least blocking out the truth about us?  But I now remember a few conversations from the 80's, the last time I walked on a campus as a student.  I remember some of the most hateful, disparaging remarks coming from my classmates about the "bamas" in the neighborhood around the Howard campus.  My own run ins with the locals who saw me walking around as a "college boy".  And the female DC police officer who pulled my car over and told me and my boys"Why don't you just go back to NY"?  

     We may be displaced, but there is no reason to continue being lost!  

      I remember telling those other"black" students what was wrong with their thinking.  Some felt me.  Others I never hung with again.  Your loss.

     I remember telling the locals about where I was from.  Asking them why they felt I was a bad thing or a threat to them.  Opening a dialogue which allowed me to walk to the beef patty spot on Georgia Ave or back to my door with my Friday case of beer unmolested.  And making some friendly acquaintances in the process.

      And I remember telling the black female cop, while spread eagled, that "There are no black universities in NY", before her partner told her to come on.  The stupid look on her face I will never forget.  Priceless.

        Humble yourself.  Paper does not make you omnipotent.  Folded in your pocket or hung on a wall.  You may die today and your maker will not place you based upon your educational or monetary accomplishments.  I am pretty sure about that.

           Now go to a mirror.  Keep your clothes on though and put down the camera phone.  Now listen....

        To hate a black man or woman is to hate yourself.  And the only negro that I cannot stand is a self hating negro.  It is a form of mental illness that cannot be medicated away.  Maybe your education has shown you the truth and like most who wish to disparage or dissuade the masses of knowing these things, you now stand accused of elitism.    You cannot escape who you are.  But the one thing you do not know if you feel this is that there is NOTHING wrong with who you are.

     My ancestors roamed this land and respected the balance of it.  The "ones" some aspire to be destroyed it.  My other people built this country.  They fought for the right to be here after the foundation was hardened.  They have risen to every threat/occasion and will again.  That is not just a belief, that is a fact!  These are my people.  Some educated.  Some not.  None hated by me.  

     So bytch and complain because we need to know what is wrong to fix it.  And when you get a chance to positively affect it, do!  But do not dismiss and destroy.  Do not agree with others who wish to do the same.  That is NOT your history.  You built through mathematics and ruled through reason.  Through family.  Through respect.  Remember respect? 

     I will not say what set me on this tangent cause honestly, it is not worth giving attention to this mad person.  But I will say I got love for you all....just no money! 

LMAO!

Peace,

X

       1st day with my commander in chief looking like me and nothing is different.  Yet. 

     Once again, Barack Obama has decided to attempt to steal my thunder.  I start a new job, he starts a new job!  Seems like he is fixated upon making himself look better than me.  It is like HS all over again!  Although it is now obvious that President Obama is a master of the "two-step" at least he did not attempt a back spin or the Cabbage Patch.  But I'm sure this morning, despite the partying, work started early for our new leader.  OUR new leader.  Wow.

     So with unemployment soaring and national debt at its all time highest the brother gets the job!  Foreclosures still happening and unemployment running out and more debt on the horizon we start out fresh.  And some of it has to crash and burn in order to make it all work.  Some corporations will die.  But I believe this will mark the return of the small buisness and a return of stolen wealth to the middle class.  Yeah, stolen.

       By squeezing out the local hardware store to replace it with "Home Depot", we lost a person and gained a manipulable stock venture.  By making the bank charge a "fee" if you have a savings account with too low a balance, we gave up on communitty.  I understand globalization being good for monetary profits for some.  But look where it got us?  Corporations ask for tax breaks on the same dollars that the hardware store owner was paying into the communitty.  Corporations are loyal to their bottom lines.  We need less of them and more individual buisnesses.  Manufacturers prefer to deliver in bulk.  Less work.  Less workers.  Bigger profits.  But we need to look at the ACTUAL cost of doing buisness.  

     When some people lose their profits.  Their investments in savings, the investments no longer look so good.  Hindsight is 20/20 vision.  The "large profit" with little to no work is what defines America since the 1980's.  This is going to hurt.  And when one group in America hurts, we all do.  Rich, middle, and poor.  The schemes and scams were huge and largely unchecked.  Fund managers are buying fake mustaches and fake ID's like teens trying to get to  liquor stores shelves.  And Obama will need 8 years cause these next two.....no comment.

     So Barry holds the biggest stick in the room now and it is up to us to help ourselves.  I have an idea .........

PEACE,

X 

     New year!  New challenges and I am reinvigorated!  Ever ything wrong is at least on its way to going right again.  All we have to do is be patient and strong and this too will pass.  And a special shout out to my son's mom who is now a BP lurker.  Haven't seen your page yet but I'll be looking with one eyes open!  I can say that now.  

     I was going to stay away from politics this year because to me, it is all transparent.  Deep, but transparent.  But I saw where Bin Laden is at it again trying to goad the US and drum up support for his drug runners "causes".  Oh, I mean "holy war".  Whatever.  It is always about money.  This one is about to get deep.

     Bin Laden is saying Obama had better get the troops out of the Middle East because it is bankrupting the US.  Somewhat true but that ship has sailed.  He also says when he does pull out the troops, the US admits defeat...not true.   Bin Laden has created a "win-win" scenario and is now trying to show Obama as a weak leader cause in HIS scenario, there is no way to win.  Let's see.

     9/11....my birthday.  I remember thinking that the attack was about crippling the global ecomony.  The World Trade was the commerce center of the world and it did have its desired effect temporairily.  It only became permanent when that idiot Bush guy took the bait and invaded Iraq!  Housing, credit, everything.  It is all tied to war debt!  Bush wanted glory.  He wanted vengeance on Saddam for plotting to kill Bush 41.  There were no terrorist in Iraq.  Just a mean dictator.  Pull out a map, point to many countries of the world, you also have a dictator.  Saddam was talked up to be Hitler.  He was more like Idi Amin light.  But no terrorist.

     Bin Laden does not want the US to pull out.  He loves the whole"usurper" line he can run while recruiting young men in the Middle East.  He has the perfect foil in the perfect place.  He is NOT a man of peace.  He is a warmonger.  He profits from the proliferation of drugs so that makes him a pusher.  He kills black men just as surely as any gun ever did.  He is a hypocrite and will ANSWER to god, not sit beside him as he wishes.  And he wants to get mileage out of the occupation just like Dick Cheney and Haliburton.  Watch what his post VP package and resume looks like.  Cheney has been stacking chips.  He also will burn in hell.

     The US cannot lose a war that was over on the day Saddam was captured.  We cannot "make" Arabs love Isrealites or vice-versa either.  And we cannot undo all damage done during the Bush 43 years of Arab perception of americans.  But we can get Bin Laden if focused.  He does not want us focused upon him.  That was not pat of his original deal with the previous administration(c onspiracy theory). M en of God do not "make" people believe what they believe in at gunpoint.  There is no salvation for murder in God's name.  And the time of the warmonger is either coming to an end or we are all coming to an end.  Reality.

     So Mr Obama as smart as he is will not be biting so quickly or easily I'd guess.  Hope you got enough goats milk to keep you well Bin(not really).  You are gonna need it.  Our new president  has a brain.  And I think you will see what else he has pretty soon.  Think Hanes.

PEACE

X

     I have a confession.  I will not touch my forehead, and both chesticles though but here it is...I was unemployed for 2 days.  One before and one after christmas. 

     Now before I get to the jokes let this be a warning to anyone thinking about leaving their place of employment.....do not do what I did.  Yes, it can be liberating.  Especially if you and "Da Man" do not get along being all pro-black and millitant and what not.  "Fighting The Power" does not stop the  Sheriff from moving the power and his family out of his millitant stronghold!  Only money does that.  So do not emulate the worst part of this true tale.

     I had a beef with my former boss for a few months.  He had his own way of thinking and so do I(obviously).  It came to a head one week before Xmas and when cornered, your boy reverted to form.  Yes...insert expletives here.  

     I walked out with a check and my mind clear.  Luckily for me, I had already decided January would be my last month there and already had a new place of buisness in mind that fit my needs better.  I had been "shopping" and as basically an independent contractor, want to take my buisness in a different direction.  It is ALWAYS about the money.   

     So everything I say about "perception" being reality played out.  There perception was I couldn't live without them.  Mine was in order to progress and grow, I had to go.  There was no room for feelings.  Thing is, I never let on about my plans because you should NEVER tell anyone what you are planning.  Cuts down on hateration.  Still, do not tell your former employer to pucker up to any part of your anatomy.  That may burn a bridge.  Even if they decide to break state labor laws and had better not ever utter a derogatory statement or word which will get them sued and make me extremely wealthy. 

     Perception was I was the "polite negro".  Large, but a teddy bear.  Reality is, I am the Grizzly.  Nice to look at but not snuggled or trifled with.  And definitely not when there is money involved.  Luckily, when I announced some should be quiet in terms you can imagine in the worse possible way, I heard crickets.   I could have left in bracelets otherwise.  Having never cursed out a "boss" before and hopefully never having to again, life is good!

      So I moved two weeks earlier than I wanted to and my two week vacation I had planned this month went the way of the Dinosaur.  And they lost money too.  No one is 100 with the outcome.   And life goes on. 

      I believe the economy will bounce back and people will get back to work.  I believe Obama is doing the right thing.  And I believe that God does not always give you what you want.  He provides you with what you need.  My plans for this year are all big ones.  My goal is to be self sufficient completely.  See it, be it.  Hopefully, I'll see more of my communitty and prosperity will become the norm as opposed to the exception.&nb sp;

     Maybe it wasn't that funny but keep your heads up.  

PEACE,

X