Noblesse Oblige

Noblesse Oblige means the obligation of nobility. This is the concept that those who are more fortunate are required by their good fortune to help those who are less fortunate. It has been around since the Medieval Age where nobility existed. If we pay attention, we find that has become more and more interwoven into the fabric of American politics. The Democrats use it as the basis of their tax policy. It's behind the idea that the "rich must pay their fair share."

Here's the question, who says this must be so? Why are those who work hard to become successful obligated to help those who aren't as successful? Why is it an "obligation" for the wealthy to give me some of that money? More importantly, if people are obligated to give away their wealth once they work hard to get it, what is the incentive to become wealthy? Lastly, what exactly is a "fair share" and who qualifies as "rich"?

If the government requires that the more fortunate give a greater percentage of their income to the poor, what does that do to the concept of charity? Does giving a greater percentage of income to the government relieve the wealthy of having to support other charity? On the other side, what obligation do those receiving this redistributed wealth have to society? Should they have to contribute to "pay back" the gifts they have received from the wealthy? How do they recognize the sacrifice made on their behalf?

Thoughts anyone?

Save the holidays

A recent news article states that "reliable sources" indicate that Toys 'R Us is planning on joining KMart in opening their stores on Thanksgiving. It stated that 14% of the public wants to "get a jump" on their holiday shopping by shopping one day ahead of Black Friday. This cannot happen!!!!

By shopping on Thanksgiving, you are stealing the holiday from all those managers and associates that are required to be there to help you. They have had to leave their family celebrations to come and help you save 15% or whatever the sale is that day. They don't get to play football in the backyard with their sons, or trim the Christmas tree with their family, or even just take a nap after eating the holiday meal because you need to shop a day earlier. Is this fair? Do you really need to shop on a holiday and steal those memories and family times from others? Is that what it's all about?

In addition, if they can take away Thanksgiving, where does it stop? How about Christmas and Easter? I know we're a multi-cultural society, but do we really have to give up all of our heritage? Isn't there anything still sacred to us or do we all have to worship at the altar of the dollar?

If you feel that Toys 'R Us is making a mistake, there are a couple of things I would ask you to do: 1) E-mail, call, or write their headquarters and tell them NO. Thanksgiving is too important to make their employees work. 2) Pass this blog posting on to as many people as you can so they will take action too. 3) If they insist on opening on Thanksgiving, let them know that you will take your holiday dollars to some other retailer that allows its employees to still celebrate their holidays with their families. Let them know that you will not spend your money in their stores from Thanksgiving to Christmas. There are plenty of other options....use them.

Keep our holidays sacred and for family.

Thoughts anyone?

An Endorsement for NJ Governor

Having watched as the candidates continue the mud-slinging that they purport to be a campaign, I've noticed a recent change that is exciting. There have always been third (sometimes fourth and fifth) party challengers and usually they are ignored. Suddenly, we've seen advertisements discrediting the third party challenger. Why is this significant? Because that means for the first time in recent NJ history, the major parties are worried that Independent candidate Chris Daggett actually could pose a real threat, that voting for him may not actually be the same as throwing your vote away.

Ironically, the Republican's commercial led me to actually investigate Daggett by looking at his website and reading what he's about......thanks Republicans because I was going to vote for Chris Christie till then. He's actually got some very common sense answers to a lot of our problems. He doesn't promise quick fix solutions and he gives you reasons for his programs. He also quotes some solid research for many of his positions. I think he could help us get some things done here in a state that hasn't done much right for years.

Jon Corzine has turned out to be such a disappointment. The golden boy, businessman, hasn't run NJ like a business, hasn't made the tough decisions, and instead has followed the Nancy Pelosi left-wing class warfare line and taxed us into oblivion without fixing anything. I had hopes that he would be different and he was......worse than I ever expected.

Chris Christie is also a party man who is more interested in bashing Democrats than offering solutions. Of the two major party candidates, I would pick him, but I think this is the best chance we have as voters to tell the major parties that it's not about fighting each other but instead it's about fixing the problems we face.

Thoughts anyone?

An important anniversary

I've had the opportunity to be in Virginia for a little-known but very important anniversary. Today, October 19th, is the 228th anniversary of the defeat of the British commander Cornwallis at the small Virginia village of Yorktown. It was the last military action of the American Revolutionary War which led to the eventual Paris Treaty which ended the war and created the United States of America.

Sadly, there were no fireworks and no parades, yet the sacrifices of the men who marched 450 miles from their positions around New York to join with local militias and 5000 French troops in Virginia are key to the beginnings of our country. Let us take a moment to realize what these men achieved on a small outcropping on the shores of the James River. We owe them and all those that follow their example, a huge debt.

May God continue to Bless the United States of America.

Small towns in peril

Traveling over the last week, I've had an opportunity to see a good part of our heartland. These are the "red" states. It struck me how differently we all view our country and how that affects everything we do. Here in the land of small agricultural towns, there is a sense of community. There is a sense of belonging and pride. I was amazed when I attended the St. Louis Cardinal game the other night that everyone stood and sang, with pride, the National Anthem. In New York, we usually miss the last few bars because everyone starts clapping. It's treated as the song you have to get through before the game gets started.

It is this sense of "ownership" that is important. There are people across the country who spend thousands of dollars in therapy trying to find this connectedness that is prevalent in the hundreds of thousands of small towns across the heartland. They long to be able to walk into the hardware store and have everyone in there greet you. To make you feel like you're special, you're one of them.

Now this way of life is in jeopardy. The small town of my grandparents is dying. It's downtown has been gutted by the Super Walmart that came in and destroyed family businesses that couldn't compete with the cheap crap imported from foreign countries. The town council tried to fight but who can compete with the legal team that has destroyed small town after small town across the globe.

In addition, the lights and glitter of the "big city" have always held a fascination for the youth of these towns. Once any opportunity has been stripped away by the likes of Walmart, what is left but to move out. Sadly, these roots of America are withering.

I wish I could write some words of wisdom on how to reverse this and save a vital part of our heritage but I don't. I can merely warn of impending doom and hope that readers will think and respond. One thing I can tell you, I don't EVER shop at Walmart!!

Thoughts anyone?

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Knowing what's important

I've had the opportunity this week to visit good friends from college in Chicago and to attend a family reunion in rural Southern Illinois. I've also spent time wandering around my college campus (Illinois Wesleyan University -- I would highly recommend it to any college seekers). All of this has brought home the importance of relationships.

My friends and I were laughing about some of the issues we fought for (and against) while in college and were amazed at how important they seemed to be at the time and how unimportant they seem to be now. I'm sure if we look at what is important to us now, in ten years, we'll be able to laugh about how trivial those same issues seem to be then.

The point of all this rambling is, what has really endured over the past 30 years is the connections. Connections to friends and family that have kept us moving forward through all of those seemingly "critical" issues that come and go each day. I guess it's important that we worry about jobs, mortgages, and other daily life issues, but it's equally as important to make time for those who are truly important.

Although it was challenging to get four families from all over the country to the same place at the same time, the four hours of laughing and reminiscing refreshed and invigorated us to go and face the world. It reaffirmed an anchor and more importantly, the kids got to meet and get to know each other. The families are beginning to become intertwined for longer than just 4 years in college. Who knows how important that tie will be in future generations.

Thoughts anyone?

Another Deception from Verizon

Today my mother was reviewing her FIOS bill from Verizon and found a line item for something called "here!" for $7.99.  A look on the computer finds that it is a movie channel dedicated to gay programming.  Seeing that neither she nor my late father are/were gay, she was outraged and called Verizon for an explanation.

The first "customer service" person that she talked with offered no explanation and would not offer any credit (it seems that this has been on her bill for a while and no one noticed with the recent passing of my father).   When she off-handedly said that Optimum was looking better all the time, the representative told her to "go ahead, switch".  She then asked to talk with someone else.

After talking with them for a minute or two about how to return a cable box, she asked again about "here!".   The representative explained that it was on her bill, had been for a while, and he couldn't do anything but take it off going forward.  She then asked when the work order was placed to add it and who authorized it.  The representative checked with his supervisor and was told "That was something we added to everyone's bill and there was no work order."  At this point my mother became outraged (rightly so......that's called fraud) and the representative was suddenly able to credit her bill for all of the past months.

CHECK YOUR VERIZON TV BILLS!!!  They are one of the most DECEPTIVE and DEVIOUS companies on the planet and deserve to be put out of business immediately!!!  Where is the FCC??

Thoughts anyone?

Intolerance of the Obama Supporter

So here is the e-mail that I received:

"Go to Amazon.com, and fill in "Pocket Obama" in the search area. Read all about the book, especially theh 'excerpts' part. Sends chills and thoughts of Stalin down the old spine. Chris Matthews get chills up his leg, I get 'em down my spine.This is very scary, seeing as how he has been president for less than a week. I almost sense a religious movement forming around him.RUN FOR THE HILLS!!"

That's all it said. You would think that it called for a national recall of the election of Barak Obama. No, it merely talks about a book and gives a negative opinion. If you read the excerpts of this book, they are merely sayings.  So far, the e-mail (which was forwarded to about 30 people) has generated no less than 10 e-mails full of anger and spite to someone who, one would assume, was a friend of theirs.

The thing that amazes me is the fact that these people are angry that the original e-mailer would send them an e-mail so "full of anger and hate."  Read it again, do you see any anger or hate?  I see a potentially right-wing rant (which in reading the book is totally unjustified), but nothing else.

The scary thing here is the fact that these Obama supporters are quick to talk about Hope and Change and a New World and Tolerance, but it seems to only apply to those who thing like they do.  While they talk about free speech, they don't seem to be inclined to allow it.  While they talk about respect and dignity, they don't seem to offer it (witness the boos and shouts of "go home now" to the then-President of our country) to anyone they don't agree with.

I am worried and excited about President Obama.  I found his inaugural address to be very much inspired by FDR and that pleases me.  What I find most troublesome is the media-inspired deification of the man.  It is all but impossible for him to live up to this image.  His supporters seem to feel that he is going to get back at the man and score one for the oppressed.  Well, who decides who "the man" is and who is "oppressed"?  In addition, how is this a new approach of hope and change?  How is this a new world order?  It sounds like intolerance and suppression, just now coming from the left instead of the right.

Thoughts anyone?

More customer service -- in a recession?

My wife and I recently stopped in a local A&P supermarket for some milk and bread. While there we spotted a sign that told us that Entenmann's bakery goods were on sale 2 for $5.00. Being a big Entenmann's fan, I immediately picked out two items to purchase. When we got up to the checkout, the items did not come up at the sale price. I mentioned this to the cashier and she told us that it only applied to purchases over $25.00. My wife and I pointed out that the sign did not indicate that anywhere and she then informed us that it said so in their flier. We told her we didn't get the flier and again stated that the sign did not mention that. She looked at us blankly.

When it became obvious that she was not going to take any action to remedy the mix up, we told her to take the items off the bill. She promptly did this which then required her to call a supervisor since it represented approximately 50% of the sale. The supervisor came over looked at the screen, turned her key, and walked away. She didn't ask why there was such a large void or if there was some way she could help. Disregarding the loss prevention aspect of her actions, she shouldn't have done this because she could have prevented the loss of the sale. A mere "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding" would have at least saved A&P of Midland Park a customer. Instead she showed complete disinterest and so now we've told as many people as possible about the incident, and you're reading it on a blog.

In my previous retail life as a front end manager, I was clearly instructed by my bosses as to how to handle this. I would have 1) checked the sign, 2) honored the price for the customer if that was indeed what the sign said, 3) apologized for the misunderstanding, 4) immediately removed the sign if it was wrong. That would have been customer service. Instead, at a time when every retailer should be fighting for as many customers as possible, A&P of Midland Park is turning them away.

Thoughts anyone?

Did you know....?

Did you there is a disease that is the leading cause of death for people ages 1-44?  Did you know that it is the third leading cause of death overall?  Did you know that it accounts for over 125,000 DEATHS PER YEAR in the US?   This disease is called TRAUMA.  It is slips and falls, gunshots, stabbings, and over 48,000 deaths in motor vehicle accidents alone!!  Where is the public outcry about this?  How do we kill 80 times more civilians per year than the number of soldiers killed in the entire Iraq campaign and no one knows about it?!?  Did you know that we spend $64,000,000 PER DAY on trauma?  That's $50 BILLION per year and no one mentions it.

That's a lot of people friends.  That's a lot of death and destruction.  It's time that we start to pay attention.  It's time we start to watch around our homes, wear our seatbelts, and do what we can to make our workplaces safe.  It's more than just talk.  It's entire communities of people dying each year without us taking great notice.

Thoughts anyone?

Welcome to 2009

It has, unfortunately, been months since I've last posted on this blog.  In the new year, I will endeavor to increase my postings.   I have several lines of thought that I'm working on and will begin articles within the next few days.  Stay tuned for articles on EMS, customer service, and the ever popular politics.  In addition, I will try and spend a little time looking through news to find other less noticed topics to try and comment on.   Should you have suggestions, as always, they are welcome.

I've now joined Facebook and am enjoying reconnecting with friends.  I look forward to a better 2009 and hope the same is true for all of you.

Things you learn when you lose someone

With the passing of my father, I have learned many things:

1)  You don't really know who your friends are until that happens.  We've had true, heart-felt expressions of grief, love, and support from people that we never thought we would hear from and conversely, we haven't heard a word from people that we thought were dear friends.  

2)  Viewings are as much for others as they are for us.  The "wake" (or shiva for our Jewish in-laws) are just as much an opportunity for those in our community to come and grieve and to "do something" as it is for us (the family) to know we are supported.  It was wonderful to see the people dad had touched.

3)  We offered as much support as we received.  As the community came, I found myself comforting others as much as I was comforted.   I would offer words of consolation to those who came and couldn't seem to comprehend any more than we could.

4)  Saying, "I'm sorry" really is enough.  Having been on the other side and feeling that a handshake and an "I'm sorry for your loss" just didn't cut it, I can now say that it is really powerful.  You don't have to say much, just mean what you say.  At death, sometimes less is more and a heartfelt "I'm sorry" means much more that an attempt at some words of wisdom.  

5)  Thanks for making the effort.  I had friends drive from a new store opening over an hour away just to say "we're here for you" and another friend who dismissed his class early and drove an hour to just sit with me.  Friends from all over the country who sent e-mails expressing sympathy and an offer to call when I need.  All of this means more than you can imagine at a time like this.

These are all lessons that I've learned from an experience that we all know is coming some day, but came much too soon for me.  Thank you all for your love and support.

Passing of time

So, much has happened since my last post.  First and foremost, is the unexpected passing of my father, Douglas W. Johnson.  His obit read as follows:

JOHNSON Reverend Dr. Douglas W., of Ridgewood died October 17, 2008. Beloved husband of Phyllis (nee Heinzmann). Loving father of Kirk and wife April Johnson of Fair Lawn; Heather and husband Greg Walker of Ho-Ho-Kus; Kirsten and husband John Sharo of Midland Park; Tara and husband Evan Johnson of Midland Park. Adoring grandfather of Christel, Cole, Cory, and Carson Walker, and Stephanie, Patrick, and Ella Sharo. Devoted brother of Alex and wife Sherry Johnson, Wayland and wife Diana Johnson, Ralph and wife Sandy Johnson, Geraldine and husband Joe Oram, and the late Jerry Johnson. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ridgewood. Rev. Johnson was listed in several editions of 'Who's Who', and had authored 18 books and numerous articles. He taught sociology at Western Connecticut State College, and served several churches in Illinois and Massachusetts. In addition, he was the Director of Research for the National Council of Churches and for the General Board of Global Ministries for the United Methodist Church. He owned and operated American Home Entertainment in Ridgewood from 1992-2006. His family was incredibly important to him, and he always organized family trips. Rev. Johnson cooked family dinner for 17 every Sunday. In lieu of flowers, donations to Ridgewood United Methodist Church, 100 Dayton St., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 –OR- The Smile Train, 41 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, NY, NY 10010 (www.smiletrain.org) would be appreciated.

What to do with your favorite jeans

Another "green" product that I'm learning about is the insulation called UltraTouch. It is an insulation with a high R value (amount of insulation offered), no formaldahyde (who wants to breathe in the stuff they used to preserve your dissected frog in 8th grade bio), mold and mildew resistant, and most of all, it's not itchy when you install it! What is it made of? Denim!!

This product is made from the by-products of jeans production. It is all that denim that ends up on the cutting room floor. It is cleaned, soaked in borax for fire resistance, shredded, and then made into batts that can be easily installed between the studs in your walls. It not only provides you with a nicer, safer product than the traditional fiberglass insulation, it reduces the amount of industrial product dumped into the landfills across the country.

I will be using this product (although it's more expensive than traditional fiberglass insulation) in my basement renovation. I will post my experiences here so that you can have some first hand information on ease of use and results.

Thoughts anyone?