Earlier today, USAToday.com ran a story about some of those government stimulus checks that have not reached their intended recipients yet. Turns out that the government is diverting checks away from those who owe back taxes, child support payments, student loan debts, and other government-related debts. From the article:

So far, 1.8 million rebate checks have been intercepted by Treasury Department computers showing that individuals owe money to federal or state governments.

The biggest beneficiaries: parents who are owed child support.

I think this is great news. A population which can certainly use some extra help during these economic times is getting it from their own rebate checks plus they’re getting some money that they should have already received in the first place! Of course there is the larger population of deadbeats who not only are not receiving their checks, but haven’t made their various payments to the government. This is another population that could use some help. But that’s for another rebate program at another time.

In the mean time, check out New Jersey Carpet Cleaning for the best carpet cleaning in the Garden State!

One of the many reasons why I enjoy volunteering my time and expertise to my fraternity is because it allows me an opportunity - small though it may be - to help train tomorrow’s workforce. As discussed in an earlier post, there are a growing number of young employees who are shocked at the demands of the working world. While it’s easy to just call these morons a bunch of a idiots and move on, it is sometimes beneficial to find out why these people are the way they are and what their characteristics create.

For my part, I see inexperienced employees being thrust into various “leadership” positions at their jobs for the wrong reasons. I see people with family connections or school connections that are given titles and authority when they have no experience with such roles. On the flip side, I see my fraternity graduates not having their collegiate leadership experience taken serious because it is based off of being a member in a fraternity. What horrible, bad decisions employers are making!

I’ve seen young adults thrown into leadership positions and watched as they lashed out when times have gotten tough. Sometimes these people put up a very mature front and act like they are twice their age, but to the trained eye they are laughing stocks. I’m sorry but you don’t spend as much time as I do training young adults in leadership skills and then NOT notice the severe lack of leadership skills in those who you communicate with on a daily basis! From people that I work with as colleagues to those who my company does joint ventures with, a lack of definitive leadership is all over the place.

Once upon a time I worked for a job where people would sleep their way into leadership positions and then completely crumble when times get tough. Frankly, it’s hilarious.

So this is a message to all of my young fraternity leaders out there - don’t worry if you’re in a job where inexperienced people are being promoted over you. Just watch as they fail because they’ve never felt what it’s like to have to perform under pressure. And for my readers who are not fraternity or sorority people, but who have leadership experience and are STILL being passed by - I give you the same message. With a tightening economy and less money to go around, performance will become a major aspect of all jobs (it should be already).

Though I do offer this advice: keep an eye on everyone around you at your office. If you’re ready to make a job or if you think someone above you is ready to crumble, then I hate to put it so bluntly but you have to be opportunistic and be ready to pounce. If you have the leadership training, then brush it off and get ready to shine when the time is right!

One of my more devious posts, I know. But hey - the current economic situation calls for it.

George Carlin was hilarious. Unfortunately, this comedic genius passed away on Sunday due to heart problems. This, combined with Tim Russert’s recent untimely passing, should put a new light on heart health for this country - or at least we can hope.

Anyway, I was a fan of Carlin, though I didn’t necessarily agree with his uber-hippie point of view on government and religion. Doesn’t matter, though, the man was still hilarious and someone who could tell a joke that was five minutes long and the audience would be with him every step of the way. When you look at today’s comedians most of the good ones are sharp witted and able to make a biting, hilarious point in a few seconds. None of them are as adept as Carlin was at telling an intelligent story and bringing the entire audience along for the ride.

Comedic brilliance.

Pretty much all of the polls show that Barack Obama is ahead in the Presidential election. Though we’re still far away from ballots being cast, I was thinking earlier about what “change” means to me. About six months ago I posted about the danger of harping on change in an election - let’s see if my idea of change as dangerous holds up!

To me, change means living a better life in all aspects. Financial change means that that I will not have to be a slave to the workforce just to make enough money to get by in New Jersey. It means that I can continue to be a higher earner like I currently am, but that I won’t have $100,000+ in student loan debt holding me back from buying a house or starting a family. What good is a high paying job if you can’t use that extra income to advance yourself, your family, or your friends in society? I began to “change” this aspect of my life two years ago by sticking to a strict budget and I’ve been in good fiscal shape ever since. If I vote for Barack Obama will he pass a law that says college graduates with a 3.9 or 4.0 GPA will be forgiven from their student loans so long as they have gainful employment for a certain number of years? There are current policies in place that allow that, but they are 10 year plans and I don’t quite fit them. Will any change Obama makes be retroactive? That’s a change I’m looking for!

Speaking of money, change means that the value of the dollar will go up without more of my own dollars being funneled through Washington. Further, change means that I will not have to give up large percentages of my paycheck just to pay for gas.

Which brings me to environmental/societal change. If I vote for change then I expect alternative energy sources to be realities in the next four years. I expect that the next time I drive from New Jersey to Chicago or from New Jersey to Nashville I won’t see hundreds and hundreds of miles of nothing. There will be windmills generating clean power for thousands, possibly millions, of people. There will be hybrid, fuel cell, and hydrogen cars all over the road. That’s real change.

Voting for change means that I will no longer have to look at local school districts and see abysmal achievement rates. Going to school in the Asbury Park, Camden, or Newark public school system won’t be a matter of life and death, but rather a matter of choosing which college to attend at the end of your senior year. Why should going to school in an inner city mean any less of an education for students? Further, why should those students who live in small, rich suburbs have their parents’ property tax dollars moved from their district to an inner city district? Income redistribution is a socialist concept and not one worthy of America’s time. Change will occur when our education system pumps out scholars, scientists, and math geniuses instead of worker bees.

Immigration needs to be changed. If I vote for change I expect that the laws of my country will finally be respected since they are not respected now. I expect that we, as a country, will change our belief of “Multiculturalism as King” and instead join the rest of the world in their view of immigrants: they are to be welcomed, rejoiced over, and assimilated. Why America is afraid to assimilate its newest members is beyond me. Hell, most of these people know more about American history than those who are born here! And we can’t make English the official language of this country? If I vote for change, do I get to call English my official language?

What about law enforcement. When I was a college student members of the Ocean Township Police Department walked into my home at all hours of the night because they were, “just checking.” As a college student I had no way to combat this disgusting abuse of my and my roommates’ civil rights. Who do you call when the cops are the ones breaking the law? That’s just my story. What about the police officers who fire 50+ bullets into one person in less than ten seconds and aren’t punished for it? How does a candidate balance the idea of change with the knowledge that without standing behind law enforcement officials, he will lose the faith of those who are supposed to protect us? Can “change” achieve a healthy balance?

Think about all of these issues and think about what the idea of “change” means to you? Is it just a rallying cry (yes)? Or is there something concrete in YOUR life that you can point to and say, “Hey! If I vote for the change candidate I will benefit in this way: ____________.”

I’m just taking a shot in the dark here, but we’ve already talked about how the “new politics” doesn’t exist in this Presidential race and chances are the change candidate is nothing more than momentum and empty promises. Which gets to another point - who is making the promises?

With Obama running around saying change and yes we can, he’s making a brilliant political move. He’s wearing no face. In other words, the voters can see him in any light they wish! And how do voters define that light? By the issue of change in their minds. So I see a man who will help abolish student loans for those who graduate with near a 4.0 GPA while someone else sees a man who will change the inner cities by raising middle income taxes. Then there are the middle income people who see a candidate that will not raise their taxes and instead demand that those in the inner cities become more self-sufficient by refusing to continue government handouts and thus lowering the costs of government!

These are two diametrically opposed view points that Barack can point to and say, “Yes we can!” Well…no you can’t! It’s one or the other - you can’t have them both! As Joan Rivers said on Stern this morning, “What change? Show me the change already!”

Can a candidate really run on the idea of “change” and make the majority of his supporters happy? I don’t think so. That said, I still think we’re going to get Barack in the White House next January - he’s got the uncritical masses behind him who harp on Iraq and that’s all he needs to win the election.

For nearly a century the Chicago Cubs have been deemed baseball’s loveable losers. Their long and storied history includes curses, dreadful seasons, just misses, and the Steve Bartman debacle against in the Marlins in 2003. They play at historic Wrigley Field - the ivy gives the park a nostalgic “the way things were” type of feel. It’s all very enchanting. I’m from the Philadelphia region, so finding reasons to be bitter and disliking other teams is easy. Still, i find it tough to dislike the Cubs even though they are one of the few legitimate contenders that can dash the Phillies postseason dreams. Until now, that is. Take a look at the link below.

The Most Pathetic Chevy Commercial Ever Made
That, my friends, is not how I’d market my product.

Joe spoke about the inability of college students to transition into the “real world” post-college graduation. Actually, independence and beginning a career are two things that I look forward to with decided enthusiasm. It’s everythigng else.

I suppose we all go through the same shit, I guess. I’ve concluded that my life doesn’t evolve. It’s on spin cycle, moving slowly in the same exact circle since I was 14 years old. They say that when you go to college, everything changes. It’s a time of personal growth physically, mentally, and emotionally. In theory, you go to college and bury your face in some books, some legs, and some bottles of beer and you emerge an enlightened, refined individual. You meet new people, you learn new ideas, you do different things, and I guess that’s all true. Here I am though, having the same problems, the same conversations with the same people. It’s like those past four years have now been blacked out, they didn’t happen. The only trace of this personal growth is the incessant bitching and whining about how nothing will ever be that good ever again. That this is it. We’re fucked.

Really, that’s all I have to say. Perhaps this frustration, confusion, and sense of overwhelming uncertainty sounds familiar to you. If it does, then the rest of this is for you. Perhaps the following situation is remotely familiar to you (actual translation is in parentheses).

Me: “Oh wow, hey man, I haven’t seen you in awhile. How’ve you been?” (Jesus christ, I remember this fucking loser)
You: “Oh, I’m good, bro. I’m just over at the Thompson’s working at the bar.” (Jesus christ, I didn’t want him to see me, but I work at Thompson’s, I’m so cool.)
Me: “Great man, that’s very cool. I will see you around.” (This kid is actually proud of that. What an idiot.)
You: “Sounds good, bro.” (He thought he was a big shot, but now he is 100k in debt and hanging out in the places I’ve been at all along. Idiot.”

And see, the problem is, this stupid motherfucker is right. He’s totally right and we both know it. Here I am, here my friends are with our fancy college degrees and we are right back with all of these idiots in the same exact place. I know I’m better than these people, and time will eventually reveal this, or so I’m taught to believe. But right now, tonight, there is no substantial proof of my superiority over this idiot that is proud of working at Thompson’s. And depression sets in.

Well, here’s some breaking news from the world of radio: Don Imus REALLY doesn’t like black people. Earlier today, Don Imus was speaking about Dallas Cowboys CB Adam “Pacman” Jones, who has dealt wtih a slew of legal troubles dating back to his time as a student at West Virginia. Jones recently decided to ditch the name “Pacman” in an effort to revamp his damaged image and leave his troubled past behind.

Imus and Warner Wolf discussed Jones’ meaningless public relations move on-air this morning:

Wolf: “Defensive back Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here’s a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club.”

Imus: “Well, stuff happens. You’re in a night club, for God’s sake. What do you think’s gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking, they’re doing drugs. There are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead.”

Wolf: “He’s also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.”

Imus: “What color is he?”

Wolf: “He’s African-American.”

Imus: “Well, there you go. Now we know.”

Wow. There have been two early, albeit entirely different reactions to this rather new story. Some are calling for the immediate termination of Imus this afternoon, while others are arguing that Imus meant that it is no surprise that Jones has been arrested so frequently given that police profile blacks. Both groups are morons.

The notion that he was attacking the subject of racial profiling with his comments is absurd. Please. If he wanted to pontificate on such a complex and sensitive subject, surely he would have offered more than simply, “Well, there you go. Now we know.”

Don Imus is racist. Accept it. Don’t listen. And if you don’t want to support the companies that advertise on his show, then don’t. It’s his act, it’s what he gets paid to do, so why the hell is anybody actually surprised or even outraged at his recent comments? It was only a matter of time.

A few days ago I posted a review for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s new book, Real Change. Somewhere in this book Speaker Gingrich talks about the need for large monetary prizes from the government which will spur an innovation revolution. It would appear that Senator John McCain read that chapter as he is proposing a $300 million prize for the first person who develops, “an automobile battery that far surpasses existing technology.” From the article:

The bounty would equate to $1 for every man, woman and child in the country, “a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency,” McCain said in remarks prepared for delivery Monday at Fresno State University in California.

McCain said such a device should deliver power at 30 percent of current costs and have “the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.”

I think everyone in America would be willing to pay $1 for such technology to be created. But why stop there? Why not make the contest aspire to even greater heights and look for a battery that can be mega-mass produced not just in America, but around the world? This type of engine could breathe life back into Detroit and make GM the number one name in automobiles once again. In fact, if every American is willing to pay $1 for McCain’s competition, then wouldn’t we all be willing to pay $3.33 so we can create a $1 billion prize? I’d be down for it.

This is the type of innovation that will put America back on top of the leading edge of science and technology. We will, however, have to rely on foreign scientists and immigrant scientists to make these discoveries, but that’s another topic for another time. Hey, maybe if we can figure out this type of automobile technology we can figure out how to make math and science interesting in our schools again!

One thing that drives me crazy is when a worker takes no passion or pride in their profession. Before I get going I should say that if you are an employee who is in a job just to make some money for a fixed period of time, then this blog post doesn’t really apply to you. I’m referring to the professional worker - the person who is in their chosen career whether that career is white collar or blue collar, high paying or low paying, sitting behind a desk or working in a field. This post is about the career man or woman.

Is there anything more pathetic than a person who just “exists” in their job and does nothing to make their company or employer better at the end of the day than when they arrived in the morning? People should have a ferocious passion for what they do everyday. They should attack their job on a daily basis. Career workers should grab each day by its neck and make that day their own!

I believe that I think this way because I come from a family of hard workers. My Father was a dedicated and committed employee even up until a few months prior to when he passed away. He was a loyal employee during his active working years and he was a trusted hand during his retirement years. My Mother is the same way. She works for a local Township and because of her efforts since assuming her department’s management role, the department has become more efficient than it has been in years. She makes her department better each day than it was when she showed up in the morning. My brothers and I are on the same track. My older brother has worked his way to a front end manager (when needed) at his restaurant and he’s one of the Owner’s trusted confidants. Plus, he’s been working diligently at this various jobs for the last decade - even becoming the number one cell phone salesman for the now-defunct “The Wiz.” And my younger brother is so committed to working that the kid held TWO jobs while taking college courses last semester! In my family there is a ferocious commitment to working and making our employers better before we go home for the day.

For what it’s worth I see these types of passionate employees all around me. My roommates, my friends, most of my coworkers, etc. I know people who have to be at the office between 7am and 7:30am and who generally leave the office between 6:30pm and 7pm; and these people do this on a daily basis and excel in their positions because they attack their jobs and their various daily tasks. They make their employers better.

Sure, everyone has an off day here and there. And yes everyone “slacks” from time to time. But anyone can tell the difference between an employee who wants to make a difference and the employee who is there to collect a check. Think about the last time you called your cell phone company or cable company’s customer service hotline. How many of you encountered someone who thought outside of the box to solve your problem? How many of you got someone on the phone who didn’t need to transfer you because they were going to take the initiative to solve your problem in the best interests of every party involved? Very few of you, I’m sure.

In an economy like this it becomes blatantly apparent when you’re dealing with an employee who just wants to get his or her check at the end of the week. I recently asked a vendor that I’ve been working with to make a business inquiry to a third party on my behalf. Three days (and multiple opportunities to make the inquiry) later, my vendor not only had not asked the question on my behalf (which, remember, he is being paid to do), but he actually assumed what the third party’s answer would be! What the hell is this?! Without going into too much detail, the “assumed” answer from my vendor could have only been reached if he didn’t take a ferocious stance in favor of his client (me).

Talk about taking no pride in one’s work! This vendor is being paid by me to represent me to the third party! F’ing stand up and represent my best interests, damn it! This is a blatant example of someone who doesn’t have a ferocious commitment to their client. This is an example of someone who is concerned about making their quota for the week/month. This is an example of someone who wants to generate revenue at anyone’s expense - even his client’s! This is also an example of someone who has lost my future business.

The moral of the story is that you should be proud of your work. If you hate your job, then find a new one. It might take some time in this market, but start looking today. You should be passionate about what you do; at the very least you should know at the end of the day you’ve accomplished all that you can accomplish to the highest degree of excellence that you are capable. Attack your work. Be ferocious. Excel.

This week’s Atlanticville ran a story talking about one of the remaining holdouts in the Long Branch Broadway Arts redevelopment project. What I found upsetting about the article (and thus my impetus to write this post) is what the Atlanticville either forgot or chose not to add in this article. From the article:

A city minister will have until July to find a new place to call home and a new building where he can practice his ministry.

State Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson denied Broadway resident Kevin Brown a stay of the city’s use of eminent domain to take the building where he lives to make way for the Broadway redevelopment project.

Brown has also been trying to establish a place of worship in the building at 162 Broadway for more than a decade. The building is owned by The Lighthouse Mission and is located in the Broadway Corridor redevelopment zone.

This little blurb provides a decent background on the situation in Long Branch. And what an outrage it seems, right? Here is a Pastor who is trying to establish a place of worship for his congregation and attem — wait. There IS a congregation that is being displaced, right? Back to the article…

Brown has been battling the city for more than 10 years to open the Lighthouse Mission Church at the Broadway location.

So there isn’t an actual mission located at this location? There isn’t an actual place of worship that is waiting to open its doors? Hmmm… When I mix that up with other information that the Asbury Park Press has run on this story and you’re talking about a different story entirely.

Instead of a Pastor, his congregation, and his mission being ousted from their only home we have a Pastor with no congregation and no mission being removed from this building. And what of this building? A recent Asbury Park Press article talked about how this building was vacant on the first floor (the proposed location of the mission) and how the Pastor lived upstairs.

Folks, there are a conglomeration of financial institutions who WANT to infuse this area of Long Branch with money, economic advancement opportunities for residents (i.e. jobs), affordable housing options, and artistic/entertainment space. And this plan has not been able to go through because of a non-existent mission and a liquor store?! This is why it takes decades for any real change to happen in our communities.

I’m as much against eminent domain as the next guy. I think it’s vulgar that in the great American political experiment we’ve allowed a pro forma increase in tax revenues to replace existing taxpayers and homeowners. We’re not supposed to operate that way in this country. Yet, this is also a country where we try to work in the best interests of each other. When an entire area is asking for redevelopment, asking for an infusion of private, non-taxpayer money, and asking for their community to get a face-lift, then we should be for that change. In other words, just as strongly as we defend our rights to own our property without eminent domain, we should be fighting just as strongly against lone holdouts in these projects who have questionable ideas on the possibility for their future development.

The Broadway Arts Center project needs to get moving and it needs to get moving immediately. I wish Godspeed to Pastor Brown in finding a place to live in this crazy market (though $450,000 will find you a great place in a nice area of Long Branch) and I admire Pastor Brown’s use of the legal system to plead his case at any and all levels of the judiciary, but now is the time to move forward.