In my last entry, you might wonder why America has degenerated? Why its politicians suddenly care less about their constituency? Why the civic and business leaders forgot the average American's "right to the pursuit of happiness"?
That is nothing new. In an old almanac, I found these stories to be insightful.
-Isaac Vincent, treasurer of Alabama disappeared in 1883 with the modern equivalent of $4.3 million.
-In 1883, citizens of Long Island City, NY, won a civil suit against their mayor, Henry De Bevoise, for misappropriating city bonds in the modern equivalent of $2.2 million.
-In 1885, Michael Delahanty, Justice of the Peace of Long Island City was guilty of malfeasance--collecting fines and keeping them for his own use. While awaiting judgement, he was captured during a raid of illegal gambling.
-The first major success of the NYC Tammany "political machine" was the mayoral election of 1854. It allowed the ascent of William "Boss" Tweed, one of the most notorious Tammany leaders. While never mayor, he was Commissioner of Public Works, and used the position to milk the city of untold millions--as if it were all blank checks. He was chairman of the Democratic Party of New York County, and the Grand Sachem of the Tammany Club--both centers of corruption, vote buying, vote altering, lobbying, extortion rackets, and money funneling. Tammany bosses existed through the 1950s--despite occasional reforms and upstanding mayors. Due to NYC's vast (and uneducated) population, state and national leaders sought favors from the Tammany organization to manipulate voters to vote for them. (Such corruption and neglect of priorities explains why NYC is the way it is today--still 100 years behind other developed cities!)
-In 1881, the U.S. Assistant Postmaster General resigned due to an estimated scam/loss of $79 million in today's money, over five years! But, trials all ended with acquittals (nothing new, considering the our last economic turmoil of 2008).
-In 1888, the NY governor's election was won by David Bennett who was backed by the influential State Liquor Dealers' Association (via free flowing alcohol to buy votes). In return, Bennett vetoed a bill that would've increased license fees.
-In 1888, James Tate, Treasurer of Kentucky embezzled $3 million in today's money and disappeared. His nickname had been "Honest Dick".
-In 1890, Stevenson Archer, Treasurer of Maryland and chairman of the state Democratic party was charged with stealing $2.9 million in today's money--which he used to repair trust funds that he managed. He was sentenced to only 5 years in prison, but was soon pardoned by the governor due to "his poor health". (Do we see a trend here, involving political money-managers? Do we also see a lack of punishment/consequences? And this was 100 years before present-day corruption!)
-In 1891, the Kansas senate voted to impeach Republican Judge Theodosius Botkin for gambling, being drunk while at trial and throwing innocents into jail because they were personal enemies, and releasing from jail his political friends.
-In 1893, the Democrat mayor of Chicago was assassinated for receiving payoffs and bribes from lucrative city contracts and leases. His biggest payoff came from helping create the Ogden Gas Company to compete with the existing People's Gas Company. The threat of competition was to force the People's company to purchase stock. In 1895 the Chicago mayoral convention turned into a riot of physical assaults; police were called to quash them. The vote that occurred after also turned into several riots--involving rocks, clubs and gunshots wounding several people. (You can't hide that Chicago lacked a respectable element--no wonder mobsters took it over in the 1920s).
-The young state of Montana finally elected William Andrews Clark as its U.S. Senator in 1899 (despite well-publicized bribery issues). A robber-baron of a copper empire, he built a mammoth mansion in NYC (no surprise!) which was torn down from hatred as soon as Clark died.
-In 1898, Robert Van Wyck, Democrat judge in New York City, became the city's mayor. Active in Tammany Hall during prolific corruption, he was involved in the Ice Trust Scandal, where the city allowed one company to have a monopoly of ice supplies (before refrigeration was invented). Even NYS Governor Roosevelt failed to eject Van Wyck--also for all the dummy corporations that received funds from the city, which "lined the pockets" of Tammany bosses. Van Wyck left office with $39 million in today's money, as his personal fortune (and an expressway is named after him). At his death, the NY Times wrote he was "involved in probably more administrative scandals than any Mayor in the city's history."
As you can discover on your own in today's news headlines, such illegalities never stopped. It is incorrigible.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Friday, May 19, 2017
Enough Vacation?
Contrary to what you might think, and contrary to most nations in the world, there is no law in America that makes employers provide vacation time. For an American, there is no legal protection to have any vacation days. Not a day. Legally, it is a luxury if employers do.
In most of the civilized world, it is customary to get (paid or not) a week off from work between Christmas and New Years. Not in the USA. A week during the end-of-year holidays might be half of the entire allowed vacation time for most Americans. America, the so-called "Land of the Free", overworks its people, and it did that since the post-slavery Industrial Revolution. Tap on the image below to make it bigger/clearer.
For a first-world "developed" country, the United States treats its people badly. In a typical gesture towards Big Business, our tax-paid government is only OECD country that doesn't require employers to give any days of paid leave! Furthermore, there is no federal law that enforces holidays as "paid time off". Employers in America are not required to let employees have days off for Thanksgiving or Christmas: it is a luxury if they do. Employers in America are not required to pay employees for those holidays: it is a luxury if they do. Making it worse, there is no mandate for "holiday pay" if employees must work on holidays. Federal or state holidays might exist, but there are no laws that compel employers to honor them.
Many occupations make their employees work six days per week and only have "paid days off" for 3 or 4 holidays per year!
Compare that many countries in Europe, which have laws that designate 8-10 national holidays as "days off away from work". Those are civilized societies that value a Work/Life balance. America is not one of them.
According to a 2011 CNN report, some companies in the USA don't like employees taking more than 1 week at a time. Too many folks are fearful of losing their jobs, so they don't even take their 2 weeks off. Only 57% of American workers use their full 2 weeks. If they do, many complain of "punishment consequences" when they return... as if it was sinful or something! Other bosses expect vacationers to check their work email/voicemail. What kind of Life Balance is that?!
A software engineer in Washington D.C. is fearful of taking more than 1 week off to "see the world". Meanwhile, an engineer in Weinheim, Germany gets 6 weeks of paid vacation, plus all of the national holidays. His company makes sure that he uses all of it. In fact, it's typical for Germans to take 3 consecutive weeks off in August--just like in France.
My often-vacationing hair stylist, Dragan, is from the Republic of Croatia, and he said that Americans have an idea to work like robots. "If that's the way they want to be, that's up to them. But it doesn't have to be like that," he said, "What are Americans clinging to?"
My Hungarian friend stated, "Americans are too fearful of relocating. They're guilty about be away from their families. They're anxious that they won't find anything better elsewhere. They're sick in the head!"
That might be true: brainwashed and afraid.
My friend continued, "Most of my friends from our university in Hungary moved to other countries for jobs. They're lives are full and enriched, and their families are happy for their success."
Lewis and I have a friend who works in Communist China. Chinese law mandates a total of 16 paid vacation days and paid public holidays. The USA has zero! America in the same low category as Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia! Everywhere else gives more vacation time! Our friend in Japan gets 10. My friend from Mexico got 13. Lewis' friend in Singapore gets 18. The European Union mandates 20 (employers in the Netherlands give a bonus of "vacation pay"). Bangladesh gives 21 days. My friend in Israel gets 21. My former coworker returned to Vietnam and gets 22. Neighbors in my community say that Greece gives 24. My barista told me that Guatemala has 25, and Kenya has 28. A former Turkish colleague got 26. In India, Andy (mentioned in my prior entry) says they get 27 paid days off--the same as Switzerland. A friend who worked for the British Embassy in NYC informs me that the United Kingdom mandates 28, Ireland gives 29, and Australia gives 30. My friends in Brazil are given 30. Serbia gives 31. Italians enjoy 32 paid days per year... the same as United Arab Emirates. Cubans receive 33--including 9 paid public holidays! Lithuania and Sweden are some of the nations that provide 34, while Portugal and the Principality of Luxembourg give 35. My colleagues in France get 36, and that country "closes down" in the summertime. Austria offers 38, which is one more day than Syria. A colleague from the country of Georgia got the most: 39. Once again, America = 0.
As for American employers, there's no evidence that "working people to death" gives a competitive advantage. It's merely to be cruel and tight-fisted. It's treating employees like a "cog in a wheel": a mentality from the era of Industrial Revolution robber-barons. In 2009, a Congressman from Florida introduced a Paid Vacation Act, which would require large companies to provide at least one week of paid annual leave. The bill stalled, thanks to under-serving, two-faced politicians. Opponents said that it would have a negative impact on business. Really?
Meanwhile, an engineer in Washington--who hasn't taken a long vacation in 10 years--is finally planning a real getaway. He's taking a cruise for his 60th birthday. Wow, so much time has escaped him. It doesn't have to be like that... wasting years until you can take a vacation.
The song lyrics of "Enjoy Yourself" sprung to mind:
"You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter, come what may. You've got your reservations made, but you just can't get away. Next year for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around. But how far can you travel when you're six feet underground?"
According to a 2011 CNN report, some companies in the USA don't like employees taking more than 1 week at a time. Too many folks are fearful of losing their jobs, so they don't even take their 2 weeks off. Only 57% of American workers use their full 2 weeks. If they do, many complain of "punishment consequences" when they return... as if it was sinful or something! Other bosses expect vacationers to check their work email/voicemail. What kind of Life Balance is that?!
A software engineer in Washington D.C. is fearful of taking more than 1 week off to "see the world". Meanwhile, an engineer in Weinheim, Germany gets 6 weeks of paid vacation, plus all of the national holidays. His company makes sure that he uses all of it. In fact, it's typical for Germans to take 3 consecutive weeks off in August--just like in France.
My often-vacationing hair stylist, Dragan, is from the Republic of Croatia, and he said that Americans have an idea to work like robots. "If that's the way they want to be, that's up to them. But it doesn't have to be like that," he said, "What are Americans clinging to?"
My Hungarian friend stated, "Americans are too fearful of relocating. They're guilty about be away from their families. They're anxious that they won't find anything better elsewhere. They're sick in the head!"
That might be true: brainwashed and afraid.
My friend continued, "Most of my friends from our university in Hungary moved to other countries for jobs. They're lives are full and enriched, and their families are happy for their success."
Lewis and I have a friend who works in Communist China. Chinese law mandates a total of 16 paid vacation days and paid public holidays. The USA has zero! America in the same low category as Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia! Everywhere else gives more vacation time! Our friend in Japan gets 10. My friend from Mexico got 13. Lewis' friend in Singapore gets 18. The European Union mandates 20 (employers in the Netherlands give a bonus of "vacation pay"). Bangladesh gives 21 days. My friend in Israel gets 21. My former coworker returned to Vietnam and gets 22. Neighbors in my community say that Greece gives 24. My barista told me that Guatemala has 25, and Kenya has 28. A former Turkish colleague got 26. In India, Andy (mentioned in my prior entry) says they get 27 paid days off--the same as Switzerland. A friend who worked for the British Embassy in NYC informs me that the United Kingdom mandates 28, Ireland gives 29, and Australia gives 30. My friends in Brazil are given 30. Serbia gives 31. Italians enjoy 32 paid days per year... the same as United Arab Emirates. Cubans receive 33--including 9 paid public holidays! Lithuania and Sweden are some of the nations that provide 34, while Portugal and the Principality of Luxembourg give 35. My colleagues in France get 36, and that country "closes down" in the summertime. Austria offers 38, which is one more day than Syria. A colleague from the country of Georgia got the most: 39. Once again, America = 0.
As for American employers, there's no evidence that "working people to death" gives a competitive advantage. It's merely to be cruel and tight-fisted. It's treating employees like a "cog in a wheel": a mentality from the era of Industrial Revolution robber-barons. In 2009, a Congressman from Florida introduced a Paid Vacation Act, which would require large companies to provide at least one week of paid annual leave. The bill stalled, thanks to under-serving, two-faced politicians. Opponents said that it would have a negative impact on business. Really?
If overworked employees balk or complain about their situation, their employers reprimand them to be grateful that they have jobs. They sound like Ebenezer Scrooge from the 1840s! Unchanged for a century, America's companies, landlords, and government agencies are intolerant of criticism from workers. Their attitude is, "If you don't like it, you can leave. Many people will replace you". Please watch this video by Lewis' coworker who complains about her job duties increasing while her compensation and "paid time off" decreases each year.
Meanwhile, an engineer in Washington--who hasn't taken a long vacation in 10 years--is finally planning a real getaway. He's taking a cruise for his 60th birthday. Wow, so much time has escaped him. It doesn't have to be like that... wasting years until you can take a vacation.
The song lyrics of "Enjoy Yourself" sprung to mind:
"You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter, come what may. You've got your reservations made, but you just can't get away. Next year for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around. But how far can you travel when you're six feet underground?"
Thursday, May 18, 2017
The Universe Will Guide You - Road to Utopia
Born and raised in a materialistic California suburbia,
Andy was a preppy young man.
He eventually outgrew his family expectations and veered from his preppy path. He obtained more "edge".
Upon legal age, he set out on his own, severing ties with his relatives. No more family guilt. No more obligatory duties. No more inconveniences due to irrational relatives.
His education? A certificate of achievement for a Professional Bartending Course from Los Angeles City College.
He dabbled in retail, but quickly surmised American retail's mostly disgusting treatment of employees.
He simply wanted a pleasant existence, without too much scheduled effort. He thought that he deserved it. If he was given such a life, he'd share what he learned.
The Universe answered his call, and here's what happened.
Thankfully, he lived in California, where beach-life was rife with fun possibilities: relaxation, parties, transient relationships, a laid-back pace, and ever-soothing waves. All of it cooled his mind and gave inner joy & peace.
He was invited to beach-house parties and "sleepovers".
Finally, he felt that he had conquered that "scene", and he desired something more.
Someone pointed him in the direction of Reiki, telling him how popular it would make him. He was initiated at the Shoden Level of the Reiki method of energy healing and became a Reiki 1 Practioner.
This is the image of how he envisioned himself...
Andy's Reiki Shihan said that he was supposed to lovingly heal the world through the lens of wonder and delight. Below, he officiated at a couple's vows.
Of greater fun and interest, he found that being a Reiki artist made him hugely popular at Los Angeles parties.
His practice of "Usui Shiki Ryoho" involved the "laying of hands" to heal. Girls loved it! (and also his looks, lips, and flirty manner)
When he felt that he mastered that "land", he asked the Universe for something more adventurous.
An L.A. partygoer led him to an all-out-anything-goes party in the dessert: Burning Man. Click here to learn about it:
He met many who bared their souls and let loose in wild ways!
From those interactions, the sphere of influence of his sexual appetite and prowess grew.
Without social restrictions or Latino Catholic influences, he realized that he enjoyed playing around the men AND women. Luckily, he was amidst a plethora of eager people.
Having them "eating out of his hands", he reveled in the physicality... until the annual event ended.
Through his new connections--which only stayed intact thanks to social media and text messages--he knew people from all around the world. They gave him "standing invitations" to visit their homes in the future.
To raise money to launch himself on foreign ventures, he temporarily returned to retail. The Universe provided him with a friend who owned his own shop and gave Andy an easy-going job.
It didn't last long, because he disagreed with "social norms".
That rewarded him with arriving in Costa Rica as a buddy's "travel companion".
There, Andy savored the waterfalls and climate, and he attended Envision: a dance party of topless hippies.
He was their physiological healer. For some, he was their sexual inspiration / venting convenience.
He wrote, "Mikaylo and I have been backpacking from the lake and now entering Panama. We have seen and experienced so much together already. This guy's energy is so pure and genuine! He's from Chicago and is only 21! His wisdom is pure and from the heart! I love meeting all my beautiful backpacking friends! You guys really make traveling what it is!! Cheers to a lifetime of friendship!!!"
At the notion of something new, he returned to California and found donors so he could enroll himself in Buddhist coursework.
Raising funds was easy for him; he simply posted his needs online, made videos or "Go Fund Me" accounts, and his pockets filled & donations flooded in. You might think that you need a professional network to raise capital, but it isn't so.
Just as his mind was quieting, he accepted the next invitation for that year's Burning Man. He engaged in even more wild fun than the prior year.
Andy made more "friends" and contacts; it is a sort of networking event. He thought it was perfectly natural to have orgies under the open sky--being at one with so much energy (Below, notice the small figures in the lower corners of his image).
Having a grasp on human inclinations and attractions, he aimed for more far-flung experiences outside normalcy. From the dessert, he headed for coastal waters.
Thanks to more open-handed donations (via online fundraising and simply asking for money and having it provided), he travelled to Honduras. (I'm sure that his friends don't expect to be reimbursed.)
There, he found shelter with a group of strangers--that the Universe provided--and soaked up some summer fun.
Guatemala was his next stop, while belonging to a Volunteer Gardening group.
Mystical Yoga Farm accepted his money and enriched his mindset and capabilities.
He proudly posted each of these achievements online (as if they were merit badges), and it won him ever-increasing acclaim, financial support, energy, and popularity.
Nicaragua was the next place that he went to.
He joined a bunch of European volunteers with their ecological farming project; it provided food and shelter (just like the "drifter" song, "King of the Road").
Of course, there was always plenty of time to rest, swim, rejuvenate, make love, and admire sunsets.
Always, he kept himself fit and mentally at ease. The Universe protected him from ever needing a physician or legal help or ransom or heartbreak. He relished in his vibrant, happy blessings. Seemingly, his hands "held the keys" to an open road.
While there, he wrote online, "I'll be here until the 21st, and then off to Peru. I'm meeting the most beautiful people out here from all over the world. I'm already changed inside-out by this traveling experience. One of the best decisions I've ever made was buying that plane ticket!! I literally feel like I'm in paradise! And to all the people that kept telling me to be carful because it's so dangerous out here, I feel safer here then in Los Angeles!! People are friendly and really know how to take it easy down here. Anyone traveling to another country, never trust people's opinions, go with your own instinct and intuition. Life's to short to listen to others, go see for your self!! Light and love!"
Peru was spectacular, and the men were dreamy... with thick accents and warmth.
[What does Andy do with all those varied outfits? He gets rid of clothes when they don't suit the climate anymore. He donates or swaps them, and new clothes "come to him"].
As his life-experiences got richer in diversity, he thought of himself as this image--connecting to natural forces:
Andy couldn't miss an opportunity to site-see through Colombia and swim in the Amazon River.
He learned to simply follow the path that was set out before him--regardless of how doubtful it might appear.
Enlisting at the Healer Sunset Camp gave him stronger connections in the mystic/yoga worlds. Daily yoga moves kept him limber and toned, and such camps satisfied his desire to socialize with peers (even in the middle of nowhere).
Cosmic Convergence was a whole bunch of fun, too. He was brought there by a traveller from the yoga camp.
Next, he heard about a Wisdom Yogi class in India, and he immediately wanted to go. Why not? On Facebook, he asked for money/support to go. Naturally, he didn't want to work to earn money; he wanted to simply receive it. He stressed about missing the registration deadline, and his videos called folks greedy because they hadn't donated. Faced with not getting what he wanted, he became churlish. Aloud, he doubted the Universe. Despite all that he had already been given, he sounded ungrateful. But, the Universe provided enough resources--just in time.
He quickly assimilated with the locals.
After gleefully partaking in the "color run",
... he found a generous person to share an apartment with (seen below). They exchanged favors.
When he gets his fill of that coursework, Andy plans to backpack across India. (No, he doesn't believe in jinxing his plans by broadcasting them in advance).
He's living his dream!
He thanked the Universe for enabling him to hold Life's enjoyment in the palm of his hand.
If the images of Andy's travels aren't proof enough that anything is possible (if you believe and "let go"), then read his advice...
"Here are 10 life lessons that wise people figured out:
1. There are no mistakes, only growth.
2. You will keep repeating the same patterns until you get the lesson.
3. Whatever you believe about yourself on the inside is manifested on the outside.
4. The more you approve of yourself, the less you need others' approval.
5. All situations are pathways instead of problems.
6. Things don't happen to you — they happen for you.
7. There's no "there" to get to — it never ends.
8. Where you are today is preparing you for tomorrow? Everything is connected.
9. You will always get what you need. It might not be what you want, but it is always exactly what you need.
10. What you make of your life is up to you."
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