Read this article. If it doesn't piss you off...read it again.
It wasn't even a month ago that the government proclaimed to the citizens of the US of A that we were in such dire straights that they needed to pass a $700 billion bailout plan. The government is going to take part ownership in private banks in order to ensure their continued stability. Me, you, the guy sitting next to you...we are all footing this bill so that Wall Street survives. Yet, somewhere deep down in the vaults that good ole' Uncle Sam keeps, he was able to scrounge up $350K to sponsor a NASCAR team. A freaking NASCAR team. Here is the best part, though...they are sponsoring the car to further remind everyone that the country is switching to digital broadcasting in February.
So our economy is in the shitter, we all need to worry about economic collapse, our retirements are all at risk...yet the government sees it fit to sponsor a car to remind us all to watch TV. Maybe that is just Uncle Sam's way of trying to get us to forget about the mess we are in...or the biggest scam they just pulled on us taxpayers.
I made it through my first week living & working in the city. It's been just about three weeks now since I accepted an offer to work at The Media Kitchen as a member of the digital media group. Coming from a law firm, albeit a pretty lax firm, I'm not sure I really knew what to expect.
Darren tried his best to give me an idea of how things worked in 'agency life,' but either I didn't listen hard enough or, well, I just didn't believe him. He's been pretty spot on thus far. I've worked for 3 days and the perks are definitely there and I've met some pretty cool people out there already. I'm certainly looking forward to all of the experiences to come.
I've also figured to really make the most of this whole experience. I'm living in the Riverdale section of the Bronx right across from Van Cortland Park...which means I take the bus & a subway every day to work. The commute is a touch more then an hour, but it was a sacrifice to get a bit outside of the city & all the hustle. I've also managed to find my way to the rooftops of 2 different buildings...for drinks of course. I hate heights, but the views were great...I will admit.
It's been a whirlwind 3 days and I am so incredibly exhausted, but I can't wait to see what Monday brings. After explaining mortgages & putting together insurance policies for a year and a half it is a welcome change. The digital landscape is so vast and ever-changing I am excited to learn all that I can.
I'm on the train now...heading back to good ole' TogaTown for the weekend. I'm sure sunday will come before I know it, but I'm sure going to enjoy being home.
Oh...if anyone has any tips for dealing with snorers (my ipod is dead) I'd love to hear them.
I just read an article in the Times Union that reported on
local politicians’ plans to donate their salaries to charity. At first blush I
have always thought this a noble thing to do. I mean, if someone is in it to
truly help people and they do not need the money then why take a salary? But
when I stopped and thought about it for a brief moment I realized that this is
just another political gimmick that benefits no one but the politician
attempting to get elected…and of course the couple charities that get the
money.
Now I find nothing wrong with charitable donations, but not
when they come from the pockets of each and every taxpayer in a district. If an
elected official pledges to donate their paychecks, they still need to be paid.
This salary is included in the budgets that are supported by tax dollars…tax
dollars that come from you and I. So these donations do nothing to help in
lowering our tax burdens because we still need to pay these people to show up
and donate their money.
The next problem that I have is that the politician reaps
the benefit of such a donation. If these people are wealthy enough that they do
not need to collect a salary then they probably have a pretty significant tax
burden. I am no accountant, but I would imagine that donating tens of thousands
of dollars to charity will help out the overall tax burden.
Think about that…these salaries are included in budgets, the
budget is supported by tax dollars (paid by you and I), the politician then
donates all sorts of cash and then they are the ones that get a tax deduction.
How fair is that?? They are using my tax dollars and your tax dollars to save
their tax dollars…ones that obviously don’t matter as much if they do not need
to be paid for their work. I think that each and every citizen that helps to
support these salary donations should be given a pro-rated tax deduction…even
it is only cents, I don’t care.
This is just another political gimmick to help these people
to get elected into positions of power to reap the non-monetary benefits of
running city/state/national government.
The one politician mentioned in the article that I do have
respect for is NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He accepts a salary of $1 per year.
So in NYC the mayor’s salary does not need to be included in the budget or paid
for by tax payers. This is the way it should be done. If a politician doesn’t need
or want to collect a salary, then they shouldn’t be given one…instead the money
should be removed from the budget in order to help out the people they are
hoping to support.
Politics makes me sick. Every politician that claims to go
to work for Americans and fix Washington only becomes one of them. We need fundamental changes in this Country before it unravels at the seams and falls apart...
So I have been hesitant to say anything as to not jinx anything, but after getting the 'See you on the 15th' email this afternoon, I figured that I could finally say something...
I'm moving to NYC to take a job in advertising at The Media Kitchen. I'll be working as an associate strategist, under Darren, on his digital media team. This is a huge change for me as I have been away from most things non-legal for quite some time now. I have been diligently reading up on the industry and the ins-and-outs of digital advertising. I start next week and am very anxious to get going.
Looking for a place to live down there is also a daunting task, to say the least. Deciding to live in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, or NJ...who to live with...rent or sublet...aaahhhh! I am used to figuring out how much gas I will use up and down the northway on the way to work. Now I have to figure out what train goes where and how many changes I need to make.
Darren & Sherri have been kind enough to offer out their spare room until I find a place to lay my head at night and I couldn't be more thankful to them for all of their help.
I really am not a big fan of the city, so I hope that I make the right choices in terms of living so that, maybe...just maybe...it might grow on me a bit.
I am not a big junk food guy and I do my best to stay away from fast food as best I can. Every once in a while, however, I will find my way to a McDonald's...which is just what happened today. I got a Big Mac...which was pretty delicious...and some fries. How it happened I am not really sure, but I managed to find myself looking at the bottom of the Big Mac container. On the bottom of the little cardboard box that Big Macs are sold in was the nutrition information...29 grams of fat later I started thinking about the placement of these facts.
With 29 freaking grams of fat per sandwich it seems to be a double edged sword as to where to display this information. If the info was put on the top of the box, would anyone ever buy another sandwich knowing how bad they really are? With the info on the bottom, doesn't it seem as though the company is trying to hide it from the customer? I'm not sure of how much the info on the top, or side for that matter, would really deter people. I mean, I'll still eat the damn things even though I know how bad they are...but I don't make it a habit.
Another curious thought now crosses my mind...why is it that the company places the information on (probably) the worst item on the menu? My fries had no nutritional info on them and when I get other sandwiches I don't remember ever seeing the same info. I could be wrong, but what is this all about?
Well, trans-fat or no trans-fat I am no sitting here in a food coma feeling the zits forming under my skin...no more McDonald's for me for a while...
