Return of $10,000 doesn’t garner reward from owner

Everyone wants to think the best in others, especially during the holiday season. Debra Rogoff of California is an example of the kind of person we always say we’d be like.  In October, she found $10,000 in crisp $100 bills inside a box of Annie’s Sour Cream and Onion Cheddar Bunny crackers and didn’t spend any of it.

Rogoff called the police and they feared that it was actually part of a drug money drop-off since the bills were in an unmarked white envelope.  However, the store where the crackers were purchased knew who the money belonged to.  The Whole Foods Store in Tustin said that an elderly lady was frantic after she realized that the money she had withdrawn from the bank — her life savings — had been stored inside a box of crackers she inadvertently returned.

I understand the woman’s distrust of the bank because of the recent economic mess.  Many who lived through the Great Depression might be more apt to pull their savings out for fear of losing everything.  I don’t understand returning food to the grocery store, but that’s a whole other article.

What I don’t understand is how after fearing that she had lost everything the woman who owned the money has not done anything to show her gratitude to the person who found it.  Rogoff said that she has never heard from the woman and to date has only received a replacement box of crackers from Whole Foods.  The store’s policy is to compost returned food, not restock it — so not only does the woman have Rogoff to thank but also whomever at Whole Foods inadvertently put the box on the shelf.

So much for gratitude these days…

Kids ask Santa for economic help this year

In an earlier blog post this week, I mentioned how hard it is for people this year at Christmas because of the economy.  And just as I said would happen, children are asking Santa for help.

Joe Jackson, a Santa in Columbia, SC, said this:

You see things behind the beard that nobody else will ever see or hear. I’ve had children just literally tear my heart out.

Parents are helping their children through tough times by trying to keep traditions alive.  Many know that their children desperately want the latest and greatest toy from Santa this year and that it just won’t happen.  Sadly, many don’t realize that the kids know this as well regardless of how much Mom and Dad try to hide it.

Children this year aren’t asking for as many toys as before, the article says.  They’re asking for warm clothes and personal care items — things most people would be offended to receive as a present.  In days gone by when people were happy to receive simple homemade presents, a pair of socks or a hastily-knitted scarf was the highlight of someone’s holiday.  Now, if it doesn’t have a memory card or isn’t the latest model of something they already have, people don’t want it.  To many, if you can’t prove you spent a quarter of your annual salary on their present then you’d be better off not buying anything at all.

Civic organizations are scrambling to help families provide a simple Christmas for children this year.  With more families signing-up for services and less people donating money, it’s going to be thin all around.

Having to cancel Christmas breaks the hearts of parents everywhere.  And it’s not only Christian families that are hurting this year.  Those who celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and no specific holiday at all are also in need.  It’s not just during the winter non-denominational holiday season that people need assistance.

Is shopping worth your life? Wal-Mart employee killed during Black Friday store rampage

Just how much is your life worth?  Shoppers at a Long Island, NY, Wal-Mart felt that anyone standing in their way was worth less than saving a few dollars.

A clerk at the store was trampled after the crowd broke the doors off the hinges.  A pregnant woman has been taken to hospital for observation and may have lost her unborn child.  Many others sustained injuries from the riot and the store had to be closed.

The Bentonville, AR, headquarters stated the store had to be closed for a “medical emergency” but has yet to confirm or deny the rampage by its customers.

So, are your kids just that spoiled that you’ll threaten the life of another person for a stupid toy?  Are you that greedy that you can’t wait until the store opens to plunk down money you can’t afford to spend on an HD TV?  And have we all become so blind to the plight of others that people will actually step on others in pursuit of material goods that no one notices someone has been hurt until it’s too late?

What does that say about the state of the world today?  True, people want to continue their holiday traditions and provide presents for family members but can’t afford to spend as much as years past.  We’re all out looking for a way to save some money.  But instead of living within the means they have now, there are many who find the after-Thanksgiving sales as the only way to appease their spoiled children, guilty conscience, or greedy desires.  Every year we hear about someone getting hurt in a shopping rush.  Every year we hear people complain about how they overspent on holiday gifts because “it was on sale” or “they just had to have it.”

So how much is your life worth?  I’d like to think we could all agree it’s worth more than anything that comes wrapped with a bow.

Citi too big to fail? Fed employees owe them money, too.

There are tons of news articles and blogs out there about how Citibank is too large to fail.  President Bush said it yesterday.  The new economic team being brought together by President-elect Obama seems to agree.  Does anyone know why?  Here’s some food for thought….

Most of it has to do with consumer spending and the crashing economy.  But it’s not all because of main street spending or the irresponsible banks.

A close friend of mine works with a government disaster agency.  They recently were told that their government travel cards for hotel and travel expenses only were going to change from Citi to JP Morgan Chase.  Everyone who was eligible by their employment and credit ratings to receive a new card got one almost a month ago.

Remember when Hurricane Katrina hit?  Remember when everyone was screaming for people to show up and help in New Orleans?  And remember when FEMA recruited people off the streets to fill those positions?  In that article it mentions that the lady couldn’t get her government travel card — something required by all employees in order to be able to work.

Many of those people were given credit cards to use for “travel only” that were issued from Citi.  Just in April of 2008 the Department of Homeland Security had to accept the Government Credit Card Abuse Act of 2007 that requires actions to be taken against employees who misuse card.  Many were fired because the credit cards could be used anywhere and these temporary “surge” employees bought computers, leather handbags, jewelry, and “entertainment” with their cards.  They weren’t supposed to, of course, but the checks-and-balances of reviewing all purchases never happened.  Many who were fired, as well as many who were not, never paid-back the money they owed.  So who owes it now?

You may be thinking, so what if they changed from Citi to JP Morgan?  Well, the government is still responsible for clearing those accounts with Citi.  Also, my friend told me that he got a memo stating that JP Morgan isn’t ready to take over the accounts yet and that government employees will need to continue to use their Citi cards into 2009.

So of course the government thinks Citi is too big to fail!  If the government itself is depending on that credit to keep itself going, then it absolutely would believe it’s important to save it.  I haven’t been able to figure out where the money is going to come from to pay the old bad debts.  I’d be willing to be they don’t get a dime out of the people who charged the bills in the first place.  That leaves it falling back on the taxpayers, of course.  We’re already bailing out everyone else.  What’s one more bailout at our expense?

Santa shortage in Germany? What about kindness everywhere?

In these trying financial times, people are losing their jobs and life savings in the worldwide economic crisis.  Some are hoping to simply put a little food on the table or perhaps have one item for Father Christmas to leave in a stocking hung by the chimney with care.  For the Germans, they can’t find enough people to be Santa.

No, they’re not talking about “being Santa” as in showing charity and helping those less fortunate.  They’re looking for more than a few good men willing to put on a red suit and have snotty children scream in terror when placed on their lap.  A lot of people aren’t willing to go through that torture.  Maybe they’ve read this book!

Santas in Germany can make 60 euros per hour.  That’s about $75 per hour!!  In one thought, I think it’s way too much.  I would love to have a job that paid like that.  However, upon reflection, with the hazard pay you would need to provide to get some people to just consider being the jolly ol’ elf, it’s about right.  I mean…look at the working conditions!  You’ve got kids who are terrified of you.  You’ve also got overbearing parents who believe their little angels are entitled to whatever their sweetums begs for and are looking for the perfect photo to put in their Christmas letters that no one ever reads.

Then you have the parents who shyly stand on the sidelines and weep quietly to themselves because they know there’s no way they could possibly provide even one of the smallest items their kids are whispering into Santa’s ear.  Or the kids who sit on your knee and tell you they just want Mommy or Daddy to come home again, or stop drinking, or visit them from Heaven.

The Germans say that they’re actively recruiting Santas because people want to cling to their traditions to get through trying times.  I can see that.  Telling a child they can’t talk to Santa this year because no one can afford Christmas would bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

But do we really need a Santa on every street corner?  What about taking some of that salary and donating it to organizations that will ensure children can simply have a small present under the tree?  Or using it to help provide food for those who are in need and might go hungry this holiday season, regardless of whether it’s Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or even a non-religious celebration?

It’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year.  For many, even sugarplums won’t be dancing in their heads because the suffering of the real world has finally hit home.  What a shock to many it is to have gone from granting any wish their heart desired to wishing someone else had a heart large enough to help.

American automakers do too little WAY too late

You’ve probably already seen the article, but here it is again.  General Motors to return two leased jets amid criticism.

Wow.  What a great and charitable move by an industry giant.  And, yes, the sarcasm meter is turned WAY up in that statement!

Not only is it incredibly naive of them to believe that the American taxpayers are going to accept their move as an act of contrition regarding their overspending, narcissistic, carefree millionaire attitudes but it’s way too little, way too late in the game.  And, you just can’t help but pick out how they’re really not trying to do more to show that they are getting their affairs in order before they bite the big one.

They’re giving back two planes.  TWO??  Out of a fleet of how many?  GM refuses to provide the name of the company they lease from.  Is it because the fees are exorbitantly high?  Is it because they agree to pay more than the regular rate?  No one really wants to answer that.  And they’re leased jets.  So how many do they actually own??

My favorite statements in the articles are these:

He [GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson], however, said the company has not decided on what mode of transportation [GM CEO Rick] Wagoner would take if had to travel to Washington again.  Wagoner and Ford CEO Alan Mulally are required by their companies to fly by private aircraft for security reasons, according to company documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

What?  What security reasons??  I wouldn’t recognize these bozos on the street if they walked up and gave me a million dollars (which I wish they would, but there you have it)!  Hell…watch Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” on The Tonight Show and see just how uninformed most of the American public is.  Many can’t recognize their own State Senator or Representative for whom they claimed to vote.  So who’s stalking all these auto execs?  No one I can think of.  Well, no one unless you count the mind-numbingly large numbers of former auto workers who have been fired over the past years because CEO salaries have gone up while benefits, consumer trust, and caring for your employees has plummeted.

Toyota and Nissan aren’t really having the same problems that the American Big Three are.  I was in San Antonio, Texas, back in 2005 when Toyota was preparing to open their new plant there.  People were really excited about the new jobs and the hotel I stayed in was hosting some of the Japanese executives who were there to finish ironing out the deals.  Now, I’m certainly no millionaire who can stay at the ritzy hotels of any city.  Heck, I’m lucky if I can get a room at a Super 8 some days.  But these guys who make lots of money and represent one of the largest corporations in the world were staying at a regular hotel just like the rest of us.  I didn’t see security details around the hotel, so I guess they’re not as “wanted” as the American CEOs are, huh?

Maybe it’s because their employees come first.  When the very same Toyota plant they were building had to slow production this year due to decreased sales of the Tundra pickup they make, they didn’t fire their employees.  They shut the plant down for three months and paid, yes paid, their employees full salaries to attend training and complete community service projects throughout the city.  In addition, while the employees were working to better themselves and their community, the company implemented new improvements to safety and quality.  And employees who didn’t work on the one shift that was restarted?  They’re still getting paid to do program and self improvement projects.

Isn’t that what the American dream was?  Work hard and make yourself and your community a better place??  And the Japanese are having to teach us that in our own country??

So thanks, but no thanks to the “generous gesture” given by GM.  My confidence isn’t bolstered by it.  In fact,  I bet you’ll be hard-pressed to find many taxpayers who will say, “Oh, two planes?  That’s fine.  Now you may have all the money I and the rest of the country’s working class toiled hard to make and paid the government to use for national security, services, etc.  That’s fine with us now.”

Yeah…when it comes to overpaid executives sticking it to the little people, that sarcasm button doesn’t release lightly.