Addendum to LIPA Grade of F

Amid all the hardship and heartfelt prayers and good wishes for those who lost so much as a result of Super Storm Sandy sits one remaining fact - 2 full weeks after the storm hundreds of thousands are still without power.  And many will not have it  back by Thanksgiving!
On Long Island where we can boast the highest power rate in the country there are still ONE EIGHTH OF A MILLION CUSTOMERS  WITHOUT POWER!

Seaside Heights Boardwalk
and CUSTOMERS ruined by
Sandy & insulted by LIPA

Understand that 125,000 customers means on average four times that many humans are without heat or electricity since power companies consider the house to be the customer and not the actual family that resides within.
And that is an important distinction because it points to the fact that large corporations such as LIPA (Long Island Power Authority for those lucky enough to NOT know who this is) don't care about people nearly as much as they do about the money they receive from a customer!  And that customer could be a robot as long as it pays the bill.
But here is the key point I must make:
Before during and just after the storm started its massive take down of the entire northeast corridor of America LIPA realized it was in trouble.
They made calls for help from out of State crews which is the right thing to do in an emergency.
BUT!!!!
LIPA's union demanded that the crew members join the union before coming to help.
The particulars to the LIPA demands are in many papers and I will not bother to repeat them here but I provide this link to view them.
I have one question - What would have happened if New York City demanded that all 'First Responders' stop at the border of Manhattan to show their union cards or citizenship cards or any ID card before rushing to the World Trade Center on 911????  These heroes risked and many lost their lives without thinking about anything other than helping those in need.
I am all for unions as we need them to counterbalance the greediest owners of large corporations who use any excuse to squeeze workers for more cash but when self serving stupidity clouds your agenda perhaps you must sit back and agree that you have seen the enemy, AND HE IS YOU!

Inform Yourself!

Information is king.
The more you have the better you rule your world.
You need it to make all the right decisions.
Information gives you power.
Great information gives great power!
But with great power comes great responsibility (where have I heard that before?)
The biggest problem in all of the above is simply TMI - too much information.
We are bombarded left and right with opinions that masquerade as facts and information that's 'mis.'
It's up to us to sift through all the 'facts' to create a clear picture of reality.
People can say anything they like but saying something does not make it true.
The Earth is not physically flat though for a millennium it was thought to be so.
Norman Vincent Peale wrote about the power of positive thinking.  I believe he'd be positively livid about the pervasive negativity coming out of the mouths of our politicians were he alive today.
You cannot turn on a television or radio, or open a piece of junk mail - email - or text (did I cover everything?) without hearing about our impending doom.
Republicans bemoan any policy put forth by the Democratic majority and whine about how it will kill the economy; kill businesses; and kill any chance for jobs to recover in America.
Kill - Kill - Kill.
They say it every chance they get with an eye toward taking majority control of the government.
And in this never ending game where they cannot lose we the people play the pawn.
You want a job? Tough!
No job but want unemployment? Tough!
Want a loan from the bank? Tough!
You need help or you will lose your home? Hey, you don't have a job you slob so, tough!
It now evident that their 'fingers in the ear' 'head in the sand' tactic is becoming a self fulfilling prophesy.  The roadblock mentality of the Republican party has stifled and stymied any chance of significant recovery before November.
I don't mean to say that everything is hunky dory and the future is bright and rosy but we would have a far better chance if 41% of our so-called leaders would stop their 24/7 campaigning and just do the job they were elected to do in the first place!  The job for which they are so amply paid as to be set for life!
The question of who is telling the truth in DC is moot since there is almost no such thing there.
The truth is dynamic and ever-changing, but:
It was never true that the health reform bill had 'death panels.'
It was never true that Obama was a citizen of Kenya.
It was never true that the leader of the Republican party, Rush Limbaugh was a clear and rational sane human being.
And it was also never true that the Republicans were going to sit back and allow the Democrats to get credit for fixing the economy.
However:
I am certain that America will rebound.
I am certain that we will once again take our place as leaders of the free world.
I am also certain that the Republicans would rather we flounder for decades than allow that to happen under the leadership of a Democratic administration.
If the power in Congress switches sides this coming November we will have rewarded the Party of No for their campaign of mis-truths; innuendos; and out and out lies!
The truth is out there!
The information to fact check all you need is waiting to be read.
Don't listen to and be fooled by the rhetoric.
Follow it up with a little research.
Information is king but you only get the power if it's true.