Common Sense Living

Did you even get a bonus? Yet we’re supposed to pay for big bonus and trip packages for those poor struggling bailed out still gloriously employed – OK, I’d better stop this thought now while I’m still ahead.

Here’s a great email I got a little while ago. Does it make your blood boil?  

Dear MoveOn member,

Last Friday, Sen. Claire McCaskill took to the Senate floor and said what I imagine a lot of us have been thinking about Wall Street lately:

Sen. McCaskill was reacting to the $18.4 billion in bonuses that Wall Street bankers took home in 2008. $18.4 billion going to the people who crippled our economy with their recklessness and greed and then took $700 billion of our money.²

Yesterday, President Obama took an important first step, limiting pay at companies taking bailouts going forward.³ But Congress is considering going even further, applying the limits retroactively and even taking back some of the most extravagant bonuses at firms that took taxpayer money.⁴

A huge public outcry will give them momentum and push them to real action. Can you sign this petition to Congress, urging them to act now to rein in Wall Street greed? Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/bonus/o.pl?id=15503-6816791-zJUVvPx&t=3

The petition says: “Congress must place enforceable, common-sense limits on salaries at all the banks that have taken taxpayer dollars.” 

Wall Street’s defenders make all kinds of excuses about why the bonuses were justified.  They say that bonuses are an accepted part of compensation packages on Wall Street, that those receiving bonuses weren’t the ones who lost their firms billions of dollars, and that they need to pay bonuses to retain top talent.⁵

Those arguments are outrageous.

If automatic bonuses are a part of Wall Street culture, that culture has to change—a firm that’s still afloat only because of huge taxpayer bailouts shouldn’t be paying bonuses. And while tens of thousands of Wall Street employees are losing their jobs, it’s hard to believe that those still employed will go looking for new positions because they didn’t get a bonus.

Sen. McCaskill showed courage standing up to the status quo. We’ve got to show the rest of Congress that this is the kind of leadership we need to get us out of this crisis and make the economy work for all Americans. Limiting pay at companies taking bailouts won’t fix our financial system—that will take a lot more hard work—but it’s an important first step.

Can you tell Congress to rein in Wall Street’s excesses now and then pass this petition on to your friends? Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/bonus/o.pl?id=15503-6816791-zJUVvPx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Peter, Justin, Marika and the rest of the team 

Sources:

1. “McCaskill Proposes Compensation Cap For Private Companies Getting Federal Dollars,” Senate Newsroom, January 30, 2009
http://mccaskill.senate.gov/newsroom/vid_013009.cfm

2. “What Red Ink? Wall St. Paid Fat Bonuses,” The New York Times, January 28, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/business/29bonus.html

3. “Obama Outlines Limits on Executive Pay,” The Washington Post, February 5, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51145&id=15503-6816791-zJUVvPx&t=5

4. “Despite Treasury’s New Rule, Senators Aren’t Giving Up Their Push to Cap CEO Pay,” TPMDC, February 4, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51146&id=15503-6816791-zJUVvPx&t=6

5. “‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Feb. 1, 2009,” MSNBC.com, February 1, 2009
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28964188/page/5/

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Did you know that the major Pharmaceutical companies have banded together in a group called the Partnership for Prescription Assistance. If you do not have prescription drug coverage at all – no medicare or medicaid, nothing – you can get the TogetherRX Access card that will give you an automatic 25%-40% savings on your prescriptions.

I haven’t found a catch. Of course, I don’t need any prescriptions, so I haven’t been able to actually try using the card. You can get the card easily at http://TogetherRxAccess.com

They also provide listings to public and private medical assistance programs and free health clinics at http://trxaccess.pparx.org

Of course, eating healthy so you don’t need drugs is your best defense

Are you a High Energy Eater Yet?

I just finished a new special report. You see, I’m hearing how many people are in real trouble and looking for ways to save money fast.

This report contains some extreme stuff – and some things you may never have thought about, or even heard about. But if you were to use all of the tips, you seriously could shave hundreds off your monthly expenses fast.

So go grab a copy of this extreme cost cutting report if you need it >>>

I received an email from Tom Ziglar (Zig’s son) sending me to a site talking about a common sense fix to the economic crisis. You know I’m a sucker for anything that has common sense attached to it

I’ll be darned, it really does seem like a common sense solution. If you agree, follow the instructions and send it on to your Senators and Representatives.

The Common Sense Fix

I’m off to fight computer problems…

Carole

Once a week I try to brush up on economic news and find out what’s going on in the ‘real’ world. I’m usually left shaking my head. I mean, whatever happened to plain old common sense?

The oil story is at the top of everyone’s reporting these days.

It’s not only that the price of gasoline has soared past $4 a gallon that’s really starting to hurt, but the fact that everything that requires transportation to get to the store shelves is going up like crazy too. My cat food has gone up $2 a bag. That’s no small increase!

Here’s the real kicker though. People are not cutting back enough. As long as people keep buying like crazy, it will continue to go up, and so will everything else.

We live in such a desensitized time that people accept just about anything. The consequences are usually pretty horrendous – when people finally wake up.

You know one of my pet peeves is packaged food. People just blindly buy this stuff that’s killing people without even thinking twice about it. People just accept that they are getting sicker and sicker and take more and more drugs, and attribute it all to aging. They don’t want to change their ways, but they complain that the cost of insurance, drugs, and medical care are skyrocketing.

Always remember, you vote with your wallet. If you buy it, you’re telling them that it’s OK, Keep it Coming. You are supporting these industries.

Can we stop buying gas? Not completely. But you and I both know that the consumption can be cut drastically enough to send them a message. Don’t believe me? Here’s a post at another blog you should read >>>

Here’s a few ways to cut your gas consumption –

Get rid of gas guzzlers.

Plan your trips so you do less driving.

Run more errands at one time.

Buy online.

This year, instead of traveling – spend your vacation going to local spots of interest. How many things are there in your own area that you’ve never seen? Tourists see more of your area than you do. In my area there is so much to see and do, and we never get to it.  You’ll save money, and support your local economy.

Buy at local farmers markets. The produce is healthier, it doesn’t have to travel across the country, and again – you’re supporting local farmers.

It’s an election year and everyone is fussing over the candidates and who will make life better. But don’t forget about the voting you do every day with every dollar that you spend.

I’m telling you – if everyone were to eat healthy and cut back on gas – we could make an astounding difference in the world. Just those 2 little things.

And if you’re not willing to change your ways – you have no room to complain.

If you’re driving a gas guzzler because you think it’s cool – don’t complain about the price of gas going up. You’re driving it there.

If you refuse to eat healthy, don’t complain about the cost of insurance, drugs, and medical care. You’re contributing.

It’s just common sense – as long as they can keep making more money – they’re not going to turn off the spigot. From a business standpoint, that would be foolish.

Make them find a better way to make their money. Tobacco companies didn’t go out of business, they just divested into chemically laced foods. Maybe their next big move will be something that’s actually good for mankind…

We can make a difference!