Sucker Punched 14 Year Old Receives Community Support

Dec 17,2016. West Hills CA.
Two juveniles were arrested this month in connection with an unprovoked punch that resulted in brain injuries of a 14-year-old West Hills teen were released to the custody of their parents and are due to appear in court in early February, according to Los Angeles police.

Hundreds of people turned out for a rally for Jordan Peisner, the boy who was sucker punched on Dec. 2. The rally march started from the Pavilions Market and ended across the boulevard at McDonalds on Platt between Victory and Haynes with people holding anti bulling signs.

The boy is now home and reports experiencing serious headaches.

Dahlink My name is Zsa Zsa

The best known of three glamorous sisters from Hungary, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor pioneered a modern version of celebrity — she was famous for being famous. She started as a beauty contest winner in Hungary. Now dead at age 99.

With the advent of television shows, Gabor became a frequent guest as early as the 1950s, charming audiences with her fractured English and slightly risqué jokes.

Her nine marriages and reputation for shaving years off her age made her a pop-culture punch line. When entertainer Bob Hope joked, “You can calculate Zsa Zsa Gabor’s age by the rings on her fingers,” it only added to her fame.

Among her husbands were Conrad Hilton (famous for the hotel chain), and actor George Sanders. Her ninth husband who she married in 1986 is Prince Fredrick von Anhalt who bought his title.

To Gabor everyone everyone was “dahlink,” an endearment the endeared the vernacular of mid 20^th century and is still used by many today. She was fun!

Are Rich People the Best Managers for the United States government?

Will a group of ultra-wealthy people holding high offices in the Donald Trump administration be a benefit to America?

We will know the answer after January 20, 2017.

Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon, holds just over 2.6 million Exxon shares. But he actually only technically owns 611,087 outright, or nearly $57 Million worth. The rest are so-called restricted stock units. How rich is Rex Wayne Tillerson? Rex Wayne Tillerson net worth: $150 Million.

Steven Mnuchin is a former partner at Goldman Sachs, heads up Dune Capital. The investment firm put together a holding company in 2008 — attracting investors like J.C. Flowers, a George Soros investment fund and Paulson & Co. His net worth is around $40 million.

Senator Jeff Sessions has an average net worth of $7.52 Million as of 2014.

Wilber Ross has an estimated wealth estimated at $2.5 Billion as of December 2016 according to Forbes magazine.

Andrew Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. is worth at least $25.6 Million.

Congressman Tom Price’ net worth is $13.0 Million.

Rick Perry, former Texas governor, total net worth is often estimated to be about $3 Million.

Steven Bannon net worth is $10 Million.

Elaine Chao, wife of Senator Mitch McConnell, net worth is at least $3 Million.

Dr. Ben Carson has a reported net worth of $10 Million.

Betsy DeVos is married to Dick DeVos and is the daughter-in-law of Richard DeVos, the founder of Amway with an estimated net worth of $5.1 Billion.

Katrina Pierson seeking role in Trump administration

Katrina Pierson was a regular on CNN. Her ability to say things that are utterly incorrect was her outstanding ability. That might be exactly the kind of person Donald Trump wants as press secretary. After all that job is all about spin. The following report provides some of Pierson’s best lines.

by Dylan Byers and Jim Acosta @CNNMoney December 13, 2016: 6:14 PM ET

Katrina Pierson, a spokesperson for Donald Trump and fixture on cable news, is seeking a role in his administration, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.

Pierson visited Trump Tower on Tuesday for meetings with members of Trump’s transition team. One source said she was there to make her pitch for the role of White House press secretary, while another said she was “looking at a lot of opportunities.”

Loyalists who were with the Trump campaign since its early days have been frustrated that they have been shut out of top posts in the new administration. Pierson, too, feels she deserves more consideration, according to one of the sources.

“I’m at Trump Tower because I work here,” Pierson said in an email. “I’m a Senior Advisor for the Trump Transition team. Our meetings are confidential.”

Pierson was one of the most frequently seen faces on cable news throughout the 2016 campaign, and often drew controversy for making false and inaccurate statements.

On CNN, she blamed the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, which took place in 2001, on President Barack Obama. She also blamed the death of Capt. Humayun Khan, in 2004, on Obama and Hillary Clinton, his Secretary of State. Obama and Clinton did not assume those roles until 2009.

Pierson also defended Trump’s suggestions that Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio might not be eligible to run for president, and said reporters had “literally beat Trump supporters into submission — into supporting policies they don’t agree with.”

CNNMoney (San Francisco) First published December 13, 2016: 6:04 PM ET

Barely Half of 30-Year-Olds Earn More Than Their Parents

Sorry, Young People: You Probably Won’t Make as Much Your Parents Did

As wages stagnate in the middle class, it becomes hard to reverse this trend

From a report in the Wall Street Journal dated December 8, 2016. Barely half of 30-year-olds earn more than their parents did at a similar age, a research team found, an enormous decline from the early 1970s when the incomes of nearly all offspring outpaced their parents. Even rapid economic growth won’t do much to reverse the trend.

Wage stagnation has taken heavy toll since 1970s

“My parents thought that one thing about America is that their kids could do better than they were able to do,” said Raj Chetty, a prominent Stanford University economist who emigrated from India at age 9 and is part of the research team. “That was important in my parents’ decision to come here.”

What’s more, even if President-elect Donald Trump fulfills his promises of rapid economic growth, the trend won’t be reversed significantly. Even if income levels grew 3.8%, the percentage of 30-year-olds who out-earn their parents would bump up to just 62%, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The study was conducted by economists and sociologists at Stanford, Harvard and the University of California. They used tax and census data to compare the earnings of 30-year-olds starting in 1970 to that of their parents.

What the report does not do is explain why wages are stagnant. I will give you my take on this horrible reality. I did earn more than my parents but only because of inflation.

When I married in 1969 my salary was $10,000 per year. According to the United States bureau of Labor Statistics your income today, based upon the CPI Inflation Calculator, that salary equates to $65,866. My father never earned that inflation adjusted salary.

There have been many reasons for the stagnant salaries. Three come to mind almost immediately.

First management earned ten to twenty times the average income of most employees in the earlier parts of the 20^th century. Today management earns 200 to 300 times the average income of most employees.

Second many jobs have been outsourced other countries. That has resulted in more potential employees seeking the remaining jobs. Thus with more people looking for work employers can push down the pay they have to offer.

Third, many jobs have been automated thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), and computerization. Have you seen the inside of an auto manufacturing facility? Automation has eliminated many jobs from welding to painting. Warehouses are now so automated that less material handlers are needed. Office workers, I am one of them, now have computers that perform many of the manually performed functions that were done using typewriters and spreadsheets. That too reduced manpower needs. Less manpower translates to an oversupply of workers and that translates to lower pay. It is all about supply and demand.

It is unlikely that any government of any political party will change this trend. I hope I am wrong.

Buyer Beware

Caveat emptor is a Latin term that means “let the buyer beware.”

I was in a J.C. Penny store just few days ago buying two shirts and pair of pajamas. The items were all on counters that informed me they were on sale. When I took the items to the check-out counter I was given another 5% discount. That of course made the purchase an even better deal. There were sale signs everywhere. Almost everything in that store seemed to be on sale.

A strategic mistake made in 2011 at JC Penney, regarding its pricing strategy –replacement of sales through coupons with everyday low prices. The Ron Johnson plan was implemented when he took the helm of the company, modeling the company’s stores after those of Apple. Sales declined disastrously during his tenure. People like to buy things that are “on sale.”

Here in metropolitan Los Angeles there are at least 20 Macy’s department stores. Advertising is almost daily in the newspapers. There is always a sale. 30% off, 40% off, 50% off along with One Day Sales are part of the usual pitch. I have never believed any of the advertising. My wife and daughter do believe the advertising. They are probably part of the larger group than doubters like me.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer apparently agreed with my suspicions. Feuer’s office has filed lawsuits against four big retailers for deceptive advertising that allegedly misled shoppers into believing that thousands of products were on sale at a hefty discount.

The attorney’s office provided examples of misleading ads by Macy’s, Sears, J.C. Penny and Kohl’s. One example is the April, 2016, Sears online ad for Kenmore washing machine with a “regular” price of $1,179.99 and a “sale” price of $999.99. However, the purported “regular” price was a false reference price. The argument is that the washer was never advertised at the regular price.

California law bans retailers from advertising a higher original price unless a product was actually available at that price within three months of the ad running. Feuer said the evidence his office collected focused on thousands of online transactions, but that he had reason to believe the practices also were underway at stores.

Should there be such a California law? After all shouldn’t the words “buyer beware” apply to the purchase of any item at any price?

The Year 1910 in the United States

1910 Ford Model R

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:

************ ********* ************

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian

between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as ‘substandard.’

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet.

There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.

Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health’

( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U. S. A. !

Welcome To Northlandz: One Of The World’s Largest Model Train Sets

Trump’s cabinet of oligarchs: So much for ‘draining the swamp’

The following letter was highlighted in the Los Angeles Times today (December 3, 2016). It does reflect my opinion.

Congratulations to those of you who voted for President-elect or failed to vote because you weren’t happy with the choices. (“Trump to preside over the richest Cabinet in U.S. history“,Dec. 1)

You didn’t get Hillary Clinton, but here’s what we all got:

Possibly the loss of health insurance for more than 20 million people and the loss of Medicare or Medicaid benefits to millions of the poor or elderly.
A potential Environmental Protection Agency administrator who doesn’t believe in climate change.
A billionaire who has never attended a public school as the next Education secretary.
A former Wall Street banker as the next Treasury secretary.
Another billionaire affectionately known as the “king of bankruptcy” as the next Commerce secretary.

But don’t worry. Trump said he wouldn’t be controlled by Wall Street or special interests. He said he owes no favors to anyone. Still, we know he will never fully separate himself or his family from the wealth he has amassed. We know that he will continue to profit from his overseas holdings, whether directly or into the pockets of his children. We know that his own interests could put our country in danger.

How do we know? Because about the only truth Trump has ever uttered is that winning at any cost is all that matters to him. And now that he has been elected, to hell with the rest of us.

Terrie McKinley, Aliso Viejo