Why We Must Act! - Citizens for Equity in Government

“USA Today Response; At Expense of Quality of Life”
November 23, 2010

Lack of leadership and sensitivity has lost Hickory millions of stimulus dollars for jobs and economics for continuous growth in these economic hard times in a city that has always thrived. Money that could have gone to weatherize and retrofit homes and funds for jobs rebuilding poor neighborhoods in their communities lost and the City Manager‘s office and City Council representation continue to turn a blind eye.

City staff as well as the city council has proven incapable of making the decisions to ensure a just and healthy community. The current city council:

AQUATICS
• Taxpayers dollars spent on a pool survey were the results were not used by council.
• Taxpayer’s dollars spent on a consultant group with no background in aquatics.
• Free advice from experts in Aquatics not used.
• Grants for pool repairs not applied for (Virginia Graeme Baker)

As IMPORTANT as it is the pool issue should not have been part of The USA Today article

ECONOMICS
• Have not heeded advice for local news outlets on “Economic Rebound in Our Area”.
• Would not accept suggestions on job creation and development by local non-profit.

This list could go on ad-infinitum. This does not take away from the fact that Hickory is and has always been a great city. Something drastic has happened that is called incompetent leadership.

We are glad the mayor “stood in” at the pool in the USA Today article, it is a simple reminder that the pools are merely a mirror into a number of other issues in our city government. We are faced with the need for good jobs and economic development, effective education and the nurturing of our children; and electing and holding accountable our city officials for their part in decision making that affects the citizens of this city.

Making sure that elitism and discrimination are not the continuous by product of decision making.

All this is said to give this advice – “never ignore the will of the people.” The people (citizens) spoke in the pool survey and community meetings that cost taxpayers approximately $30,000 and council ignored the voice of the people, who elected them to be their voice and representation in city government.

“I've stated time and time again; we have seen, ineffective leadership from the elected officials that we have put in office and we have not seen any accountability be placed at their feet. It is most certainly time to hold their feet to the fire. And if they don't deliver, then it's time to kick them all out of office.”
(The Hickory Hound) Dec 1, 2010

“An All American City deserves First Class Leadership” (Hickory Hound)

We are “One City, One People, United for the good of all people”

Why Do Mexican Workers Head North?

Nearly 23,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since a US-backed military crackdown on cartels began more than three years ago. The report said 2009 was the deadliest year in the drug war, with over 9,600 people killed. The death toll is on track to be even higher in 2010. Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, speaks with reporter Charles Bowden, author of Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields, concerning the current state of affairs in Mexico.

NAFTA's Ultimate Effect on Mexico - Interview with Reporter Charles Bowden



Timothy Wise: Mexican agriculture was undermined by NAFTA and companies like Smithfield



The promise was that NAFTA would allow Mexico to export goods instead of people. Manufacturing has created very few jobs, because it has destroyed the Manufacturing economy by allowing foreign investment to come in and buy up and put local Mexican companies out of business. It has also decimated Mexico's agri-business. Corn tariffs were dissolved and wholesale prices went down 66%, but this has not translated to the wholesale market. 2.3 million people have left agriculture since NAFTA. These people have come to America. That is where the illegal immigrant problem has come from.

IT IS TIME TO RE-EXAMINE NAFTA!!!

Ross Perot debates Al Gore in 1993 and once again is prescient about what has happened. If you want to know where that Mack truck came from that hit our economy, then watch this historic video.

Gold $1,413.70 - Silver $29.40

Gold to Silver Ratio down to 48.08x. The Gold to silver ratio was over 60x up until last year.

Silver Bells, Silver Bells - It's the Bankers or Us

It is time to blow up the fiat currency system created by the World's central banks. Look at the articles that we have seen over the last few weeks. The brazen arrogance of the Federal Reserve. This is a lawless organization foisted upon America in 1913 through a corrupt process.

Several pieces of the puzzle fell in line created by the global system of the time. First, the global bankers met at Jekyll Island off of the coast of Georgia in 1910.

Planning of the Federal Reserve System

At the end of November 1910, Senator Nelson W. Aldrich and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department A. Piatt Andrew, and 5 more of the country's leading financiers, who together represented about one-fourth of the world's wealth[citation needed], arrived at the Jekyll Island Club to discuss monetary policy and the banking system, an event led to the creation of the current Federal Reserve. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the 1910 Jekyll Island meeting resulted in draft legislation for the creation of a U.S. central bank. Parts of this draft (the Aldrich plan) were incorporated into the 1913 Federal Reserve Act. On November 5 - 6, 2010, Ben Bernanke stayed on Jekyll Island to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of this original meeting.

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913
The Federal Reserve Act (ch. 6, 38 Stat. 251, enacted December 23, 1913, 12 U.S.C. ch.3) is the Act of Congress that created the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States of America, and granted it the legal authority to issue legal tender. The Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

For nearly eighty years the U.S. had been without a central bank since the charter for the Second Bank of the United States was allowed to expire. After various financial panics, particularly a severe one in 1907, some Americans became convinced that their country needed some sort of banking and currency reform that would, when threatened by financial panics, provide a ready reserve of liquid assets, and furthermore allow for currency and credit to expand and contract seasonally within the U.S. economy.

In the election of 1912, the populist-leaning Democratic Party won control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and that year's party platform stated strong opposition "to the so called Aldrich bill for the establishment of a central bank." However, the platform also called for a systematic revision of banking laws in ways that would provide relief from financial panics, unemployment, and business depression and protect the public from the "domination by what is known as the Money Trust."

This is history from long ago, but as you can see the Federal Reserve Act was passed on December 23, 1913 two days before Christmas when many of the Senators were not even in town. It was also passed after The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote.

The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which Senators were elected by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, to be consistent with the method of election. It was adopted on April 8, 1913.

And as one reads, it was passed and signed by Woodrow Wilson even after he and the Democrats ran in 1912 on a platform opposing Aldrich's plan of a central bank. In 1913 the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed making Senators directly elected by the people of the State they represent. That was not the intent of the Founding fathers and many people believe that these two acts enabled the Federal government to lose its checks and balances with the States and begin the journey towards the giant monolith it has become today.

Repeal the Seventeenth Amendment - by Thomas J. DiLorenzo:

S.J. Res. 35 reads: "Resolved . . . . The seventeenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed." That's Section 1. Section 2 reads that "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years . . ."

This was the original design of the founding fathers; U.S. senators were not directly elected by the voting public until 1914. Thus, S.J. Res. 35 proposes a return to founding principles and is therefore a most revolutionary idea. A good overview of the history of the Seventeenth Amendment is Ralph A. Rossum's book, Federalism, the Supreme Court, and the Seventeenth Amendment. Rossum correctly points out that the system of federalism or "divided sovereignty" that the founding fathers created with the Constitution was never intended to be enforced by the Supreme Court alone. Congress, the president, and most importantly, the citizens of the states, were also to have an equal say on constitutional matters.

The citizens of the states were to be represented by their state legislatures. As Roger Sherman wrote in a letter to John Adams: "The senators, being . . . dependent on [state legislatures] for reelection, will be vigilant in supporting their rights against infringement by the legislative or executive of the United States."

Rossum also quotes Hamilton as saying that the election of senators by state legislatures would be an "absolute safeguard" against federal tyranny. George Mason believed that the appointment of senators by state legislatures would give the citizens of the states "some means of defending themselves against encroachments of the National Government."

The Federal reserve has been allowed to become a separate branch of the Government with unfettered power or check and balances. This has allowed the Federal Reserve, holding the purse strings, to become the most powerful organization in the Federal System. Look at the information that has come out over the last few days.

Fed aid in financial crisis went beyond U.S. banks to industry, foreign firms - Washington Post - 12/2/2010

The financial crisis stretched even farther across the economy than many had realized, as new disclosures show the Federal Reserve rushed trillions of dollars in emergency aid not just to Wall Street but also to motorcycle makers, telecom firms and foreign-owned banks in 2008 and 2009.....

The Fed launched emergency programs totaling $3.3 trillion in aid, a figure reached by adding up the peak amount of lending in each program.

Companies that few people would associate with Wall Street benefited through the Fed's program to ease the market for commercial paper, a form of short-term debt used by major corporations to fund their daily activities...

Foreign-owned banks also benefited from the Fed's commercial-paper facility. The Korean Development Bank, owned by the South Korean government, used the program to the tune of billions of dollars, including a $407 million short-term loan on a single day. Many foreign banks, including the French BNP Paribas, the Swiss UBS and the German Deutsche Bank, took extensive advantage of various programs. Even a major bank in Bavaria benefited, as well as another one headquartered in Bahrain, a tiny island country in the Middle East....

Sanders, for one, said these banks got off easy while receiving extraordinary aid. In rescuing these firms, the Fed never required them to lend to small businesses, modify the mortgages of homeowners or invest in a way that would create jobs.

"We bailed these guys out, but the requirements placed upon them had very little positive impact on the needs of ordinary Americans," Sanders said.

Fed Withholds Collateral Data for $885 Billion in Financial-Crisis Loans - Bloomberg - 12/1/2010

The Hound says listen to Max Keiser. Buy just a little. Take down the derivatives market and the Fiat Currency Empire. It is us versus them. Is it fair for the Banks to hold us hostage, when it was our money that they were bailed out with.

If you buy silver, you will help dry up the market and force the banking cartel to cover their short positions. The price of silver will begin to escalate. This movement will feed off of itself. The banks have shorted silver to the extent that they are in positions several times the multiple of the physical silver stock available to the world.

What the banks have done is unethical and illegal. It is time that their bluff is called. If the stock market is going to crash, which it will anyway without real economic growth and tangibility, then let it crash. It is time to regain control of our currency and exposing the fractional reserve, fiat system is the best way to do this.

Only the ignorant are powerless. It is time to educate yourself about what I am speaking of. Don't take my word for this. Learn that true power comes from mass. The American people are not powerless, if they work together under a common focus and objectives.

Perseverance and Acceptance

Over the last couple of years. I have shown you that my interest is in the economic development of the Hickory Metro area. We cannot look at our area as an entity in and of itself. Hickory does not stand alone in the world. National and State economics have a direct bearing on this area, but we cannot believe that we don't have any input in our own development and growth.

If we fail to stand up and fight for our rights to succeed as a community, then we will be doomed to failure, that is a given. How we are going to stand up for ourselves is the question. Why do we act like we are so powerless? I know one thing and that is this area has for a long time put our eggs into the Republican basket and it is most certainly time to reap the rewards of that loyalty, but will we?

I've stated time and time again; we have seen, ineffective leadership from the elected officials that we have put in office and we have not seen any accountability be placed at their feet. It is most certainly time to hold their feet to the fire. And if they don't deliver, then it's time to kick them all out of office.

The problems that we face have very little to do with the common man. Creating measures of austerity are not going to help us to get out of the economic mess that we're in. The amounts of money we cut are a pittance compared to the debt load we face. We need more than symbolic measures to get us out of this hole. We need retribution from those who created this mess.

The major issues that we face have been caused by the loose monetary policy of the Federal Reserve system, the corruption of Wall Street, the spendthrift ways of all levels of government when it comes to taking care of special interests, and the subsequent creation of the Corporatocracy. It has been a matter, of all levels of government, being bought off like prostitutes at the expense of the people who have been loyal to this country.

Jay Adams spoke about Hickory's mindset nearly 2 years ago at the first meeting of Future Economy Council. Summarizing, he said that "over the last nine years (11 now), we have become lean and that has in many ways put us in a strong position, but we have adapted down and become accepting of this extreme level of cost containment at the expense of growth."

That has been the ingrained focus of our community at the expense of everything else. It has led to an acceptance of mediocrity, because if we aren't willing to take chances and make investments, we will eventually get to the least common denominator, which always leads to nothing. As I've said before, you have to look towards growth, because cost-containment does not create anything.

This reminds me of Matthew 25:14-30:

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants [1] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, [2] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. [3] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In the story, the slave who was given the least thought that he was doing the righteous thing by burying the Masters property (talents). The slave was protective over the Masters property, because of the fear of losing it, while the others were interested in creating more and wanting to please the Master. Look what the third slave says to the master, “I know you to be a hard man, Reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here have what is yours.”

Is the above not the story of Hickory?

The leaders of our community have complained about Raleigh and Washington constantly and they have been right on many counts, but this should not be our sole focus. Certainly we have not received our fair share, but have we made the most of opportunities that have been presented to this community. Have we become so obsessed with losing that we have forsaken winning? I don't believe that our community has been devoid of opportunity. Should we believe that opportunity rests solely in the hands of money and opportunity afforded by Raleigh and Washington?

Even when we have made statements about the issues of corruption and unfair policies that hurt our community, what good has it done? There has been no focused initiative to rectify what has happened as far as the destruction of our manufacturing capacity and ability to compete against unfair trade practices. It takes more than just complaining or writing a letter. It takes some rabble rousing and getting our local public focused on the issue in a meaningful way, but our top-heavy politics in this area takes away the capability of the people to become involved in issues that affect them personally.

Our local populace has no clue about what is going on around them. We see inflation truly taking root and it blows my mind that some people know that something's wrong, but they can't place their finger on something that is right in front of their face. I do what I believe is right and I engage people on the issues that we face, when I think the timing is right, but people compartmentalize what is going on and most can't understand the big picture.

I speak with my family constantly about these issues. I know the economic realities that we face are very complex, especially when you want to trust people to be honest -- trustworthy. I have been able to be prescient about some of the economic realities that we face, because I have been honest with myself in the assessment of these issues. My one grandmother says that one out of million people might understand what the hell I am talking about. I laughed and told her that it's not that bad. It's probably more like one in 10,000.

I believe that I can look at these economic tea leaves and read them better than others, because I have nothing to lose. People who own businesses and have to take care of their families want to believe that things can continue on in a positive manner and the current situation will right itself given enough time. I've been told before by people that things will work out in the end. I have seen things work out and not work out for those people. I cannot live my life in such a manner -- blind faith!

Most likely we're going to see silver rally above $30 this week and gold rally above $1,400 an ounce. This is not happening because people have come to a revelation about the value of precious metals. This is happening, because of what the Federal Reserve is doing to our currency. This is happening, because those in the know, when it comes to finance, understand the economic realities that the United States is facing.

I know that I am preaching to the choir with most of the people who read this blog. You care. You are educated and most of you think outside of the box. None of what I write is meant to besmirch the readership of this blog. If you didn't understand the message of the Hickory Hound, then you would not keep coming back. And I want to thank you for being the leaders of this community.

What I ask is that you walk out a little further on the limb and understand that we have nothing to lose. If we aren't willing to take a chance, we could lose everything. What we need to do is start preaching the message to the masses. We need to wake people up. They may become a little upset, but in the end, the truth is all that matters, isn't it?

Don't be afraid to tell people about this blog. I am not telling you this, because I want to increase the readership. You should know by now that I'm not doing this for the money. I am doing this, because I believe that the message -- a message -- is important. Sometimes this is overwhelming. I don't even know what my old lifestyle was all about.

I was just like everybody else. Watching the TV and going out and hanging out and doing nothing. There was no meaning. I have never made good money, but I was doing alright, but I didn't use my money towards productive means. I lost money in the stock market. I spent money on things that I didn't really need. When I was wasting money, I really didn't even think about it. Now I think about it!

I am by no means destitute at this point in time. I'm not making as much money as I once did, but that is not the issue. It is that the contexts of the economic and financial realities that I personally face have taken on a new meaning. I have cut way back on any money that I spend and the end result must justify the means of those dollars.

That does not mean that I've cut out all spending. That does not mean that I've cut out the enjoyment of living life. That means that I have refocused my priorities. An example is with my gardening and trying to make my home more efficient and more of a homestead. I have been building a greenhouse and you may have noticed some of the other things that I have done and talked about. I have spent my free time building this greenhouse that will be very innovative and will be a truly fruitful endeavor. It has made me feel a sense of satisfaction to see this thing come together. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.

This is the kind of investing that I think people need to be doing to prepare for the economic storm that we will continue to endure. I think that you would serve yourself better to buy food, instead of invest in the stock market or leave your money in a bank. The financial institutions will fee you to death until you get no return on your assets. Will the banks guarantee you a 10% return on your investment for the upcoming year? I can guarantee you that food prices are going to rise by more than 10% in the upcoming year.

Last year I bought a 50 pound bag of sugar for a little over $25. That same 50 pound bag of sugar now costs over $30. By this time next year, it could easily cost over $35. The same can be said for corn and flour. When you go to the grocery store, and there's something for sale, you need to go ahead and buy a little extra. This will buy you time. You actually need to keep a pantry full of canned goods and dry goods. Any necessities that are used on a daily basis, you should go ahead and stock up on. Inflation is a nasty thing. It is a hidden tax. It will rob you of your purchasing power and destroy your wealth. You should always hedge against it.

I was just watching an episode of Glenn Beck from last week, which was devoted to the five stages of grief. It blew my mind, because this is something that I devoted attention to last year in an article entitled Heroes of the Future, which was developed around the presentation of a video by Warren Pollock on YouTube. All of this stuff is remaining relevant, because most people are unwilling to face up to reality. I hope that you will go and check out that article.

To summarize, at the end of this article from December 28th, 2009, I state that I believe that we have entered the anger stage of the Kubler-Ross model and by the end of 2010 that we will have met that phase full-on. No matter what we do, there'll be a tough road ahead, and by the spring of 2011, we will enter the bargaining phase. I still believe that this is on target.

At that time I was depressed, but I have come to accept the realities that we face. That is the reason why I am preparing to the best of my ability to free myself from the grid as much as possible. If the system is broken, then why be a part of that system. I believe people understand that we are in a bad fix. They are angry and the election showed that anger and the reality is going to set in, when they realize the plans of the government.

That plan is austerity; President Obama as much as said so today and has been hinting at this for some time.

I can assure you that I take no solace in being right about any of this. It is a nightmare to sit here and watch my thoughts come to reality. This goes back to the beginning of this mission that we call the Hickory Hound. This goes back to the beginning of what I saw on the local front. This goes back to the beginning of the bank bailouts. This goes back to the 2008 election. It goes back to being disenfranchised. It goes back to the perseverance of the message that we bring and the endurance of the objectives we set forth.

The world will never be the same. I wish it were just me, but we can look and see all that is surrounding us and the history that is being made on a daily basis during these times. A few years ago no one would've believed it. Would you have believed it?

Hey Animals - flush the freakin' toilet and wash your hands

I would like to talk about something that I have observed for a long, long time. As most of you know, I work in the restaurant business. What I do now could not be construed as being a chef, even though I do have a culinary arts degree. I am just a regular cook. I do not think of myself as an elitist or better than anyone else. I am just trying to earn a living in some very difficult economic times, but I truly do believe that I aspire to always better myself and improve myself and try to achieve what I can through the gifts that God has given me. I don't see that out of most people.

One of the issues that has bothered me over the last couple of years, is my biggest pet peeve I have seen at my current occupation dealing with Joe Public. You know, for most of my career I have worked at some really nice places where the patrons are generally from higher income levels. That does not make these people better than anyone else and what I'm going to talk about will be said by many to be a generalization, but this is something that I truly need to get off my chest and this forum is the perfect place to do it.

When I was a child, before I could even remember, certain things were instilled in me and ingrained in me as proper behavior and discipline -- manners. From a young age, most of us, as one of our first training habits, are taught to wash our hands. Usually during this time the parent will flush the toilet for the child, but shortly after being taught to properly wash our hands, we are taught the process of flushing the toilet after we utilize the bathroom.

All through my life, I have witnessed people who use public bathrooms who neither flush the toilet (urinal) or wash their hands after utilizing the facilities. This is truly disgusting. I have gotten to the point where I try to not touch anything when I'm in a public restroom during normal operating hours of business. Do parents honestly not teach their children proper sanitation when it comes to this issue?

Tonight, I went to the men's bathroom during the night. I honestly wish that we had an employee bathroom of our own, but most smaller restaurants do not offer a private restroom facility for their employees. When I went into the bathroom, I noticed a boy who must've been around age 5. He was using urinal. His father was in the first toilet stall and he was doing what men do standing up. Well I went over into the second stall to do what I had to do and as I was relieving myself, I heard the boy finish.

I guess the father finished also and then he proceeded to state, "Come on son, let's get back to our chicken." The son stated to the father, "Wait a second daddy, we need to wash our hands!" The father next stated, "You can wash your hands, but I'm going back to the table, come on your sister is waitin'" The little boy washed his hands and the father continued out of the bathroom.

That makes me sick and blows my mind. Apparently, the boy is going to have to teach his father a thing or two. Who ever taught the boy to wash his hands after relieving himself, thank you and thank God. Just think of all of the kids who would learn the terrible example from their slap happy pappy.

I have witnessed this so many times over the last couple of years. I bet half of the people in this area don't wash their hands when they use the bathroom. There is no excuse to not wash your hands and utilize proper sanitation habits. I don't care if you're drunk. I don't care if you're in a hurry. I don't care if you're just nasty. Proper sanitation is a responsibility. It is a way to keep the public healthy.

Anymore, I do everything I can to no longer touch the bathroom door with my hands. And I don't want to smell your urine or stand in it. Please aim to hit and flush afterward for Christ sake! I don't want to smell your mess. If you can't hit it standing up, then maybe you should squat like a woman. People talk about carbon footprint. How about cleaning up after yourself and reducing your germ footprint!!!

The Following is advice from the Mayo Clinic.

Hand washing: Do's and don'ts
Hand washing is an easy way to prevent infection. Understand when to wash your hands, how to properly use hand sanitizer and how to get your children into the habit.
By Mayo Clinic staff

Frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness. Hand washing requires only soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer — a cleanser that doesn't require water. Find out when and how to wash your hands properly.
When to wash your hands

As you touch people, surfaces and objects throughout the day, you accumulate germs on your hands. In turn, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Although it's impossible to keep your hands germ-free, washing your hands frequently can help limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes.

Always wash your hands before:
* Preparing food
* Eating
* Treating wounds or giving medicine
* Touching a sick or injured person
* Inserting or removing contact lenses

Always wash your hands after:
* Preparing food, especially raw meat or poultry
* Using the toilet
* Changing a diaper
* Touching an animal or animal toys, leashes or waste
* Blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing into your hands
* Treating wounds
* Touching a sick or injured person
* Handling garbage or something that could be contaminated, such as a cleaning cloth or soiled shoes

Of course, it's also important to wash your hands whenever they look dirty.

How to wash your hands - It's generally best to wash your hands with soap and water. Follow these simple steps:
* Wet your hands with running water.
* Apply liquid, bar or powder soap.
* Lather well.
* Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Remember to scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails. (I'm not even asking for this)
* Rinse well.
* Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel or air dryer.
* If possible, use your towel to turn off the faucet.

Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product's antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.

Just think, when you don't wash your hands, you are spreading traces of your urine everywhere. Personally it is an affront to me to know that you are putting this on your food or a door, table, chair, dishes, etc., that others must share. Is that acceptable?

With so many issues in our society dealing with highly resistant bacteria, such as MRSA, you need to realize that you could become a victim of something as easily as you could victimize someone else. You could end up out of work at the very least or in the hospital with a multi-thousand dollar hospital bill if you become infected with something bad from not doing something so simple. You don't have time to wash your hands? You don't have time not to!!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Thank - to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment to

Give - to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation

Thanksgiving - to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation an expression of gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment.

It isn't about expectations of the future or gratefulness for the good experiences of the past. It should be an acknowledgment of gratitude for one's being (existence). It is the beginning of the holidays that show gratitude for making it through the experience of life for another year. This is a good time to reflect on the positives and negatives of one's life and acknowledge exactly who you are, what you are about, and what you want to present to others going forward. This is a day for renewal.

Peace Out,
Happy Thanksgiving,
The Hickory Hound