Detroit Mayor’s Troubles

I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of the mess the city will have to deal with. I mean the city residents. That’s because the mess looks to involve tax dollars. What do I personally think? Well, here goes.

What many in politics seem to not understand is the old say, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” City residents and business proprietors look to a mayor to lead by example. If a mayor wants respect and trust, a mayor must practice respect and trust toward its residents and business owners. So far it looks as if trust has been broken due to possible perjury. It also looks as if respect has gone out the window due to no response.

Now I think it is imperative Kilpatrick comes out of the dark and into the light with a strong message as to why. Without doing so, the scandal and alleged perjury issues will just get blown out of proportion. Yes, text messages say there was an affair. The questions are who paid for it and was it related to the dismissal of Gary Brown, Harold Nelthrope, and Walt Harris from their jobs. Was there a connection with a party at the Manoogian house? I sure do hope not.

I totally agree with a person’s antics having nothing to do with taking care of business. But this extra marital affair - however long ago it was - seems to be directly connected to the firings. That is what I think pisses people off. Most people in this country know power that politicians obtain occasionally lead some into relationships that are not acceptable. So what’s new? That part of this is no real surprise. It’s the attempted cover up that destroys the trust and respect. Especially when it also causes the destruction of people’s lives just doing what they are paid to do.

What can anyone believe when dots, that were once scattered, are now coming together? What can anyone believe when tax money spent unofficially is supposedly unavailable for repairing a city? What can anyone believe if those in a court room say no when the true answer is yes?

We all know that eventually this will become history like all other scandals do. Yet, until then, we the citizens are asked to do the math. I don’t know about you but, the numbers are not adding up for me.

Who Will Be My Next President?

This campaign era we are in is bringing out the ugly in the candidates as it always has. I watched the debate this past weekend and was very disappointed. I wanted to know the plans. Being one of the independents that they say they were after, makes me wonder if they truly understand why we are independent.

When I watch debates, I want simple things. They go like this. One, what do you plan to do about the economic situation across the country, especially in the state of Michigan where I live. Two, since I already know where you stand on the war in Iraq, how do you plan to fix the debacle it is in. Three, where do you stand and what are you going to do about the No Child Left Behind law which I am totally against. Four, when it comes to health care for Americans, what do you plan to do about it, period. I could go on and on but you get the picture I am sure. I want straight answers from each candidate and not a mud slinging contest from them.

If I remember correctly one or two of the candidates gave an answer or two but the whole debate disappointed me. I still have no idea who stands for what or why. So who do I vote for? Yes, I will still cast my ballot but I am in a quandary as far as for whom. I look at the job of the president the same way I look at any job applicant. You must show me your qualifications. They start with education, past experience, communication abilities, view points, attitude toward team work, etc. All of you have applied for jobs before. Why should the job of the president be any different in applying for than any other job?

The next president has to perform better than the president before him. This applies to every job you have ever had to fill. For me there is no difference in applying for the job of the president. I will tell you why. This individual has the responsibility of running this country the way you run any successful business. In doing so, he/she must run it efficiently, competently, with a mission statement to follow, solid policies to follow and a complete understanding of who he/she works for, us, the people.

So far I only see a trace of this. Some look to have potential and some don’t. If I, an independent is continuously overlooked, will find myself truly wondering why I should continue to believe in America.

Another New Year

* Please Note* Yes, I have been away for a while but hopefully the obstacles that blocked my path I have gotten rid of never to get in my way again. Consider me back in the saddle as the saying goes.

How many times have you wished that the new year you are entering will be different from the last one? You tell yourself this time things will get better. You promise that this time you will work harder. You pray and pray that just once you want things to look upward and not downward. Did it ever occur to you that some things are simply out of your hands?

Yes, you do control yourself but you can’t possibly control anything else. The only thing you can do is change you, not the rest of the world. Understand that you must accept that no matter how much work you put into changing yourself, you cannot and never could change the rest of the world. Too often we as humans think that if we change our surroundings, our thoughts, and our beliefs, things will automatically get better for us. Ha! That is a pipe dream.

Here is what you can do and why it is the only thing that will work for you. First, yes, change the way you look at the world. Do what you have to do for yourself but don’t expect others to follow and/or agree with your actions. Surround yourself with those who are positive toward you. The old saying “step out the box” is what you will find you will have to do. Get out of your comfort zone because it obviously hasn’t been working for you up to now.

Second, make a plan and write it down. Now this plan should not be something out of your reach. It should be a step plan. This means that each step should follow the one before it. You can’t move onto the “B” part of the plan if you haven’t completed the “A” part. Make sure the plan begins with steps you can accomplish. For example, don’t start out saying you are going to make $20,000 this year if you haven’t figured out what you have to offer the rest of the world. Come up with a product, service, or a combination of both first. Afterwards, know how you will market and sell it. Now you will have a plan that you can visualize and it just might work.

Say it is more education you desire? Can you go back to school without knowing what you want to study? Can you study at a higher level without knowing what school teaches it? I don’t think so. This is why I say the only thing you can change is you.

Get yourself in the drive gear to change the year ahead for your betterment. Then commit to what you desire and starting driving in that direction. If you find no one wants to help, drop them. It may sound cruel but it is the only way you will reach your goal. Those who don’t as the young folk say “have yo back,” then your new year dreams are doomed before you even begin them. Step out of your comfort zone, make a plan, commit to it and watch things turn out better this year than it was the last one. I’ll be praying for you.