Don't be an idiot - Vote!

It's idiotic not to vote.  Simple.

By not voting, you are basically letting "those who show up" make decisions for you.  In what other venue would this be acceptable?

Would the average WalMart shopper allow the cashier to decide what brand of toothpaste should be purchased that day?  Okay, I know, bad example (having teeth does not necessarily equal shopping at WalMart),  but the point still stands.

The reality is that something like 30%+/- of eligible voters will actually show up at the polls today.  Yet our communities are far more important than shopping expeditions to WallyWorld and decisions about taxation, land use, community development, and countless other points are far more important that toothpaste.

In the end, voting matters.  Each and every vote does count.  There are people out there...I will add evil people...that count on voters NOT showing up.  Don't allow these folks to win.  Don't allow others to make decisions for you.  Don't treat voting as being some inconvenience, subservient to a shopping expedition to a place where actual pants are optional.

Don't be an idiot - Vote!

Road Apples, #125

Election Day...Today is election day and I do hope that one and all went out to vote.  Too many people have fought and died for our rights, including the right decide who will represent us.  This is very serious stuff, even if some of the candidates aren't.

Speaking of election results, you can see them (for NEPA) HERE.


Doctor Appointment...Well it was back to the good Doctor McKenna today to get my blood pressure and lungs checked.  Joy!  For the past 10 years I have been fighting a battle to keep my borderline blood pressure in check, and although I am still hopeful that I can dodge yet another bullet, I also know that the day will probably come when I have to acquiesce to the inevitable fact of medication.  On the good news side, I lost two pounds and my lungs sound excellent.  To the latter, I will note that my doctor did ask "do you still have the cat?".  My answer is noted directly below...

(taken with my new 70-300mm lens)

In other health news, I am finally getting up to a decent amount of time on the new, medieval torture device of an elliptical machine we have in the fitness center at work.  With the old machine I could easily do 40 minutes; with this new machine I am thrilled to knock out 15.  For the record I am also putting in 30 minutes on the stationary bike as well.

Pinterest...I am fighting the urge to open a Pinterest account. I don't know why.

Newt...Not the amphibian type, but rather the thrice married variety.  Anyway, the Daily Beast is reporting that Newt will exit...errrr suspend...not really quit but not keep campaigning...the GOP nomination race.  I have never really thought that Newt was in this for the win, if for no other reason than the fact that his campaign seemed sloppy and disorganized, which is odd given his experience in politics.  Me?  I think he has been in it to either sell books, or keep Callista busy.  Who knows.

Faux News...As the George Zimmerman trial approaches, look for a slew of "white guy beaten up as revenge for Trevon Martin shooting" stories on Fox News.  Count on it.  In fact they will probably fill the space that would have been occupied by "Rupert illegal wiretap" stories.  The folks at Faux are nothing if not predictable.

Walmart Follies...Speaking of things to look for in the news & predictions, look for Walmart to take a pounding over the next year related to very well founded allegations of bribery in Mexico.  This will not end well for Walmart.  The US Government takes a dim view of foreign corrupt practices by U.S. businesses; hell, they even have a law against it.  What's more, the Feds are far more lenient when there is self-disclosure...in this case, it was New York Times disclosure.  As they say in Spanish...malo.

Anti-Smoking Adverts...I think these are very well done.

Road Apples, #87

Gerry Rafferty...Scottish musician Gerry Rafferty passed away yesterday.  Story link HERE.  His well known songs included "Right Down the Line", "Stuck in the Middle with You" and "Baker Street".  True story:  when I was temporarily working in Florham Park (NJ) in 1997 I had the lyrics to "Baker Street" posted outside my cubicle.  Why?  I really don't remember the reason, other than the fact that it just seemed fitting at the time.  Here they are...

Windin' your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day
You'll drink the night away
And forget about everything
This city desert makes you feel so cold.
It's got so many people but it's got no soul
And it's taking you so long
To find out you were wrong
When you thought it had everything

You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you're tryin'
You're tryin' now
Another year and then you'll be happy
Just one more year and then you'll be happy
But you're cryin'
You're cryin' now

Way down the street there's a lad in his place
He opens the door he's got that look on his face
And he asks you where you've been
You tell him who you've seen
And you talk about anything

He's got this dream about buyin' some land
He's gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he'll settle down there's a quiet little town
And forget about everything

But you know he'll always keep movin'
You know he's never gonna stop movin
Cus he's rollin'
He's the rollin' stone

And when you wake up it's a new mornin'
The sun is shinin' it's a new morning
You're goin'
You're goin' home.

Rest in Peace Mr Rafferty.  You're goin' home.

Medical News...On the medical front, I received some very good news yesterday.  What would that be?  Well my blood pressure, which had been border-line high for a long time, seems to have dropped down to a quite normal 120/90.  Yesterday was "decision day" in that my doctor and I had agreed that if it was still elevated after the holidays I would agree to go on some kind if medication to treat it over the long term,  Now for some that may not seem all that terrible, as there are probably millions of Americans who are blood pressure medication.  For me though it was daunting, as I'm really not a pill kind of guy.  I take two pills every day as it stands, a vitamin and a 20mg Prilosec, and even that troubles me in some small way.  The vitamin just make sense, but it bothers me that I can't control my really bad case of acid reflux through any other means.  Conversely, I was able to reduce my blood pressure through a combination of weight loss and dealing head-on with the personal stressors that negatively impact my life.

As a side note, I do have something of a cold/sinus thing going on (which explains why it is 5:30am and I am writing this).  I think it's because I have been exposed to germs from foreign lands, you know, from places like Egypt or Wilkes-Barre.  Oh well...time heals most things, including sinus infections.

Repeal!...Yes, the GOP and Tea Bagger crew and hell-bent on repealing health care reform.  G - I - M - M - I - C - K.  Any kind of repeal will not pass the U.S. Senate.  This is all about placating the politically active Right, not about actually addressing the fact that health care inflation in the United States has been running at an annual increase of about 12% for the past few decades.  Where is the alternative?  "Market Based" reforms?  Newsflash:  the free market doesn't work for everything.  Want proof?  How many here want "for profit" police?  Or a "market based" military?  I'm not advocating any one solution, but I am advocating some solution, something that is non-existent for most of the talking heads on the extreme Right.  Oh, wait, they have advocated lawsuit reform...which is a good idea, but most estimates that I've seen indicate that frivolous lawsuits add a whopping 3-5% to the nation's health care bill.  Next...

Budget Axe...House Republicans want to cut an initial $100 billion from the federal budget.  That's not a bad thing.  The initial cuts will include $35 million from the Congressional budget.  That's also okay.  Here is a suggestion though:  Let's make members of Congress take the same health care benefits that the average WalMart employee enjoy.  This would serve two purposes:

1.  Reduce the federal budget.
2.  Get members of Congress to understand what "market based" health care is really all about.

Somehow I don't think that will not be happening any time soon.

Home...I've been working over the past few weeks to make my domicile more of a home.  This includes more pictures, a better organized kitchen, and, most recently, place mats.  Yes, place mats.  It's amazing how the little things make something of a difference in your life.  Note though that I almost never eat at my dining room table (in fact it is a bit of a stretch to even claim that I have a dining room...it's more like a room that stores my Trek and has a table in it).

The True Story of Merrill Lynch & The WalMart 401(k) Plan

I've tried to stay away from "geeky pension shop-talk" in this blog, but I was pointed to an article earlier today that I want to pass along.

Forbes Article, Merrill Lynch & Walmart


If you have any interest in your own retirement income security specifically, the contradiction in terms that is WalMart, or just how greedy some folks can be, this is an interesting read.

I'm not a lawyer, but it's pretty damn clear to me that at a minimum, WalMart's 401(k) plan fiduciaries did not adequately carry-out their responsibilities under ERISA. Taking that for granted, this goes one of two ways:

1. The Passive Neglect & Stupidity Road - Under this scenario, WalMart's benefits people simply didn't care about the fees being charged, investment returns being earned or the impact that limited (& poor) investment choice had on plan participants. Failing to act in the best interests of plan participants is a violation of fiduciary responsibilities, but stupidity and neglect isn't exactly criminal behavior...if it was, 80% of the Pennsylvania Legislature would be in jail. Also, if this is the actual reason why things got so out of control for the WalMart 401(k) Plan, then it definitely paints a picture of a corporate culture that placed little-to-no value on the associates who work for the firm. To put this in context, I have had some administrative experience with my own employer's 401(k) plan and I can tell you definitively that all investment fees were actively scrutinized constantly to ensure that plan participants earned the maximum return possible. I've also worked with very small employers who have been exceptionally diligent in making sure that their $2 million dollar 401(k) plan had reasonable fees.
   
2. The Greasy Palm Road - Under this scenario, WalMart's benefit people actually knew that plan participants were being over-charged for investments and that this over-charging was consented to along with Merrill Lynch and third-party investment providers. Why? Perhaps Merrill Lynch concocted this arrangement as a way to seemingly eliminate any direct administrative costs for WalMart. This would be shocking in a plan of this size (note that the dollar value of the plan is seemingly large, until of course you consider the number of plan participants), but it would also fit nicely into the worst view of WalMart by it's critics, where the company is a profit machine that uses employees in the same way that it uses bathroom supplies ("buy'm cheap, use'm & then throw them away").
   

I don't see a third scenario here. Either they knew or they didn't. If they didn't they should have. Remember, WalMart has some of the most sophisticated financial reporting systems in the business world today. These are folks who know how to account for the pennies.

The moral of the story? Pay attention to what your employer tells you about your retirement benefits. Read the stuff they give you. If you don't understand what it says, ask to have it explained to you. If you don't understand the explanation, ask again and again and again until you do. If you have access to a (trusted) financial professional, ask them to review your retirement plan information. You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain.