Matthew Priester

This morning I was up early reading articles from the NY Times newspaper on-line edition, there is article from The Opinion Page of The Sunday Review by Nicholas D. Kristof that has some pretty good facts stated in the article.

One of the first facts is that by the C.I.A’s own accord and ranking of countries by income inequality The United States of America is more unequal than a country of like Egypt or Iran Israel. There are almost 100 countries with better equality in income distribution than The United States of America.

Really that is pretty darn interesting that a branch of our own government says our income inequality is worst that other countries.

Here are some of the facts that Kristof outlined in his opinion;

Three factoids underscore that inequality:

The 400 wealthiest Americans have a greater combined net worth than the bottom 150 million Americans.

The top 1 percent of Americans possess more wealth than the entire bottom 90 percent.

In the Bush expansion from 2002 to 2007, 65 percent of economic gains went to the richest 1 percent.

Another NY Times reporter Catherine Rampell wrote in an Economix article writing about Bankers’ Salaries vs. Everyone Else’s

The securities salary is an average of $361,330, 5.5 times the average of the private sector, by comparison 30 years ago it was only as twice as much.

A lot of what Occupy Wall Street and the 99% feel is what corporations such as Bank of America have been doing and not just in the last few weeks as common practice.

As of last week Bank of America released/disclosed that they were paying out to two executives who were forced out do to management reshuffling a sum totaling $11 million dollars.

Yet on 18 October 2011 Bank of America reported a 6% jump in third quarter earnings and a 6.2 billion in profit.

How than is it that a company such as Bank of America which post 6.2 billion in third quarter profits, pays 2 executives 11 million dollars starts laying off 30,000 employees?

When is that good business practice?

But this seems to be a more common practice in todays business world.

 

 

It is late in the evening, Sunday and all is quiet here. After my short little jaunt from Las Vegas today which by the way was more work than Phoenix to Boston to Las Vegas the night before.

I don’t know what it is about people coming and going to Las Vegas, especially on Sunday and they are just not flights I enjoy. Always so much drama, and with the bags it is a headache always waiting in the wings especially when you are the middle flight attendant.

People get mad if you move their bags to make room for other bags, people get mad if you don’t make room for their bags or the overheads bins are full. Like the lady tonight who just left her roller-board in the isle because she did not see a space in the bins.

I was shock, because I always try and help, but at times when I am busily trying to move luggage and something like this happens my mouth usually engages before I think.

Because she left the roller-board in the isle and took her seat.

I asked ” Are you going to leave the bag in the isle”

She said “Yes”

I responded, “In the isle”

She again said “Yes, there is no room in the overheads”

All I could get out and probably a little to sarcastically was “Really!”

Picked up the bag and put it in the overhead.

After that I was just having a tougher time staying on the calm side. But we closed on time and ended the quick 47 minute flight from Las Vegas to Phoenix with out any problems.

My “Room with a View” picture was from my stay was,

Las Vegas, La Quinta, room 244

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a very exciting view, but it a nice place to stay and the weather was excellent.

After getting back to the house friends were watching Spanish Novellas on the Internet, we order pizza with beer and coke and enjoyed the crazy dramas laughing through them.

Then a movie, a nice romantic comedy which should have been classified as a comedy with some romance. All in all a good laugh and good relaxig times with friends.

Earlier today I finished a book by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, James A Michener, “The Bridge at Andau” written in 1956, it is about the Hungarian Revolution and eye-witness accounts told by Michener. Though I wasn’t even born then, I remember little, if any of what was taught to me in school of this monumental event in history.

People of any county, if you want to understand what is going on in Egypt, Libya and in other parts of the world, READ THIS BOOK.

I was shocked at the accounts, but more than that the way he described how the people felt, and why they especially the young people many not over the age of 20 stood up to the Soviet Union and changed the face of Communism forever.

Time Magazine, recognized what these young individuals accomplished and made the Hungarian Freedom Fighters their “Man of the Year,” which came out 07 January 1957.

Which I am happily surprised.

But more than learning of history which is usually passed under the table, you can start to understand why the people are wanting change at any cost, and how our country (The United States of America) with the help of the United Nations needed to step up in Libya and give support to the rebels.

Not sitting idly by watching and hoping, no I am no advocate of war and of the US getting involved in another war, spending needlessly.

But think about this, if you are walking home from work, you yourself do not have much money and extremely tired from being overworked and see an act of violence. Which you know if you step up to the plate and just help that you will stop the violence and help the victim in the process, “Wouldn’t you do it?”

Sure things could happen, but image the good that could grow if we as humans and this country (The United States of America) stood up and helped but more importantly followed it through to the end.

The book “The Bridge at Andau” is well worth the time if you can find a good copy to read, you might have to check a few used bookstores. I found a 1957 paperback for $2.00 bucks and original 1st edition hard copies go from $75 -$100, depending on the condition.

It is getting late, after 2 am, though I need to write more and post in the other blogs My Name Is Priester and Priester Family Tree, plus check out my friends site Pavle Milic my eyes are to tired to go on.

So for now Good Night and God Bless.