Thursday, July 15, 2010

Open letter to the person who tried to rob my house...

Just wanted to sound off at the person who tried to rob my house last night at around 1:00am.

Bet your ass was rather surprised that after all that work that you put into getting into the house or staking it out
that when you did get entrance, the interior alarms did indeed work and you were left to just ruffle through the
night stand and dresser but SURPRISE, there was NOTHING in the dresser or night stand!

You dumb ass! Get a job you loser and stop trying to take things from hard working people like myself.

If you are caught, be sure that I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. May what you've try to do
come back to you 6 x's 66 x's so that you can see how it feels to have someone try to take from what you've
worked for.

Oh wait, you probably don't work since you try to break into a person's house at such an ungodly hour of the
day.

Were the Mel Gibson tapes tampered with?

This is something I have been saying from day one and now others seem to be questioning their authenticity as well.

$34 Million in OT pay to Union for being on VACATION!?! WTF!

This is one of the main reasons why I feel that we need to abolish unions in the United States in favor of a federal governmental system. I mean unions existed initially to make sure its members were treated fairly by business owners. Today they have run amuck and have cost us dearly. The MTA is just one example of how a union is bleeding the rest of us dry while massive layoff to occur within their own ranks.

For some MTA workers, relaxing on the beach comes with a delicious perk: overtime.

The agency is spending $34 million this year on “phantom” overtime paid to workers on vacation, out sick or on holiday, according to documents obtained by amNewYork. Workers on the bus division alone are benefiting from a $22 million windfall this year, MTA estimates show.

"That’s horrible,” said rider Vinny Basdeo, 33, of Queens. “I have to work extra to earn overtime pay, and it should be the same for bus drivers.”

The MTA is making an issue of the sweet deal as it scrambles to close a more than $800 million deficit without resorting to additional service cuts or a fare increase beyond 7.5 percent in January.

“We are looking to control unnecessary overtime as part of overhauling how the MTA does business,” agency spokesman Kevin Ortiz said.

Transit workers typically earn time and a half after eight hours of work in a day. Nearly 1,300 bus operators always work more than eight hours because they cover the morning and afternoon shifts on a route, with a gap in the middle of several hours. Additionally, some train operators earn overtime daily because their routes take more than eight hours to navigate.

Since the 1990s, the transit union was able to negotiate contracts that allowed some bus operators to earn their extra pay even when they are not working. The benefit has gradually extended to some subway, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North workers.

Union leaders stand by their contract benefit.

“When you go on vacation, why should your money be reduced by 15 to 20 percent?” said Jim Gannon, a spokesman for the Transport Workers Union Local 100.

At least one New Yorker sided with the union.

“Honestly with all the stuff they put up with, I think it’s reasonable,” said Dani Weishoff, 19, of the Upper East Side.

What $34 million could mean to the MTA:

- Keep 202 station agents: $17.4 million

- Bring back the V train. $4 million

- Resurrect the W train. $3.4 million

- Run more frequent service on seven subway lines during off-peak hours. $3.1 million

- Save six express bus routes: $2.7 million

- Hire back 25 cleaners: $1.6 million

- Keep the G running 13 more stops into Queens. $1.5 million

Undercover Karaoke with Jewel