Our country is broken.  We have been lurching from one bad president to another, from one war to another and from crisis to crisis.  Our government spending is out of control and so many people are out of work that tax revenues are in the tank.

Our country has huge negative momentum and that’s bad for America and the American spirit.

We had the crash of 2008 driven by a failure of government to properly oversee the housing market and a failure of regulators in preventing speculators from creating a hugely leveraged, virtual debt pool that nuked companies and markets right and left.

Jobs  disappeared all around us as companies scrambled to cut costs.  Bush and Obama bailed out the banks, the big car companies and their unions, while doing nothing for Main Street.

In Washington, the Democrats raised spending like crazy and became obsessed with passing a health care law that is one of the worst pieces of legislation ever.

People got angry, got organized and sent the Tea Party to Washington with a single mission of getting our budget back under control by cutting the ridiculous spending spree.

From there, we’ve had a continuous fight over cutting spending that has paralyzed the country and the government on a number of occasions.  A fight that has yielded just tiny spending cuts that are real. All the big numbers are BS fake cuts from some imaginary future budget.

This past Friday the nation was dissed by S&P when they downgraded the US debt rating from AAA to AA+.  They did this despite the fact that they have countries with even worse debt problems, like France, rated AAA .

I found it both sad and amusing that  Sen. John Kerry declared that this was a Tea Bag Downgrade.  What a jerk.  Even though I voted from him instead of Bush, I never liked the guy.  The Tea Party folks didn’t create this problem, it’s lifers like Kerry that created this problem.

And to top things off,  Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, was asked if T bills are still safe and he responded “Yes, we can always print more money.”

Somehow, this has got to change.  Our government leaders are stuck in a mind set of no compromises and blaming the other guy.  Our business community has frozen up due to all the uncertainty about what’s going to happen next.  Our national attitude is one of doom, gloom and the pain of austerity.

We, the people, elected the 536 people who run our national government. They created this mess with their decisions. If our debt is too high, its because they decided to make it too high.  If our spending is out of control, they decided to spend way too much. If  our tax system is all screwed up, it’s because they decided to screw it up.  Everything comes down to their decisions.

These 536 people are also the only ones who can make the decisions needed to get us out of this mess.  From my perspective, each and everyone of these people should be forced to tell us their plan to fix things or to stand up and be counted for someone’s plan.  Whether you like it or not the House Republicans came up with a plan and stood behind it.  The Senate Republicans should do the same.  The Democrats should do the same.  And most of all the President should have some plan that is more than just talking points about shared sacrifice.

Personally, I don’t want more sacrifice, I want it to feel like it’s  “morning in America again”.  And I think that’s doable.

My plan would be simple:

1. Make growing our GDP is the top priority to create jobs and enable us to enjoy the privileges of this country. To do this I would focus on 2 policies:
• Figure out a way to eliminate the tax on jobs.  It makes no sense to tax jobs here at home, when companies can outsource and not pay the tax. It’s simply a bad tax that kills jobs and we should get rid of it.  The temporary reduction in payroll tax rates is a start, but the whole tax should go permanently.  It should be in the constitution:  Government  should not tax people or companies for providing jobs.
• Eliminate the capital gains tax on the first $5 million in gains from the sale of a small company.  IMHO this would do more than anything else to spur investment in small business.
2. Set spending and revenue targets at 18-20% of the GDP, and everyone should sign a pledge that compromise that gets to that range is the right thing to do for America.  To do this I would:
• Reform the personal and corporate  income tax system to fewer, lower tax brackets with few or no deductions
• Put all spending is on the table and force it fit within the 18-20% range within 5 years.  If we want more health care, we have to spend less on defense and vice-versa.
3. Put the country on a path to positive momentum.    Start making changes in a positive direction.  Start small and keep making decisions that make things better.  Rinse and repeat until we turn this nation of around.

From my perspective, if your  Congressional, Senate or Presidential candidate can’t come up with this plan or something else that fixes the mess they created, then they don’t deserve your vote.  They certainly aren’t getting mine.

BTW.  If anyone else has a better plan, I’d love to hear it.

I spent the past few weeks enjoying the Women’s Soccer World Cup and it really made me think about the importance of being “on frame”.  That’s soccer lingo for putting your shot on the target.  In soccer, the target is with the frame of the goal.  Putting your shots on frame is the only way you’ll score.

The US National team was like magic to watch.  The game against Brazil was especially fantastic with a last minute tying shot that Abby Wambach put on frame.  Then, they win it in penalty kicks with 5 more shots on frame that all scored.

The final game had everything you could want in a quality soccer match.  Ups, downs, the stories of two incredible teams, sportsmanship, and everything left of on the field by all involved.

Congrats to the Japanese Team.  They fought hard and deserved their title.

The US team was equally worthy of winning and that made watching them choke painful.  They chocked on defense, on offense and in the PKs.  Really sad to see this from such great competitors.

The team had two defensive mishaps that allowed Japan to tie things up in both regulation and in overtime.  Then, Japan won the penalty kick contest.

But it wasn’t the defensive mistakes that cost the US the game.  The problem is that too their shots we not on frame.

Before the penalty kicks, the US had 27 shots at the goal, with only 5 being on frame.  Japan only had 14 shots, but put 6 of them on frame.  Then in PKs, the US had two shots blocked and one that missed the frame.

If you’re not on frame, you have no chance to score.

It’s like that in life too.  If you’re not on frame, you you have no chance of realizing your goals.

There is just no other way to say it. Verizon Fios customer service sucks.  I spent about an hour ranting about it on Twitter last night, but still need  a bit more venting to clear my frustration with them.

The issue started when Heather and I decided to rent a VOD movie instead of going out.  Bad decision on our part, because the resulting service just ruined the night.

It all started when we select the movie we want to watch, “The Adjustment Bureau”, and click on the rent button.  Then we wait and finally an error box pops up.  We try this a few times, unplug the set top box to reset it and try again. Still getting error box so we hit the troubleshoot button which is useless, but it does give a number to call at the end.  So I call the number, and the Verizon call systems asks for my phone number.  Why they don’t have my number is beyond me.  My bank always knows my number when I call.

After I enter my number, I go through a mind numbing phone tree only to get disconnected somewhere.

We decide to try something different and use the VOD system to view a movie from HBO, but again we get an error message.  This one tells us we do not have enough credits to rent this movie and provides another number.  I don’t know what the credits thing is all about, we pay plenty to have Fios and we pay extra to have HBO and access to it’s VOD library.

After we find the same problem on Starz and some other premium channels, I call the number that this error message says to call.  It’s different than the last one so I try it.  There is a short code to enter when I call.  Again, the call system asks for my phone number.This time it tells me my phone number does not exist or something like that. After some other phone tree mumbo jumbo I get asked to enter the short code.  I enter the code and wait.

The phone tree seems to be doing something….then the computer voice says “there is no answer at that number and the call will be disconnected.”  Now I’m pissed.

So I drag up my browser on my phone and go to Verizon.com and try to find a number.  Their contact numbers are well hidden behind lots of pages trying to deflect you from calling.  I find them after some serious problems trying to get through two modal pop up windows on my phone.  Modal pop ups on mobile devices don’t work very well, but that’s a different rant.

So I get the number and call.  Phone tree asks for my number again, then try’s to make me go away by leading me all over the place.  I just want to talk to a person, but the phone tree is the Resistance Monster incarnate.  It really does not want me to talk a live person.  Finally, I beat the phone tree and get to a person.

Sounds like the lady is very far away,  has an Indian accent and a name I don’t quite get.  Maybe I got sent offshore? Don’t know.  Don’t really care as I can understand the lady and she seems nice. The lady asks for my phone number again.  Click, click as she types away.  Now she asks what my problem is and I tell her.

Oh, no.  She’s not part of Fios.  She’s part of some other operation.  She offers to transfer me and asks for a number in case we get disconnected.  I envision more time waiting and then getting disconnected.  So, I demand a warm transfer where she stays with me until I get to the next rep.

There we sat waiting.  Verizon music playing away.  Me and the Indian lady. We wait and wait.  I’m not giving up now, I’ve got one of their reps and I am going to keep her waiting too.  10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes. Some more waiting and then there is a different person picking up the phone.

It’s Debbie.  Debbie is from Fios. The Indian lady signs off.  At least she stayed with me, even if she could provide no help.

I think Debbie asks for my phone number again, but I’m not sure what she said.

She asks me what my issue is and I tell her.  I hear her give a friendly chuckle.  This is not going to be good I think.

The VOD system is down.  She tells me that it’s not just me, it’s affecting everybody.  She tells me like she thinks that is going to make me feel better.  Doesn’t work.

I ask why the system is down.  She mumbles something about maintenance.  That I find hard to believe. Who would schedule VOD maintenance on Friday evening in prime time?  No competent person would do that.  But then again it is Verizon Fios.  Maybe they would be so stupid as to bring down the VOD system on a Friday night for maintenance.

I ask if they will give me a credit for their system being down.  She says it needs to be six hours.  Ok, I say.  When will the VOD be back up and available.  She tells me an hour sometime on early Saturday morning.  Well that’s more than six hours I say, how about that credit.

Debbie can’t give me a credit.  I have to talk to the billing department.  I complain about having to wait some more, but tell her ok.  Get me to billing I say.  I want my credit.  I know it would only be few dollars, but now I’m in it to win.

Debbie does the normal, can I have a number to call if we get disconnected thing.  Again, I tell her I want her to stay with me and do a warm transfer.  OK she says.  I wait and then the music again.  Debbie tells me it will be 13 minutes, do I want to wait?  I say yes and I want her to stay with me.  Ok she says.  Then moments later Debbie is gone.  She comes back after 5 minutes or so to check up on me.  Do I want to wait more?  Yes and I tell her I’m mad at her for not staying with me.

Debbie sneaks away again.  Finally, I get to billing.

I don’t know the billing ladies name, but she asks me what I want.  I tell her my VOD is down. Debbie said six hours and I get a credit.

Billing Lady says no.  No credit for the VOD system being down.

I ask why not.  She tells me VOD is a free service and they don’t give credit on free service.

My blood pressure must have gone up 20 points at that statement.

I pay big bucks to Verizon every month for the Fios service.  The service I pay for has a feature called VOD.  If I don’t pay, I don’t get VOD or Fios.  There is no way it’s free.

Billing Lady tells me it’s free because everyone gets it.  I say only if they pay for Fios.

Billing Lady sticks to her position. No credit.

I ask about HBO VOD.  I pay for that.  It’s not available to everyone.

Billing Lady says no credit.

I ask why Debbie told me it was possible and made me wait to talk to Billing Lady.

Billing Lady tells me she doesn’t know.  I think she thinks Debbie was an idiot.

I tell Billing Lady I’m pissed off.  She says that she apologizes for me being upset.  She doesn’t apologize for the VOD system being down. She doesn’t apologize for their terrible service.  She doesn’t apologize that she can’t or won’t help me.  She doesn’t apologize for my time waiting and the awful experience.

She’s sorry that I got upset.  Like I’m not supposed to get pissed off when treated this poorly.

I think I lost it at that point, because the Billing Lady was gone.  Just silence.  I lost.  Verizon Fios awful service won.  It’s no wonder that the last thing the phone company wants is to talk to their customers.  It’s awful for me and probably costs them a fortune.

The sad thing is it never needed to happen.  All Verizon needed to do was tell it’s customers that the VOD system was going down, or was down and tell us when to expect it back up.  They could have done that via the set top box.  They could have put that on the web site. They could have had the phone tree tell me.  They could have tweeted it and it would have been more effective than the experience I went through.

They could have put a link on the error message to get help and then tell me VOD was down.  They could have put phone numbers on the error messages that actually get answered.  I could go on and on about fixes, but I’m sure they just don’t care.

And why does the phone company keep asking for my phone number when I call? They’re the phone company and they know my number.

Come on Verizon, at least fix that.

Unless maybe Verizon thinks people will get frustrated with this stupid procedure and drop off before they actually get to talk to a person.  Sounds cynical, but that’s how big companies think.

I saw this chart in the WSJ today and was stunned by how much the federal budget has grown and the projections for the future.

I know which line I would choose. What about you?

Google’s Art Project uses street view to tour museums and allows you to view high resolution art right in the browser.

Right now they have 17 museums in the system including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, MOMA, Palace of Versailles, Van Gogh Museum, Tate, Uffizi Gallery and other great museums.

Looks like it should be fun to watch.

Saw this post Musings: How to determine your “Star Wars” name

For your new first name:

1. Take the first 3 letters of your 1st name and add
2. the first 2 letters of your last name

For your new last name:

3. Then take the first 2 letters of your Mom’s maiden name and add
4. the first 3 letters of the city you were born

How to determine your Star Wars honorific name and title:

1. take the last three letters of your last name and reverse them.
2. add the name of the first car you drove/owned
3. insert the word “of”
4. tack on the name of the last medication you took.

What’s your Star Wars name? Leave a comment.

May the force be with you,

Alene Cloxn
tti fiat of atenolol