Wednesday, November 05, 2008
A Glimpse Into The Election in California
Well I for one am glad this election is over, and not just from the standpoint of being an inspector for a precinct. Now I don't have to worry about what will happen if the McCain / Palin ticket wins which would not only put a Bush in McCain clothing into office, but also put a book banning, right wing, unqualified, wolf killing maniac second in line for the presidency. (see my hubpage on this issue at "Risky Business- Republican Candidates")
Ok, so here is what it was like for me as an inspector at a polling place this election. I started out with dread of the voters being semi-educated on the "Steal Back Your Vote" issue that has been online for sometime that failed (in my opinion) to point out that if you happen to live in a state where the legislature was NOT predominantly Republican then it was not likely that this would be an issue. Why dread? Well, one of the things the videos I saw stressed was to "refuse a provisional ballot and demand a "real" ballot. This was of concern because provisional ballots ARE real ballots IF you really are a registered voter. They are provisional because at the polls there is no way to verify that you in fact are a registered voter. There is no access to all the registration information when you are out there collecting the votes.
My fears were not to be realized (and being a believer in Murphy's law I believe this is because I was ready to handle it if it came up and I also did a little extra training of my pollworkers on WHY this was not an issue in California so they too were prepared.)
On arrival at my polling place, there was already a line of ten to twenty voters.. some had brought their folding chairs which made me wonder if they had been there all night. The line continued to be twenty to forty deep throughout the morning hours but tapered off slightly between about 12:30 and 1.30pm and while there was a steady turn out the rest of the day, it was the morning that was the rush.
Thankfully I had a really great team, most of whom were students (one who was not yet old enough to vote) who worked hard without complaint. They usually declined breaks of any length when offered and really put in a very full day. I could see them starting to tire as the day wore on, but they remained curteous and helpful and on the look out for the most common problems of a polling place. At one point I started giving them assignments to go take a walk around outside to stretch and get some air just so they would get a second wind. I also opened up my ice chest and shared raw almonds, string cheese and kebasa with some of the crew I knew had worked steadily and refused to take breaks. Another thing I did towards the end of the voting day was to assign them each some time to review the materials on closing so we would all be on the same page. Only one of my crew failed to do that, and it was not one of the students.. and sure enough, he was the one who everyone else had to stop from putting the wrong thing in the wrong place when we were packing it all up. (sadly this retired person thinks he is never wrong, it is never his fault and it was my third time having him as a poll worker under me. I finally felt I had no choice but to talk to the district co-ordinator and request he not be assigned to me again should I continue to serve as an inspector.)
Over all the voters responded well to my working the line and asking them to remove their political buttons that constituted electionering and reminding them that everyone who was processing them was a volunteer who had a very long day going, so please to be patient and kind to my crew.
We probably had less errors and problems than the average precinct since the district co-ordinator (mine had 8 precincts to deal with) only managed to visit me once during the day and that was very late in the day.
There were a couple of highlights to our day at the polls. The first was during the morning when no one got a break. I had taken a walk to reassure the line we were processing them as fast as possible. On my attempt to re-enter the polling place, my way was barred by a 4'10" viet namese woman (she barely came up to my midriff) and said "you have to wait in the line". I was getting tired by this time and all I could manage was to look down at her and say softly, "I'm the inspector here dear, I need to get by." She gave me a look that appeared to doubt my veracity but she let me pass. The next was very late in the day when a woman came in wearing a very short trench coat ... to be honest I don't know that there was any clothing under this as none showed.. who was all excited about this election and chatted with my whole crew as she filled out her provisional information. She invited my whole crew to her house to party when we closed the polls. I would be hard pressed to explain the entertainment value of this, but the crew chatted back and seemed somewhat enthusiastic over the prospect of a party. It gave them an extra lift to their day so all in all I deemed it to be a good thing.(the woman's boyfriend seemed somewhat less enthusiastic over the prospect of a house full of stangers for a party.)
At the very end of our day we did get one complaint, but considering we processed over 670 voters I would say this was all in all a very good day for our precinct. This was no doubt a record turn out for this precinct, and we all survived in relatively good spirits. I got home just before 11pm, fed my Mother and went to bed.
When I got up in the morning the only down side to the election was the passage of Prop 8 which is in direct violation to certain sections of the California Constitution (specifically the Human Rights Amendments)so now I wait with the rest of California to see the outcome of the court challenges that will happen that we all as taxpayers will be paying for.
Ok, so here is what it was like for me as an inspector at a polling place this election. I started out with dread of the voters being semi-educated on the "Steal Back Your Vote" issue that has been online for sometime that failed (in my opinion) to point out that if you happen to live in a state where the legislature was NOT predominantly Republican then it was not likely that this would be an issue. Why dread? Well, one of the things the videos I saw stressed was to "refuse a provisional ballot and demand a "real" ballot. This was of concern because provisional ballots ARE real ballots IF you really are a registered voter. They are provisional because at the polls there is no way to verify that you in fact are a registered voter. There is no access to all the registration information when you are out there collecting the votes.
My fears were not to be realized (and being a believer in Murphy's law I believe this is because I was ready to handle it if it came up and I also did a little extra training of my pollworkers on WHY this was not an issue in California so they too were prepared.)
On arrival at my polling place, there was already a line of ten to twenty voters.. some had brought their folding chairs which made me wonder if they had been there all night. The line continued to be twenty to forty deep throughout the morning hours but tapered off slightly between about 12:30 and 1.30pm and while there was a steady turn out the rest of the day, it was the morning that was the rush.
Thankfully I had a really great team, most of whom were students (one who was not yet old enough to vote) who worked hard without complaint. They usually declined breaks of any length when offered and really put in a very full day. I could see them starting to tire as the day wore on, but they remained curteous and helpful and on the look out for the most common problems of a polling place. At one point I started giving them assignments to go take a walk around outside to stretch and get some air just so they would get a second wind. I also opened up my ice chest and shared raw almonds, string cheese and kebasa with some of the crew I knew had worked steadily and refused to take breaks. Another thing I did towards the end of the voting day was to assign them each some time to review the materials on closing so we would all be on the same page. Only one of my crew failed to do that, and it was not one of the students.. and sure enough, he was the one who everyone else had to stop from putting the wrong thing in the wrong place when we were packing it all up. (sadly this retired person thinks he is never wrong, it is never his fault and it was my third time having him as a poll worker under me. I finally felt I had no choice but to talk to the district co-ordinator and request he not be assigned to me again should I continue to serve as an inspector.)
Over all the voters responded well to my working the line and asking them to remove their political buttons that constituted electionering and reminding them that everyone who was processing them was a volunteer who had a very long day going, so please to be patient and kind to my crew.
We probably had less errors and problems than the average precinct since the district co-ordinator (mine had 8 precincts to deal with) only managed to visit me once during the day and that was very late in the day.
There were a couple of highlights to our day at the polls. The first was during the morning when no one got a break. I had taken a walk to reassure the line we were processing them as fast as possible. On my attempt to re-enter the polling place, my way was barred by a 4'10" viet namese woman (she barely came up to my midriff) and said "you have to wait in the line". I was getting tired by this time and all I could manage was to look down at her and say softly, "I'm the inspector here dear, I need to get by." She gave me a look that appeared to doubt my veracity but she let me pass. The next was very late in the day when a woman came in wearing a very short trench coat ... to be honest I don't know that there was any clothing under this as none showed.. who was all excited about this election and chatted with my whole crew as she filled out her provisional information. She invited my whole crew to her house to party when we closed the polls. I would be hard pressed to explain the entertainment value of this, but the crew chatted back and seemed somewhat enthusiastic over the prospect of a party. It gave them an extra lift to their day so all in all I deemed it to be a good thing.(the woman's boyfriend seemed somewhat less enthusiastic over the prospect of a house full of stangers for a party.)
At the very end of our day we did get one complaint, but considering we processed over 670 voters I would say this was all in all a very good day for our precinct. This was no doubt a record turn out for this precinct, and we all survived in relatively good spirits. I got home just before 11pm, fed my Mother and went to bed.
When I got up in the morning the only down side to the election was the passage of Prop 8 which is in direct violation to certain sections of the California Constitution (specifically the Human Rights Amendments)so now I wait with the rest of California to see the outcome of the court challenges that will happen that we all as taxpayers will be paying for.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Upcoming Election
Political discussions are cropping up at cocktail and dinner parties more often as election day nears. Hillary did not make it into the top spot, so those who wanted to elect the "first woman President" are feeling somewhat let down. Companies are capitalizing on the candidates with everything from bumper stickers (the norm) to playing cards (Politically Wild)
I admit that the idea of the first woman president did occur to me as a good thing... just not Hillary as she is so very much like the male candidates that are well known and in the running. As a Libertarian, I have watched the mainstream parties grow closer and closer together in their ways of thinking. It is unlikely that much will change for the better following the end of the Bush regime since it is unlikely that any of the "mainstream" candidates will want to tackle undoing the wrongs done to this country by things like the patriot act.
There is a candidate you won't find in the political playing card decks being sold and that is Christine Smith.
You probably have not heard of her, and she might not even appear on the ballot come election day. She is a candidate for president none the less. Her basic premise is one of returning the country to a pre-war, pre-Bush, pre-patriot act status, giving back the freedoms stolen from the American people under the guise of homeland security.
In any case, you won't find her in the decks offered by politically wild, but you might find some solace in seeing McCain as a dinosaur or a skunk , or Mike Huckabee as a Dodo bird.
Perhaps the perfect gift for an apathetic nation are these decks of playing cards.
I admit that the idea of the first woman president did occur to me as a good thing... just not Hillary as she is so very much like the male candidates that are well known and in the running. As a Libertarian, I have watched the mainstream parties grow closer and closer together in their ways of thinking. It is unlikely that much will change for the better following the end of the Bush regime since it is unlikely that any of the "mainstream" candidates will want to tackle undoing the wrongs done to this country by things like the patriot act.
There is a candidate you won't find in the political playing card decks being sold and that is Christine Smith.
You probably have not heard of her, and she might not even appear on the ballot come election day. She is a candidate for president none the less. Her basic premise is one of returning the country to a pre-war, pre-Bush, pre-patriot act status, giving back the freedoms stolen from the American people under the guise of homeland security.
In any case, you won't find her in the decks offered by politically wild, but you might find some solace in seeing McCain as a dinosaur or a skunk , or Mike Huckabee as a Dodo bird.
Perhaps the perfect gift for an apathetic nation are these decks of playing cards.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Myths Lies Medi-cal and Medicare
I have neglected pretty much all of my blogs as I have been caught up in a morays of mis-information, lies, myths and working to uncover the truths I needed in order to continue caring for my aging and ailing parents.
It was a necessary if unpleasant reality that I would need to put Dad in a nursing home as he requires 24/7 care and no matter how I try, I need some sleep sometimes. I was given a list of nursing homes by the hospital and doing what I considered to be due diligence set about visiting a good share of those on my list.
Quite frankly this is not a pleasant chore as the majority of homes I visited I would not leave my dog in overnight let alone a parent for an extended stay during rehabilitation. Many had clients falling out of wheelchairs screaming for help in the hallways. Often the smells were so vile that I had to stifle a gag response.
After the first two or so, I made a mental list of my criteria for determining where would be acceptable to place Dad. This list included noise levels within tolerance as no one gets much better if the noise level is a constant deafening experience. The second of course was smell and cleanliness of the facility. From there I also included accessible parking as I knew I would be taking my wheelchair bound mother on a frequent basis to visit her husband. There were a few more criteria that I added, but what I have mentioned was the most important issues.
Having found one that matched my criteria in good part, I spoke with them about getting my Dad into their facility. Here is where the lies and mis-information began. Now, I need to stress that I do not know if the lies are deliberate, and I would prefer to think that it is just that the folks at the homes really don't know any better. What they tell you is that Medicare will pay for the first 100 days, and that after that we will work out what costs need to be covered.
If you believe that as I did you will be in for a very rude awakening when your 100 days is up or coming close to being up. After between 5 and 20 days something kicks in that is called "share of cost" but no one tells you about this until your 100 days are up or coming close to being up.. then they will present you with a bill. I suspect it is often much higher than the one I was presented with, which was for about 9 grand.
They wanted their money of course, and of course I was totally unprepared for this. Now, we have some of those long term care insurance policies, but they are pretty much a waste of your hard earned money and here are the reasons.
First of all, they only pay between 5o and 100 dollars a day.. this won't even cover the bed let alone any medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy etc etc etc. The other problem is that they do not pay the nursing home directly, you have to pay that out of your pocket and then prove you have paid it, at which time you settle back to wait for them to process your claim which they are really in no hurry to do.
Ok, lets leave that subject for a moment and discuss affording to keep someone who needs care in a nursing facility. Unless you are independently wealthy, you can't afford it. The average cost might be higher, depending on the care needed, but what I was quoted was 5 grand a month being average when things went to private pay. I am in possession of a bill for one month in excess of 17,700.00 and there were not trachs or any machines attached, that was with physical and occupational therapy and some intravenous treatments so you can imagine if your loved one needs something like dialysis or a breathing machine etc.
Now, the truth is, that you can get the care needed without draining your entire life's savings but you have to have some help. You need experts who know the law and specifically the law about medi-cal and medicare. We have a fine family attorney, but he is not a specialist in medical and the way I knew he was good was when he flat out told me I needed an expert in the field which he was not.
I found some experts, and while they are far from cheap, in the long run they will be very worth the price since instead of having to fork over 5 grand a month, I will be forking over zero to the nursing home, and our added expense will be paying the attorney fees off. They even made arrangements for a payment plan with a sizable down payment.
The first item of business was to empty the trust. Trusts are wonderful things if you drop dead suddenly, but are a hindrance if you linger. You don't need to revoke the trust, but you do need to empty it out so that there are no attachable assets and no cash value insurance policies.
If there is a house involved, those who don't know jack about the real truths when it comes to medi-cal, will tell you the house is exempt. Guess what? this is actually another lie as it can be a real trap...here's how it works.
You put Dad in a home, and get him qualified for medi-cal. Lets say Mom then falls and breaks a hip or something and needs to be in a facility for a short time while she heals. That house that was so exempt, is no longer exempt and Medi-cal can attach the house forcing it's sale to pay for the expenses incurred by Dad to date. This leaves Mom and Dad no home to come back to.
Hopefully if you have parents or loved ones who might need or currently need the help of a nursing home, you are beginning to get the picture that you really need legal advice on how to hold onto your assets and still be able to provide the care needed.
Lets go back to the nursing home for a minute. The very well meaning book keeper (and again here I am assuming this is a well meaning person who does not mean to mis-lead you) will tell you that your "share of cost" is that person's social security check minus 35 bucks. Well, that is typical for single people, and does not take into account that a spouse at home is permitted to keep up to 2500 dollars of their joint incomes to live on. It also does not take into account that you can have your attorney go into court and show that the monthly costs of maintaining the home are in excess of that amount and request they up the amount allowed to be kept by the at home spouse.
Whatever your situation, I must stress that you cannot safely traverse the pitfalls of the medi-cal system without expert guidance. I am paying good money to my experts, and in no way are they compensating me for this recommendation. The people I have hired and would recommend to you with my highest grade for taking care of business are NHS also known as Nursing Home Solutions in Glendale Cal. They have a website where you can get more information
http://www.nhscare.com/index.html
Of course should my opinions change you can be sure to read about that here, but I suspect from what I have seen so far, that I will be able to recommend NHS for a very long time to come.
It was a necessary if unpleasant reality that I would need to put Dad in a nursing home as he requires 24/7 care and no matter how I try, I need some sleep sometimes. I was given a list of nursing homes by the hospital and doing what I considered to be due diligence set about visiting a good share of those on my list.
Quite frankly this is not a pleasant chore as the majority of homes I visited I would not leave my dog in overnight let alone a parent for an extended stay during rehabilitation. Many had clients falling out of wheelchairs screaming for help in the hallways. Often the smells were so vile that I had to stifle a gag response.
After the first two or so, I made a mental list of my criteria for determining where would be acceptable to place Dad. This list included noise levels within tolerance as no one gets much better if the noise level is a constant deafening experience. The second of course was smell and cleanliness of the facility. From there I also included accessible parking as I knew I would be taking my wheelchair bound mother on a frequent basis to visit her husband. There were a few more criteria that I added, but what I have mentioned was the most important issues.
Having found one that matched my criteria in good part, I spoke with them about getting my Dad into their facility. Here is where the lies and mis-information began. Now, I need to stress that I do not know if the lies are deliberate, and I would prefer to think that it is just that the folks at the homes really don't know any better. What they tell you is that Medicare will pay for the first 100 days, and that after that we will work out what costs need to be covered.
If you believe that as I did you will be in for a very rude awakening when your 100 days is up or coming close to being up. After between 5 and 20 days something kicks in that is called "share of cost" but no one tells you about this until your 100 days are up or coming close to being up.. then they will present you with a bill. I suspect it is often much higher than the one I was presented with, which was for about 9 grand.
They wanted their money of course, and of course I was totally unprepared for this. Now, we have some of those long term care insurance policies, but they are pretty much a waste of your hard earned money and here are the reasons.
First of all, they only pay between 5o and 100 dollars a day.. this won't even cover the bed let alone any medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy etc etc etc. The other problem is that they do not pay the nursing home directly, you have to pay that out of your pocket and then prove you have paid it, at which time you settle back to wait for them to process your claim which they are really in no hurry to do.
Ok, lets leave that subject for a moment and discuss affording to keep someone who needs care in a nursing facility. Unless you are independently wealthy, you can't afford it. The average cost might be higher, depending on the care needed, but what I was quoted was 5 grand a month being average when things went to private pay. I am in possession of a bill for one month in excess of 17,700.00 and there were not trachs or any machines attached, that was with physical and occupational therapy and some intravenous treatments so you can imagine if your loved one needs something like dialysis or a breathing machine etc.
Now, the truth is, that you can get the care needed without draining your entire life's savings but you have to have some help. You need experts who know the law and specifically the law about medi-cal and medicare. We have a fine family attorney, but he is not a specialist in medical and the way I knew he was good was when he flat out told me I needed an expert in the field which he was not.
I found some experts, and while they are far from cheap, in the long run they will be very worth the price since instead of having to fork over 5 grand a month, I will be forking over zero to the nursing home, and our added expense will be paying the attorney fees off. They even made arrangements for a payment plan with a sizable down payment.
The first item of business was to empty the trust. Trusts are wonderful things if you drop dead suddenly, but are a hindrance if you linger. You don't need to revoke the trust, but you do need to empty it out so that there are no attachable assets and no cash value insurance policies.
If there is a house involved, those who don't know jack about the real truths when it comes to medi-cal, will tell you the house is exempt. Guess what? this is actually another lie as it can be a real trap...here's how it works.
You put Dad in a home, and get him qualified for medi-cal. Lets say Mom then falls and breaks a hip or something and needs to be in a facility for a short time while she heals. That house that was so exempt, is no longer exempt and Medi-cal can attach the house forcing it's sale to pay for the expenses incurred by Dad to date. This leaves Mom and Dad no home to come back to.
Hopefully if you have parents or loved ones who might need or currently need the help of a nursing home, you are beginning to get the picture that you really need legal advice on how to hold onto your assets and still be able to provide the care needed.
Lets go back to the nursing home for a minute. The very well meaning book keeper (and again here I am assuming this is a well meaning person who does not mean to mis-lead you) will tell you that your "share of cost" is that person's social security check minus 35 bucks. Well, that is typical for single people, and does not take into account that a spouse at home is permitted to keep up to 2500 dollars of their joint incomes to live on. It also does not take into account that you can have your attorney go into court and show that the monthly costs of maintaining the home are in excess of that amount and request they up the amount allowed to be kept by the at home spouse.
Whatever your situation, I must stress that you cannot safely traverse the pitfalls of the medi-cal system without expert guidance. I am paying good money to my experts, and in no way are they compensating me for this recommendation. The people I have hired and would recommend to you with my highest grade for taking care of business are NHS also known as Nursing Home Solutions in Glendale Cal. They have a website where you can get more information
http://www.nhscare.com/index.html
Of course should my opinions change you can be sure to read about that here, but I suspect from what I have seen so far, that I will be able to recommend NHS for a very long time to come.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
My Dog's Tougher Than Your Cat
What was she thinking???? I was taking my dog out for a walk tonight, and as usual, half a dozen of our cats came along. Now, among these cats were the second and third meanest cats I have ever known. One has sent several people to the emergency room for stitches, and that is the 3rd meanest.
This woman, who I have it on pretty reliable authority called the only Jew on our block a Nazi (at best in extremely poor taste) walks her dog daily around the block passing our house and has upon occasion made rude comments about my not keeping our ivy trimmed completely off the side walk. (so rude in fact that for some time now I have not been trimming much ivy off the sidewalks at all.) There is a narrow pathway through the ivy which apparently is sufficient for the rest of the neighbors as no one else as deemed it necessary to comment.
Well tonight, her dobie, whom she keeps on a retractable leash that is wound around it's muzzle in some fashion was headed our way. The second meanest cat saw them coming and deliberately walked close to the side walk and hunkered down mid driveway as if she intended to attack should the dog set one paw on her turf. This woman said to the cat, "what's the matter with you, your not hiding." I said, "actually, she does not hide, she tends to attack." I considered this fair warning to curb her dog, but she sort of snorted at me and said her dog was a dobie, and they don't feel pain.
Now, for those of you who don't know dobies, they do have a reputation for being great guard dogs, but having had two different dobies in my life, I can guarantee you they DO feel pain when it is inflicted. Rather than get into a verbal pissing contest with this bizarre woman, I said, " I wouldn't be putting my money on the dog" to which she replied her dog had killed at least two cats that she knew of.
I found this really weird. The "my dog is tougher than your cat" attitude coming from a senior citizen was sort of a surprise. I did not mention that should she opt to turn her hound loose upon a cat already bent on causing some pain and damage, that directly behind me was my chow mix dog who thinks of all the cats here as her cats, and the ONLY thing I have ever seen cause her to become aggressive in any manner is if she thinks someone is going to hurt one of her cats. There was also the 3rd meanest cat, who if she saw her mom in trouble, would no doubt join the fray.
After all, I certainly would not want to have this relatively unhinged woman think I was issuing any kind of a challenge. While my money would be on the two cats and the chow, I personally prefer not to add to the vet bills of anyone who actually cares about their animals.
Since her dog was in effect muzzled, I don't see that it would have stood a chance against two crazy mean cats and one very protective dog.
I sort of think this woman must also be a war supporter in general. As I recall, the reason she called the very nice Jewish lady down the street (who is in her late 80 to early 90's and is not of German decent) a Nazi was over her feeling she was not up to taking in more stray cats and had been asking around to find anyone either willing to take on the newest arrivals to her property, or help finding someone to catch them and take them home.
I started to wonder if this woman had produced offspring, and if she had, has she instilled in them this same attitude of confrontation? We really do need higher learning institutions that teach peace and arbitration and not conflict and war.
My dog would never think of being aggressive unless it was in defense of a cat. I prefer negotiation and arbitration to fighting although I will admit to having been in a fair share of fights of one kind or another when there seemed to be no alternative.
The neighborhood where I grew up certainly has changed. There are far more important issues that require my attention now, but should she ever turn her dog loose on any of our cats, then I will feel I have duly warned her of the possible consequences and will not hesitate to stand up to any claims against the cats. The dog would be trespassing after all.
This woman, who I have it on pretty reliable authority called the only Jew on our block a Nazi (at best in extremely poor taste) walks her dog daily around the block passing our house and has upon occasion made rude comments about my not keeping our ivy trimmed completely off the side walk. (so rude in fact that for some time now I have not been trimming much ivy off the sidewalks at all.) There is a narrow pathway through the ivy which apparently is sufficient for the rest of the neighbors as no one else as deemed it necessary to comment.
Well tonight, her dobie, whom she keeps on a retractable leash that is wound around it's muzzle in some fashion was headed our way. The second meanest cat saw them coming and deliberately walked close to the side walk and hunkered down mid driveway as if she intended to attack should the dog set one paw on her turf. This woman said to the cat, "what's the matter with you, your not hiding." I said, "actually, she does not hide, she tends to attack." I considered this fair warning to curb her dog, but she sort of snorted at me and said her dog was a dobie, and they don't feel pain.
Now, for those of you who don't know dobies, they do have a reputation for being great guard dogs, but having had two different dobies in my life, I can guarantee you they DO feel pain when it is inflicted. Rather than get into a verbal pissing contest with this bizarre woman, I said, " I wouldn't be putting my money on the dog" to which she replied her dog had killed at least two cats that she knew of.
I found this really weird. The "my dog is tougher than your cat" attitude coming from a senior citizen was sort of a surprise. I did not mention that should she opt to turn her hound loose upon a cat already bent on causing some pain and damage, that directly behind me was my chow mix dog who thinks of all the cats here as her cats, and the ONLY thing I have ever seen cause her to become aggressive in any manner is if she thinks someone is going to hurt one of her cats. There was also the 3rd meanest cat, who if she saw her mom in trouble, would no doubt join the fray.
After all, I certainly would not want to have this relatively unhinged woman think I was issuing any kind of a challenge. While my money would be on the two cats and the chow, I personally prefer not to add to the vet bills of anyone who actually cares about their animals.
Since her dog was in effect muzzled, I don't see that it would have stood a chance against two crazy mean cats and one very protective dog.
I sort of think this woman must also be a war supporter in general. As I recall, the reason she called the very nice Jewish lady down the street (who is in her late 80 to early 90's and is not of German decent) a Nazi was over her feeling she was not up to taking in more stray cats and had been asking around to find anyone either willing to take on the newest arrivals to her property, or help finding someone to catch them and take them home.
I started to wonder if this woman had produced offspring, and if she had, has she instilled in them this same attitude of confrontation? We really do need higher learning institutions that teach peace and arbitration and not conflict and war.
My dog would never think of being aggressive unless it was in defense of a cat. I prefer negotiation and arbitration to fighting although I will admit to having been in a fair share of fights of one kind or another when there seemed to be no alternative.
The neighborhood where I grew up certainly has changed. There are far more important issues that require my attention now, but should she ever turn her dog loose on any of our cats, then I will feel I have duly warned her of the possible consequences and will not hesitate to stand up to any claims against the cats. The dog would be trespassing after all.
Labels: cats, dogs, elderly nuts, mental abberation, trespassing
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Economics 101
In the left column you will find a counter that is doing an estimated cost of the war on Iraq. This is based on an algorithm that is creating an estimate in real time. Here are some facts about what this illegal, immoral war is costing.
Federal spending on the war and reconstruction
2001 & 2002: $2.5 billion
2003 $ 51 billion
2004 $ 77.3 billion
2005 $ 87.3 billion
2006 $100.4 billion
total of $318.5 billion
US funding of the Iraq National Congress
$ 38.6 billion
State departments "Future of Iraq Project" (which the white house pretty much ignored.)
$5 million
The survey group that failed to find weapons of mass destruction
$900 million
Cost of the Iraq study group
$1 million
Amount the Pentagon has requested to construct military bases in Iraq
$806 million
Amount Congress has budgeted for a "commemoration of success" for American Troops
$20 million (what would they budget if there was any chance of success???)
reconstruction to date has cost the US $34.1 billion. Rebuilding post war Germany cost $30.3 billion in 2006 dollars.
As macabre as this sounds, economists have estimated each life lost in the war to be worth $6 million the reality is
for each US Army private killed in action the US government compensates the family with $500,000 plus $40,000 annually.
for each American defense contractor killed on the job $102,000 annually
for each Iraqi family member killed by American missile up to $2500 per person.
The cost in life:
Remember now that there is potential for the US to be paying 2500 bucks per Iraqi civilian
70,100 to 601,000 Iraqi civilians are estimated dead as of January 2007.
US soldiers dead 3,021
Iraqi soldiers and police 5965
defense contractors 665
journalists 146
British soldiers 129
Other coalition soldiers 123
It is time to stop this war and close the coffers.
While we seem perfectly content to spend billions on an illegal and immoral war, we as a nation, seem unwilling to save an estimated $3.1 billion annually. How is that? Based upon the Congressional budget office, Williams Institute, $3.1 billion could be saved by legalizing gay marriage.
This is based upon the following stats
Same-sex couples marry and move into higher tax bracket, boosting federal taxes by $400 to $700 million
New gay households move up in income and are cut from programs such as medicaid resulting in savings of $50 to $200 million,.
Uninsured gays and lesbians whose health care is now paid for by the government join their spouses insurance plans .. If only 1/3 do this federal costs drop by $190 million
If half the same sex couples now living together get married (this is the rate seen in Vermont and Massachusetts) and spend a quarter of what straight couples do, it results in a wedding industry boon of $2 billion
Back to Iraq, corruption costs Iraq $4 billion annually. $8.8 billion the US gave to the Iraq government cannot be accounted for. More than 20% of the governments ministry are ghost employees.. that is they don't exist but they collect paychecks.
The true cost of this illegal and immoral war will not be known until it is halted and there is time to tally up the stats. I have not even mentioned the costs expected to treat the wounded .. just brain injuries which more than 4600 soldiers have suffered will be an estimated $19 billion to care for and treat them. Evacuating a single wounded soldier to the US can cost more than $1 million.
The amputation rate is twice that of any other war. More than 1300 soldiers have lost a limb. The rehabilitation costs could easily be over $200 million.
1 in 5 Iraqi vets suffer some form of post traumatic stress syndrome. A prosthetic limb can easily cost $100,000
The suicide rate of our soldiers in 2005 was double what it was in 2004, I have been unable to find how dramatic the rise has been since then.
44% of Gulf war vets have filed for disability benefits, a similar percentage is expected of the 1.4 million current soldiers. Long term medical care and benefits could cost $127 billion.
On the home front, the Pentagon has ordered the National Guard to transfer $1.76 billion worth of equipment to the Army. Transferring gear overseas has left domestic Guard units with 1/3 of their essential combat equipment. 7040 National Guardsmen were deployed to Vietnam, 126 died. More than 100,000 have served in Iraq so far, 392 have died. Deploying reservists in Iraq costs the US $4 billion in lost productivity annually.
Expecting Bush to ever do the right thing? Think again. Here is part of his stated stands on laws in force in this country.
Sabanes-Oxley act of 2002
The law said: Corporate whistle blowers giving information to government agencies or Congress will be protected from retaliation.
Bush said: Only whistle blowers who squeal directly to the congressman or a committee that is investigating the relevant issue will be protected. (Senator Grassley R-Iowa says this means the statue only applies to people who are lucky enough to find the one member of congress out of 535 who happens to be the chairman of the appropriate committee and who also happens to already be conducting an investigation even though the problem has not yet come to light.)
Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act 2006
The law said: Future FEMA administrators must have some background in disaster management and not less than 5 years of executive leadership and management experience.
Bush said: The statute rules out a large portion of those persons best qualified .. to fill the office and will be ignored.
US Patriot Improvement and Re authorization act 2005
The law said: The Justice Department's inspector general must investigate "any improper or illegal use" of expanded powers provided by the act, including the FBI's use of National Security Letters that force businesses to turn over sensitive customer information,
Bush said: He'll withhold any information whose release he deems harmful to "foreign relations, national security, the deliberative process of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties" In other words, any information that might be worth knowing.
Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006
The law said: Detainees in US custody will not be subjected to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment"
Bush said: The administration will use whatever interrogation tactics it sees fit.
Department of Defense Appropriation Act of 2002
The law said: Congress will be briefed before launching a "special access" (read "black") program along the lines of the National Security Agency's surveillance efforts
Bush said: Special-access programs are non of Congress' business; he'll inform lawmakers when he chooses, "as a matter of comity."
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act 2004
the law said: First-class mail will be protected from warrant less searches.
Bush said: We don't need no stinking warrant to open your mail.
Hitler.. er... Bush is a clear and present danger to freedom and the American way. He continues to violate the laws of the land and pursue an unwinable war. Only with the impeachment and public trial for his war crimes can the United States hope to regain face with the rest of the world, and reclaim the freedoms that are the basis for our countries way of life.
Federal spending on the war and reconstruction
2001 & 2002: $2.5 billion
2003 $ 51 billion
2004 $ 77.3 billion
2005 $ 87.3 billion
2006 $100.4 billion
total of $318.5 billion
US funding of the Iraq National Congress
$ 38.6 billion
State departments "Future of Iraq Project" (which the white house pretty much ignored.)
$5 million
The survey group that failed to find weapons of mass destruction
$900 million
Cost of the Iraq study group
$1 million
Amount the Pentagon has requested to construct military bases in Iraq
$806 million
Amount Congress has budgeted for a "commemoration of success" for American Troops
$20 million (what would they budget if there was any chance of success???)
reconstruction to date has cost the US $34.1 billion. Rebuilding post war Germany cost $30.3 billion in 2006 dollars.
As macabre as this sounds, economists have estimated each life lost in the war to be worth $6 million the reality is
for each US Army private killed in action the US government compensates the family with $500,000 plus $40,000 annually.
for each American defense contractor killed on the job $102,000 annually
for each Iraqi family member killed by American missile up to $2500 per person.
The cost in life:
Remember now that there is potential for the US to be paying 2500 bucks per Iraqi civilian
70,100 to 601,000 Iraqi civilians are estimated dead as of January 2007.
US soldiers dead 3,021
Iraqi soldiers and police 5965
defense contractors 665
journalists 146
British soldiers 129
Other coalition soldiers 123
It is time to stop this war and close the coffers.
While we seem perfectly content to spend billions on an illegal and immoral war, we as a nation, seem unwilling to save an estimated $3.1 billion annually. How is that? Based upon the Congressional budget office, Williams Institute, $3.1 billion could be saved by legalizing gay marriage.
This is based upon the following stats
Same-sex couples marry and move into higher tax bracket, boosting federal taxes by $400 to $700 million
New gay households move up in income and are cut from programs such as medicaid resulting in savings of $50 to $200 million,.
Uninsured gays and lesbians whose health care is now paid for by the government join their spouses insurance plans .. If only 1/3 do this federal costs drop by $190 million
If half the same sex couples now living together get married (this is the rate seen in Vermont and Massachusetts) and spend a quarter of what straight couples do, it results in a wedding industry boon of $2 billion
Back to Iraq, corruption costs Iraq $4 billion annually. $8.8 billion the US gave to the Iraq government cannot be accounted for. More than 20% of the governments ministry are ghost employees.. that is they don't exist but they collect paychecks.
The true cost of this illegal and immoral war will not be known until it is halted and there is time to tally up the stats. I have not even mentioned the costs expected to treat the wounded .. just brain injuries which more than 4600 soldiers have suffered will be an estimated $19 billion to care for and treat them. Evacuating a single wounded soldier to the US can cost more than $1 million.
The amputation rate is twice that of any other war. More than 1300 soldiers have lost a limb. The rehabilitation costs could easily be over $200 million.
1 in 5 Iraqi vets suffer some form of post traumatic stress syndrome. A prosthetic limb can easily cost $100,000
The suicide rate of our soldiers in 2005 was double what it was in 2004, I have been unable to find how dramatic the rise has been since then.
44% of Gulf war vets have filed for disability benefits, a similar percentage is expected of the 1.4 million current soldiers. Long term medical care and benefits could cost $127 billion.
On the home front, the Pentagon has ordered the National Guard to transfer $1.76 billion worth of equipment to the Army. Transferring gear overseas has left domestic Guard units with 1/3 of their essential combat equipment. 7040 National Guardsmen were deployed to Vietnam, 126 died. More than 100,000 have served in Iraq so far, 392 have died. Deploying reservists in Iraq costs the US $4 billion in lost productivity annually.
Expecting Bush to ever do the right thing? Think again. Here is part of his stated stands on laws in force in this country.
Sabanes-Oxley act of 2002
The law said: Corporate whistle blowers giving information to government agencies or Congress will be protected from retaliation.
Bush said: Only whistle blowers who squeal directly to the congressman or a committee that is investigating the relevant issue will be protected. (Senator Grassley R-Iowa says this means the statue only applies to people who are lucky enough to find the one member of congress out of 535 who happens to be the chairman of the appropriate committee and who also happens to already be conducting an investigation even though the problem has not yet come to light.)
Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act 2006
The law said: Future FEMA administrators must have some background in disaster management and not less than 5 years of executive leadership and management experience.
Bush said: The statute rules out a large portion of those persons best qualified .. to fill the office and will be ignored.
US Patriot Improvement and Re authorization act 2005
The law said: The Justice Department's inspector general must investigate "any improper or illegal use" of expanded powers provided by the act, including the FBI's use of National Security Letters that force businesses to turn over sensitive customer information,
Bush said: He'll withhold any information whose release he deems harmful to "foreign relations, national security, the deliberative process of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties" In other words, any information that might be worth knowing.
Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006
The law said: Detainees in US custody will not be subjected to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment"
Bush said: The administration will use whatever interrogation tactics it sees fit.
Department of Defense Appropriation Act of 2002
The law said: Congress will be briefed before launching a "special access" (read "black") program along the lines of the National Security Agency's surveillance efforts
Bush said: Special-access programs are non of Congress' business; he'll inform lawmakers when he chooses, "as a matter of comity."
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act 2004
the law said: First-class mail will be protected from warrant less searches.
Bush said: We don't need no stinking warrant to open your mail.
Hitler.. er... Bush is a clear and present danger to freedom and the American way. He continues to violate the laws of the land and pursue an unwinable war. Only with the impeachment and public trial for his war crimes can the United States hope to regain face with the rest of the world, and reclaim the freedoms that are the basis for our countries way of life.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Almost the final episode with WaMu
After having an attorney come out to the house and draw up durable power of attorney that included specifically a clause allowing me access to any safe deposit boxes held privately or by the trust, I returned to the offending branch to close out the boxes.
From past experience, I determined it might be best to go to the branch manager first to avoid any unnecessary delays. Seeing the branch manager was indeed in, I went up to him, verified he was indeed the branch manager, a Mr Breslau, and explained I was there to conduct some business on behalf of my parents and took a seat. I was informed he could not help me since he was on his way out to a customer... making me wonder what he thought I was.. which apparently was not an important enough customer to even find out why I would bother to come to and ask specifically for, the branch manager.
Thus I was dismissed and sent to "sign in" and wait for someone to help me. Mind you, there was no one else at any of the desks needing attention, and yet I still was left to wait for attention.
A young man who I recognized as having been present during much of the altercation between myself, my Mother and Flora finally came to help me. I produced the power of attorneys for both my parents, explained that I believed it to be ineptness and in efficiency rather than theft or fraud, that had caused my Mother to be denied access to their safety deposit box, I was there to empty and close that box, surrender the keys and close their Money Market account.
A counter check was produced almost immediately, but access to the box seemed to be in question. I cited page 3, item h which was quite specific, but that did not seem to help much in expediting the matter. Mark, the young man waiting on me, had to go to Katherine (or Kathleen, I know her by sight having had difficulty with her before, but have managed to dismiss her name the way she usually dismisses me)
Due to this conference, which took place within 8 feet of where I was sitting, Mark was instructed to delay me because "they had not been advised of the power of attorney" I pointed out I was informing them now of the power of attorney, and that it would have been impossible to advise them prior to that day since I had just come from the meeting with the attorney and the signing of the documents that gave me power of attorney.
I was then treated to sitting there for over half an hour while Mark looking more uncomfortable by the minute, spent that time on the phone with their legal department asking if I had the right to close the box out. It seems they could not stop me from getting into the box as it was clearly stated in the document, so they were grasping at straws to keep me waiting.
I put up with this delay, and finally, when they had nothing left to question, I was admitted to the vault where we together searched for the missing box...which it turned out was another of the duplicate numbered boxes in the back room... and I mentioned knowing he was present during the problem with myself and my Mother and Flora. His only comment was that he had to work with her everyday but I got the impression he was sympathetic and understood why I might be somewhat impatient with the delays I was experiencing.
I emptied the box, we replaced it, I surrendered the keys and signed off on the box. That only leaves on more trip necessary to close the last remaining account once we are sure all the direct deposits are going to the new account and all the checks have cleared the old account.
In summary, if you are just a regular person, and do not dress in $100 + suits, you cannot expect the slightest courtesy from employees or management at Washington Mutual banks. I have been urging my friends to move their accounts to another bank and to let WaMu corporate know exactly why they are closing their accounts. Just about every other bank I went into to ask for information, treated me with far more courtesy than I have ever gotten from WaMu, there were no head to toe evaluations or dismissals based on what I was wearing or how I looked.
You can be a part of this very grass roots protest by telling Washington Mutual Corporate that you will be moving your bank accounts to another bank and why, or why you would never open an account with WaMu if this is an example of how they treat their customers.
From past experience, I determined it might be best to go to the branch manager first to avoid any unnecessary delays. Seeing the branch manager was indeed in, I went up to him, verified he was indeed the branch manager, a Mr Breslau, and explained I was there to conduct some business on behalf of my parents and took a seat. I was informed he could not help me since he was on his way out to a customer... making me wonder what he thought I was.. which apparently was not an important enough customer to even find out why I would bother to come to and ask specifically for, the branch manager.
Thus I was dismissed and sent to "sign in" and wait for someone to help me. Mind you, there was no one else at any of the desks needing attention, and yet I still was left to wait for attention.
A young man who I recognized as having been present during much of the altercation between myself, my Mother and Flora finally came to help me. I produced the power of attorneys for both my parents, explained that I believed it to be ineptness and in efficiency rather than theft or fraud, that had caused my Mother to be denied access to their safety deposit box, I was there to empty and close that box, surrender the keys and close their Money Market account.
A counter check was produced almost immediately, but access to the box seemed to be in question. I cited page 3, item h which was quite specific, but that did not seem to help much in expediting the matter. Mark, the young man waiting on me, had to go to Katherine (or Kathleen, I know her by sight having had difficulty with her before, but have managed to dismiss her name the way she usually dismisses me)
Due to this conference, which took place within 8 feet of where I was sitting, Mark was instructed to delay me because "they had not been advised of the power of attorney" I pointed out I was informing them now of the power of attorney, and that it would have been impossible to advise them prior to that day since I had just come from the meeting with the attorney and the signing of the documents that gave me power of attorney.
I was then treated to sitting there for over half an hour while Mark looking more uncomfortable by the minute, spent that time on the phone with their legal department asking if I had the right to close the box out. It seems they could not stop me from getting into the box as it was clearly stated in the document, so they were grasping at straws to keep me waiting.
I put up with this delay, and finally, when they had nothing left to question, I was admitted to the vault where we together searched for the missing box...which it turned out was another of the duplicate numbered boxes in the back room... and I mentioned knowing he was present during the problem with myself and my Mother and Flora. His only comment was that he had to work with her everyday but I got the impression he was sympathetic and understood why I might be somewhat impatient with the delays I was experiencing.
I emptied the box, we replaced it, I surrendered the keys and signed off on the box. That only leaves on more trip necessary to close the last remaining account once we are sure all the direct deposits are going to the new account and all the checks have cleared the old account.
In summary, if you are just a regular person, and do not dress in $100 + suits, you cannot expect the slightest courtesy from employees or management at Washington Mutual banks. I have been urging my friends to move their accounts to another bank and to let WaMu corporate know exactly why they are closing their accounts. Just about every other bank I went into to ask for information, treated me with far more courtesy than I have ever gotten from WaMu, there were no head to toe evaluations or dismissals based on what I was wearing or how I looked.
You can be a part of this very grass roots protest by telling Washington Mutual Corporate that you will be moving your bank accounts to another bank and why, or why you would never open an account with WaMu if this is an example of how they treat their customers.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
If you bank with WAMU you need to read this.
The following occurred at Washington Mutual, Corbin/Nordoff branch.
Following Father being admitted to the ICU at Valley Presbyterian Hospital on Friday January 26, 2007, we (the family) were advised that it did not look good and that it was very likely he would not survive due to renal failure and his blood pressure bottoming out. With this in mind, my Mother believed she needed to get a handle on where things were, what was in the safety deposit box etc. Knowing that she would be unable to handle getting in the vault and getting the box out on her own, we decided we should see about putting me as a signer on the safe deposit box. I had other bank business to transact for Mother so while I was there on Jan 28, 2007, I asked if this would be difficult to have me put on as a signer for the box explaining that Dad was in ICU and not expected to make it. The teller asked me to wait as she wanted to make sure that the secondary on a box could have me put on as a signer or if it would need to be the primary (which I was pretty sure was Dad). I was told that Mother would be able to do this.
On Jan 31, 2007 I took Mother to the bank. There was a long line, which we started to wait in, then Mother, not having been to the bank in over a year suggested I take her down by the desk for the safe deposit boxes so I did this. After waiting for some time, she had me approach a desk across the room to see if we were in the right place. I was told no, that we would have to wait in the line, which was now even longer. We got back in line and waited. There were two tellers waiting on customers, and when our turn finally came, Mother made a small deposit that she also had brought to take care of and explained she wanted to put me on the safe deposit box. The teller looked it up and determined there were in fact two safe deposit boxes which explained why I had two keys in my possession for this errand.
The teller informed us that the adding me to the box had to take place at one of the desks across the room, and told us to go see Kathleen. I knew who Kathleen was having had previous dealings with her, where I had noticed her being very short with me, just shy of rudeness. I wheeled Mother towards her desk. When we were within three feet of her desk, she abruptly rose and headed for the exit door. I asked her if she was leaving as we had just been told to come to her.. she said yes she was going to lunch and someone else would have to help us and walked out the exit with out any further conversation.
I then wheeled Mother over to the desks that were occupied, and a small woman who I believe had a name tag that said her name was Flora asked what we wanted. Mother said she wanted to add me to the signers for the safe deposit boxes that they had at the bank. The woman said she did not know how to do that, and there was no one who could help us except Kathleen who had just walked out the door. Mother asked to see a manager and was told no one from management was there right now. Mother was beginning to become irritated and having worked in a bank herself suggested there must be someone who could help us now. The woman said she would see if she could find someone to help us. She disappeared for a rather long time, returning with two clear plastic sleeves waving them about explaining to Mother that I could not be added to the box as it was in the trust. I started to ask if both boxes were in the trust whereupon this woman said “you don’t talk. You have no right to say anything here. It was apparent English was not her first language, and her tone and demeanor led me to believe she had just told me to shut up in an extremely rude manor. I said “ Excuse me?” Mother had been unable to read the paperwork in the sleeve and asked to see it and since this woman was not holding it still she took it and held it where she could read it. Flora then told me I had no right to say anything again, and snatched the paperwork out of Mothers hand turning to her and saying “and you don’t be taking anything out of my hand” I said to her, “ and you don’t need to be grabbing anything out of my Mother’s hand either.”
Mother was becoming more upset and said “how about if I just empty out both the boxes then.” Flora said she was welcome to close the boxes, I said I did not think she should close the boxes and again was told I could not speak, and said to me “ I am not talking to you I am talking only to her” and shoved her stubby little finger in my Mothers face. I admit I was having trouble maintaining my temper at this point, and again spoke despite the warnings I had no right to say anything. I told Mother not to close the boxes, if she wanted to empty them fine, I had a fire proof safe at home that would do for temporary storage, but did not want her to close the boxes in case Dad got well and wanted to put things back into them.
Flora stated I would not be permitted to help my Mother in the vault, so I said then she would have to push her in and help her as she was not able to do this on her own. She said she could not push Mother would have to do it on her own. I said in effect you are denying my Mother access to her safe deposit boxes as you will not let me help her and you won’t help her. This line of dialog repeated at least twice before looks were exchanged between this rude woman and a male who was seated not far away. At which point they decided I could help Mother and her wheelchair in the vault as long as it was alright with Mother.
The teller had written down two box numbers for us, and I wheeled Mother back to the gate by the safe deposit box vault to wait.. which we did for another 5 minutes or
more and then Flora came and filled out a list and had Mother produce ID and sign on two lines of the log.
During this transaction, Mother asked Flora if she always told her customers to shut up. Flora responded with “don’t tell lies, who said this” Mother and I both said, “you did” and she again said “no, you lie, don’t tell lies” calling both of us liars. I said never mind Mom, lets just do what you want to do here, I am not going to argue this.
On entering the vault I saw one of the two numbers the teller had written down on an open door that was obviously empty. I pointed out that was one of the numbers and it was apparent the box was missing. Flora looked for the other box for about 15 minutes before finding one with the correct number, but when she climbed the ladder and tried the key marked 401, it did not work. She then said there had to be another box with that number, which seemed very wrong to me, but she kept looking and eventually found a box with the same number on the bottom back end of the vault. The key worked in that one and we took the box to the tiny cubicle, Flora came back to the cubical and stated “ You only have one box, the other was closed out a long time ago.” She also indicated that the second key must also be to the same box. I had already compared the keys and knew them to be for different locks but did not bother to try to discuss this with her as I could not expect civility let alone any help from her.
I held out my hand for the box keys, and Flora kept pulling them away as if she was not going to relinquish them to me even though I was the one who had handed them to her. Finally I just took them out of her hand. At the cubicle Mother’s wheelchair was a tight squeeze and the door could not be shut. I squeezed in to help her. At this point I asked if she wanted to just inventory the box and put it back, she said no she wanted to empty it out. We took the contents of the one box and put them in Mother’s purse. I was handed the box and Mother told me to just put in on the counter, which I did. I stood there looking for someone to let us out. Two people who had no customers at desks saw me and made no move to come over. Mother asked me to get her out of the cubical, which I did. More time passed and she said turn her around. She also looked for assistance and none was forthcoming even though it was apparent we were waiting for it. Mother then said, “ Just wheel me out of here.” I told her I could not, that they had to buzz us through the gate. When no one came Mother said loudly, “I’m about to start hollering” and getting no response, picked up the metal safe deposit box and started pounding it on the counter. This did cause someone who had already seen us to finally come. Mother did not want to go back into the vault so I accompanied this male and we replaced the now empty box. I said to him I was not impressed with being told to shut up or with being called a liar, and told him what Flora had said to us.
After being buzzed out, Mother had me wheel her up to the only person who had made any attempt to help us as his name plate said he was a vice president. Since Mother was an assistant vice president when she worked in a bank she knew this might mean he was not the manger she wanted but she asked him if there was anyone in management since he had identified himself as a stocks and bond investment person. He pointed out the male who had just been with me in the vault who had heard Flora tell us there was no one from management, and certainly had not identified himself as management when we had a complaint.
On Feb 1,2007 Dad seemed to be rallying and was well enough for me to ask him how many safe deposit boxes he had. He replied two. I said you’re sure, you did not close one out a long time ago, he said he was sure. I asked him if either of the boxes might be empty and he said no, there were things in both boxes. I said I had hoped to wait until he was feeling better but was worried about the box being open so I related to him the events of Jan 31. We then discussed where the boxes were. He said the small one was on the very bottom, and the larger one was way up high. This description did not jive with the open door, and since it was also a small box I was somewhat relieved as this meant it was more than likely inefficiency and not fraud or theft. I reassured him that the box number they had written down that apparently was wrong with the open door and no box inside did not match the description he had just given me. It did match the box that Flora could not get into that was up very high.
Dad then told me that in the morning I was to contact his attorney and tell him the whole story, document the events and to have Mother document the events. Further instructions were to determine if there was a way I could act for them in this matter, and what action needed to be taken. I was then to advise council if Dad was needed to act, that he would need at least a week to gain his strength. He then stated we would need to change banks which is also what Mother had said she wanted to do as soon as we could work out the logistics.
I fear Flora's accent sounded German to me, which made me tend to think of Flora as a neo-nazi bitch. I can find no redeeming character traits, and no excuse for her rude and vulgar treatment and do not believe she should be working in any place she must deal with people as she seems to have no people skills. While this is not over for us, I cannot help but recommend if you have accounts with Washington Mutual, you should consider changing banks. It is most likely that the corporation is just so cheap they fail to adequately screen or train their employees. Passing the buck appears to be the only department they excel in.
Following Father being admitted to the ICU at Valley Presbyterian Hospital on Friday January 26, 2007, we (the family) were advised that it did not look good and that it was very likely he would not survive due to renal failure and his blood pressure bottoming out. With this in mind, my Mother believed she needed to get a handle on where things were, what was in the safety deposit box etc. Knowing that she would be unable to handle getting in the vault and getting the box out on her own, we decided we should see about putting me as a signer on the safe deposit box. I had other bank business to transact for Mother so while I was there on Jan 28, 2007, I asked if this would be difficult to have me put on as a signer for the box explaining that Dad was in ICU and not expected to make it. The teller asked me to wait as she wanted to make sure that the secondary on a box could have me put on as a signer or if it would need to be the primary (which I was pretty sure was Dad). I was told that Mother would be able to do this.
On Jan 31, 2007 I took Mother to the bank. There was a long line, which we started to wait in, then Mother, not having been to the bank in over a year suggested I take her down by the desk for the safe deposit boxes so I did this. After waiting for some time, she had me approach a desk across the room to see if we were in the right place. I was told no, that we would have to wait in the line, which was now even longer. We got back in line and waited. There were two tellers waiting on customers, and when our turn finally came, Mother made a small deposit that she also had brought to take care of and explained she wanted to put me on the safe deposit box. The teller looked it up and determined there were in fact two safe deposit boxes which explained why I had two keys in my possession for this errand.
The teller informed us that the adding me to the box had to take place at one of the desks across the room, and told us to go see Kathleen. I knew who Kathleen was having had previous dealings with her, where I had noticed her being very short with me, just shy of rudeness. I wheeled Mother towards her desk. When we were within three feet of her desk, she abruptly rose and headed for the exit door. I asked her if she was leaving as we had just been told to come to her.. she said yes she was going to lunch and someone else would have to help us and walked out the exit with out any further conversation.
I then wheeled Mother over to the desks that were occupied, and a small woman who I believe had a name tag that said her name was Flora asked what we wanted. Mother said she wanted to add me to the signers for the safe deposit boxes that they had at the bank. The woman said she did not know how to do that, and there was no one who could help us except Kathleen who had just walked out the door. Mother asked to see a manager and was told no one from management was there right now. Mother was beginning to become irritated and having worked in a bank herself suggested there must be someone who could help us now. The woman said she would see if she could find someone to help us. She disappeared for a rather long time, returning with two clear plastic sleeves waving them about explaining to Mother that I could not be added to the box as it was in the trust. I started to ask if both boxes were in the trust whereupon this woman said “you don’t talk. You have no right to say anything here. It was apparent English was not her first language, and her tone and demeanor led me to believe she had just told me to shut up in an extremely rude manor. I said “ Excuse me?” Mother had been unable to read the paperwork in the sleeve and asked to see it and since this woman was not holding it still she took it and held it where she could read it. Flora then told me I had no right to say anything again, and snatched the paperwork out of Mothers hand turning to her and saying “and you don’t be taking anything out of my hand” I said to her, “ and you don’t need to be grabbing anything out of my Mother’s hand either.”
Mother was becoming more upset and said “how about if I just empty out both the boxes then.” Flora said she was welcome to close the boxes, I said I did not think she should close the boxes and again was told I could not speak, and said to me “ I am not talking to you I am talking only to her” and shoved her stubby little finger in my Mothers face. I admit I was having trouble maintaining my temper at this point, and again spoke despite the warnings I had no right to say anything. I told Mother not to close the boxes, if she wanted to empty them fine, I had a fire proof safe at home that would do for temporary storage, but did not want her to close the boxes in case Dad got well and wanted to put things back into them.
Flora stated I would not be permitted to help my Mother in the vault, so I said then she would have to push her in and help her as she was not able to do this on her own. She said she could not push Mother would have to do it on her own. I said in effect you are denying my Mother access to her safe deposit boxes as you will not let me help her and you won’t help her. This line of dialog repeated at least twice before looks were exchanged between this rude woman and a male who was seated not far away. At which point they decided I could help Mother and her wheelchair in the vault as long as it was alright with Mother.
The teller had written down two box numbers for us, and I wheeled Mother back to the gate by the safe deposit box vault to wait.. which we did for another 5 minutes or
more and then Flora came and filled out a list and had Mother produce ID and sign on two lines of the log.
During this transaction, Mother asked Flora if she always told her customers to shut up. Flora responded with “don’t tell lies, who said this” Mother and I both said, “you did” and she again said “no, you lie, don’t tell lies” calling both of us liars. I said never mind Mom, lets just do what you want to do here, I am not going to argue this.
On entering the vault I saw one of the two numbers the teller had written down on an open door that was obviously empty. I pointed out that was one of the numbers and it was apparent the box was missing. Flora looked for the other box for about 15 minutes before finding one with the correct number, but when she climbed the ladder and tried the key marked 401, it did not work. She then said there had to be another box with that number, which seemed very wrong to me, but she kept looking and eventually found a box with the same number on the bottom back end of the vault. The key worked in that one and we took the box to the tiny cubicle, Flora came back to the cubical and stated “ You only have one box, the other was closed out a long time ago.” She also indicated that the second key must also be to the same box. I had already compared the keys and knew them to be for different locks but did not bother to try to discuss this with her as I could not expect civility let alone any help from her.
I held out my hand for the box keys, and Flora kept pulling them away as if she was not going to relinquish them to me even though I was the one who had handed them to her. Finally I just took them out of her hand. At the cubicle Mother’s wheelchair was a tight squeeze and the door could not be shut. I squeezed in to help her. At this point I asked if she wanted to just inventory the box and put it back, she said no she wanted to empty it out. We took the contents of the one box and put them in Mother’s purse. I was handed the box and Mother told me to just put in on the counter, which I did. I stood there looking for someone to let us out. Two people who had no customers at desks saw me and made no move to come over. Mother asked me to get her out of the cubical, which I did. More time passed and she said turn her around. She also looked for assistance and none was forthcoming even though it was apparent we were waiting for it. Mother then said, “ Just wheel me out of here.” I told her I could not, that they had to buzz us through the gate. When no one came Mother said loudly, “I’m about to start hollering” and getting no response, picked up the metal safe deposit box and started pounding it on the counter. This did cause someone who had already seen us to finally come. Mother did not want to go back into the vault so I accompanied this male and we replaced the now empty box. I said to him I was not impressed with being told to shut up or with being called a liar, and told him what Flora had said to us.
After being buzzed out, Mother had me wheel her up to the only person who had made any attempt to help us as his name plate said he was a vice president. Since Mother was an assistant vice president when she worked in a bank she knew this might mean he was not the manger she wanted but she asked him if there was anyone in management since he had identified himself as a stocks and bond investment person. He pointed out the male who had just been with me in the vault who had heard Flora tell us there was no one from management, and certainly had not identified himself as management when we had a complaint.
On Feb 1,2007 Dad seemed to be rallying and was well enough for me to ask him how many safe deposit boxes he had. He replied two. I said you’re sure, you did not close one out a long time ago, he said he was sure. I asked him if either of the boxes might be empty and he said no, there were things in both boxes. I said I had hoped to wait until he was feeling better but was worried about the box being open so I related to him the events of Jan 31. We then discussed where the boxes were. He said the small one was on the very bottom, and the larger one was way up high. This description did not jive with the open door, and since it was also a small box I was somewhat relieved as this meant it was more than likely inefficiency and not fraud or theft. I reassured him that the box number they had written down that apparently was wrong with the open door and no box inside did not match the description he had just given me. It did match the box that Flora could not get into that was up very high.
Dad then told me that in the morning I was to contact his attorney and tell him the whole story, document the events and to have Mother document the events. Further instructions were to determine if there was a way I could act for them in this matter, and what action needed to be taken. I was then to advise council if Dad was needed to act, that he would need at least a week to gain his strength. He then stated we would need to change banks which is also what Mother had said she wanted to do as soon as we could work out the logistics.
I fear Flora's accent sounded German to me, which made me tend to think of Flora as a neo-nazi bitch. I can find no redeeming character traits, and no excuse for her rude and vulgar treatment and do not believe she should be working in any place she must deal with people as she seems to have no people skills. While this is not over for us, I cannot help but recommend if you have accounts with Washington Mutual, you should consider changing banks. It is most likely that the corporation is just so cheap they fail to adequately screen or train their employees. Passing the buck appears to be the only department they excel in.
