Debt ceiling and your money: Now it’s getting personal

07/28/11. http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/28/pf/debt_ceiling_impact/

CNN MONEY published this article to inform readers about how the decisions in the White House regarding the debt ceiling may affect tax payers in the more personal level. I knew that I needed to keep my credit score high to receive low interest rates on my credit card, auto loan, and future financial loan, but I would never think that our government could have an affect on my lending potential. This is a new way to think about things, but is it all hype? I can’t tell from reading this article alone but it sounds very factual. But, I must consider the source; maybe Jessica Dickler is an anti-Obama Republican.

Whether or not the writer of this article is of a different political party from our current President, it is something to think about. In fact I just learned something new. College loan rates are doubling next year, regardless of the decision made surrounding the debt ceiling. This is pretty devastating and it also mentions that private school loans are expected to increase at an even more varying rate. This is pretty important since I will be choosing between private college transfer (U.S.C.) or state school transfer (U.C.L.A.) this coming semester. Also, this is discouraging to the mortgage industry. By our government deciding to finally deal with their bad financial situation, it could cost our upcoming generation and punish us unfairly. Nobody wants to be poor, but when is enough enough and when is it the right time or the right choice to make these decisions?

I thought I agreed with this limit on the debt ceiling, but when I think about it in the way presented in this article it sounds unfair. The younger generation has to make all the sacrifices for the problems and the greed of our predecessors. This is like being in someones will, but instead of inheriting their fortunes you receive a bill for all their unpaid debts. There must be a better way to deal with this and account people responsible for making bad decisions. I didn’t ask for this to happen before I was old enough to vote so I know it’s time for me to do what I can to help change it. I like the idea of stopping our continued rate of debt, it’s setting a bad example, but I really wish our government could do a more thorough budget and figure out where our money really is going. Then maybe they would realize that education should not be one of the first things cut.

Red Light Cameras: Are Ticket Fines Voluntary?

July 28, 2011. http://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-cameras-ticket-fines-voluntary/story?id=14176755

This article is published by ABC NEWS and talks about the growing conflict for Los Angeles to remove traffic cameras for red lights. I have seen many news stories about this the past few years. Mostly, it was because of the problem people experienced for turning right at an intersection that utilizes the red light cameras and were given unlawful tickets. I also see many cars on the streets that have a deflector over their license plate to avoid picture taking evidence for citation. The article says that people have gone as far as to put boxes over their heads or even wear a mask, that’s pretty funny.

So, the reason for these cameras being put up in the first place is becoming controversial. Some say it was to generate revenue for the city and others say the main reason is for safety. It has been found that it’s costing more money to try and collect the money for these fines and for the analysis of these photos than it is experiencing in profits. In fact, the city is losing a million dollars a year to upkeep the traffic camera system. That sounds like a pain in the @$$ for everyone involved.

If the measure is retracted, the camera lights will be taken down as early as Sunday. The tough decision is that if they agree with anti-camera lobbyists, they are also admitting that their priority in the effort was to make profit and not for safety of motorists. It’s not that this would be a shocking realization to any reasonably educated individual, so I would hope that they would remove them A.S.A.P. and let L.A. drivers take their own caution because it is our own lives we are trying to save. It also has the side benefit of having less rear-ending around here.

College Students Are Doing a Lot of Sexting

By Dino Grandoni | The Atlantic Wire – Wed, Jul 20, 2011.  http://news.yahoo.com/college-students-doing-lot-sexting-220717302.html

I find this article interesting because I am a college student over the age of 18 and also because I have heard of similar stories of this with high school students which would make more sense for an alarm to parents. What is strange is the article says that a survey (of only 204 college students) revealed that 67% of students have sent sexually explicit text messages and 78% report to have received ‘sexts.’ Obviously the number is higher for receiving them than for sending them because there is a the problem of guilt associated with this survey and many people would have claimed to have received them rather than send because they don’t want to be made guilty.

So, I guess I don’t understand the point of this news article. Is it to cause alarm to parents of adult children in college? Should parents start hacking into their adult children’s cell phones to ensure that no messages are of a sexual nature? Or by slight chance could it be to relieve college students from feeling guilty for doing it because they are not alone in it? Not likely, but that may be the unforeseen translation of this article to college students.

This article is about college students, but it is prompted by a new law passed in Rhode Island allowing police to charge sexting minors with child pornography as a minor “status” offense. Wow! This does not seem nearly fair. I thought that child pornography was a charge for adults who prey on minors for sexual acts, not minor on minor text flirting. This seems a bit out of control. Although the survey data posted along with this article doesn’t make much sense in relation to the new law, it is still alarming to hear about and should bring up an arousing interest before laws get confused. What next, will parents be arrested for having a sexually promiscuous son/daughter? There is only so much we can control and I think the energy would be better used to aim it towards child predators and not the pubescent, horny, experimental teen.

Man rushes at Rupert Murdoch in hearing

By JILL LAWLESS – Associated Press,PAISLEY DODDS – Associated Press | AP – Tue, Jul 19, 2011.  http://news.yahoo.com/man-rushes-rupert-murdoch-hearing-160244558.html

Well, this story just keeps growing and getting juicier and juicier. Who would have thought an isolated incidence would lead to findings of such a corrupt background. This article has the title about the man that “allegedly” threw a pie in Murdoch’s face during an investigation hearing, but only spent a brief moment on that matter because of the exterior issues revolving the case. The part of the article that reflects the title makes mention that the suspect of assault during a public meeting, comedian Johnnie Marbles, attempted to throw a tin pie holder filled with whipped cream in Murdoch’s face during the meeting. This is kind of funny because the man is worth so much money that you would expect him to have higher security. It’s also funny because how was this guy sitting all that time with a whipped cream filled pie container waiting for the right moment to aim fire. So much is wrong with this.

It’s no surprise to hear that the suspect, caught on tape, is a comedian. This would be a hilarious skit on a show like “Saturday Night Live” or on the Comedy Central Network. He wrote on his Twitter account, “It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before (at)splat,” a slightly altered quotation from the last sentence of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” It’s as though he felt that it was necessary to attempt this “pie” to face throwing which may show that this guy has lost his sense of reality vs. comedy show. Regardless of what caused it, I find it pretty funny that this happened. The main reason being the picture of a multi-billionaire being caught off guard by an unsuspecting pie launch at him at a time of much suspicion of the corruption of news.

This may be a “funny” situation that has occurred, but the overall case is becoming very FX “Damages”-like. (My favorite show). The Reported Press stated, “A former News of the World reporter, Sean Hoare, who helped blow the whistle on the scandal, was found dead Monday in his home. Police said the death was “unexplained” but is not being treated as suspicious. A post-mortem was being conducted Tuesday.” Also there is mention of a mysterious laptop with papers in a trash bag that were found dumped in an underground parking structure. They reportedly responded that the bag had just been left in the wrong place. Sounds very suspicious to me. I can’t wait to hear of the upcoming unfolding of this cover-up case.

Barron Hilton ordered to pay $4.9 million in drunk-driving case, attorney says

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/jury-awards-gas-station-cashier-49-million-in-baron-hilton-drunk-driving-civil-case.html    07/15/11

Wow! This is one very expensive D.U.I. case. This is an astronomical price to pay for a night of bad decisions, that is until you see the last name Hilton attached to it.The youngest brother of the famous Hilton family was convicted of striking down a gas station attendant while under the influence of alcohol. He was only 18 at the time which brings attention to another issue. If he was not of legal age to drink, can he be charged for actions that occurred due to his behavior while under the influence? Shouldn’t someone else be responsible for providing him with the alcohol since the law doesn’t find 18-year old adults responsible enough to drink alcohol. It all is so confusing.

Makes me wonder, what would happen in this case if the convicted were a middle-class worker? The damages would be the same but the settlement would not account for such a high price because it would never be paid. Also, isn’t this what full-coverage auto insurance is for? Shouldn’t the auto insurance company be fighting on his behalf? Hilton is finally turning 21 this year and is facing a large consequence of his very early adulthood.

This story makes for good news because people love to see people that are famous or with money to have negative situations in their lives. It’s almost like people expect karma to take away something for their abundance in life so they can feel better about their own lives. There are many comments under this article saying things such as, “He got what he deserved…spoiled Hilton…” Bottom line is he made a mistake. He did not chose his family or the negative actions of his sisters in the media. I believe he made a bad decision but deserves to have his own identity. It doesn’t seem that this sort of case would finish this way if he didn’t have the burden of the Hilton last name. Lastly, it was reported in another article that the gas station attendant walked away from the incident. Sounds like one lucky worker. Maybe the new luck statement of being struck by lightning should be replaced with getting struck by a Hilton.

Compensation determined for Metrolink crash victims

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0715-metrolink-damages-20110714,0,3053703.story       07/15/2011

A news article in the LA Times today reported the planned dispersal of the $200 million fund for the 122 claimants involved in the 2008 metrolink accident in Chatsworth. The article made mention that that requested compensation was closer to $350 million, but there is a law in place that caps liability for train operators at $200 million. The tough part is for the judge which must put a price on the lives of lost ones and assess the monetary equivalents for physical and emotional damage that was caused by the incident. “The list of woes, financial needs and emotional devastation is simply inexplicable,” wrote the judge after holding hearings for more than three months to collect individual accounts.

What is shocking about this news is that it has been 3 years since the accident and they are only now working on the details of the financial dispersal. That would mean that the families whose family provider was killed in this accident have been expected to survive all this time with no compensation. Also that the girl, Racheal Mofya, that received 3rd degree burns and had to have brain surgery, has been sitting all this time with lingering medical bills and unable to attend her college. She is being rewarded with the highest amount $9 million, but is this fair since she is still alive and the family of the dead are receiving less than half this amount? It’s a tough call.

The news surrounding this event is devastating and astonishing. It has been so long since this happened that I nearly forgot about it until my memory was triggered in the recap of the article. This makes good news because people don’t believe this type of thing happens so close to home and they are also curious what is happening about it so they will know what to expect if the situation happens to them. The situation at hand is a difficult one. I could see the challenge and the arguments that must have been made to come to the terms of this decision, but maybe it could be an eye-opener to set in place a compensation package that begins before a 3 year trial. This would be a news article I would like to see in the near future.

 

British tabloid to shutter in wake of phone hacking scandal

July 7, 2011 9:31 AM PDT

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20077563-245/british-tabloid-to-shutter-in-wake-of-phone-hacking-scandal/#ixzz1RY5QBN00

In an article published yesterday by CNET NEWS, “British tabloid News of the World is shutting down as a result of allegations that representatives of the newspaper hacked into phone accounts of news subjects, including celebrities, politicians, and a murder victim, and made payments to police.” This news is alarming because the newspaper has been around for 168 years. That’s a long time to build a reputation that is so easily ruined by such a big scandal.

So it leads me to wonder, how did this event have such an impact to cause closure to the publication? It is a huge demonstration of how necessary it is for a newspaper to have a reputation of being ethical, honest, and respectful. It would almost be impossible for this situation to arise from merely one employee hacking into cell phones that never told anyone. The insider information had to have been known to be leaked from an unethically obtained source such as a hacked cell phone. It appears that this may have been going on for a very long time and if the newspaper had any way to deny their knowledge of it, a closure would probably not be in their near future.

This article has a huge impact on society because it has not only led to the mistrust of a long-living newspaper publication, but it also leads to a mistrust with technology and identity fraud. If reporters are able to obtain personal information by hacking into cell phones, who else may have this potentially threatening talent? News like this has been reported with celebrities such as Sienna Miller, Paris Hilton, and Lindsey Lohan, so it is odd that it has been allowed to continue to such an extent without cell phone providers offering extra protection. But it can not necessarily be blamed on the cell-phone providers since they are not the one acting illegally and tampering into personal information but there must be something that changes. This could be the next big business. Just like companies that offer identity theft protection, someone should offer cell-phone hacking protection.