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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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SMALL STEPS TO FIGHT INFLATION

Small Steps To Fight Inflation

The question on every American’s mine today is how to maintain the value of my dollars? Unfortunately, I do not hear present leadership addressing the issue of inflation and its effects on small investors. Stick our head in the sand and wait to see what happens to the dollar or start planning to ease the pain of inflation? Take inflation seriously, these little steps can help you

Here are a few of things that you can buy now at the dollar level of as a small investor. First, the U.S. Forever Postage Stamps, second, State quarters and third, foreign currencies will beat inflation. All are sound short-term investments returning a significant profit to the small investor.

This May 2008, first class U.S. postage is scheduled to increase again as it has continually due to transportation-increased cost over the past years. The Forever Stamp is now on sale at US Post Offices and promises to keep the current first class postage stamp rate frozen. So if you are one who uses the US mails you will net a gain form investing in the forever stamps now. Estimate how much money you spend on postage and calculate what the savings will be if the price for stamps increases ten cents and you can see why investing now is important. This stamps maybe your blessing.

Also the individual state quarters go out of production this year, the mint will end production of them shortly, hence, they become rare coins and become a value to collectors for their uniqueness. But do not wait until these quarters dry up to start collecting them, get started now. Saving these quarters may prove a future wise investment ten years out, barring you have stored them in their pristine condition. Holding complete fifty state sets is a great value one the little guy can afford. Many companies are charging substantial sums to send a different coin per month of state quarters to subscribers. Why pay twenty dollars a quarter for something you can have from your bank now for twenty-five cents. Also, the new golden dollars are selling for twenty dollars with a printed card describing the coin to lay collectors one can collect them also. *

Another small step is banking in foreign counties currencies. It may prove to be a wise move for the small investor to switch dollars to another currency as a way to avoid some immediate disasters from inflation. Buying foreign currencies like Euros or Swiss Francs is available at most large retail banks today, however, trading dollars for other currencies is at a variable fee so watch for the best prices. Safe deposit boxes to store your money until you need to change back to dollars may work out to be cheaper than the inflations we are getting on US dollars. Boxes start at around twenty dollars a year. Holding on to foreign cash may prove profitable over spending inflated US dollars in today’s economy why not give it a try.

Dwight W. Hayes, MS

* I think that golden dollars are a bad investment, because the coin has a mix of zinc and copper, no gold in it. However, this coins shall become unique when production stops and will retain its collector value based on its condition.