Moo! The Musings of a Plaid Cow

If you get a bill for a service you are not paying for, you should contest the charge immediately.

> So I went back and checked my records, and found I’d been charged for at least as far back as a year (I was in the bummer tent after that, so I didn’t look further.)

How do you prevent this “travesty”? Pay attention! Read your bills!

Vonage is right and you, sir, are an idiot.

_Response to the [Consumerist][0] post on [Vonage Silently Adds “Optional” Feature, Refuses To Refund Your Money][1]._
[0]: http://consumerist.com/
[1]: http://consumerist.com/5160533/vonage-silently-adds-optional-feature-refuses-to-refund-your-money

There was something interesting in the president’s [speech to congress][1] last night:

> I will do whatever it takes to help the **family that has saved** and still can’t get a mortgage. It’s about helping people. Because when credit is available again, that young family can finally buy a new home.

I find this interesting, because most American’s will not realize he is not talking about them. It’s not the families that have saved that are having the problems–it’s the ones who didn’t save and expected everything to be handed to them on a silver platter.

[1]: http://www.huliq.com/3257/77798/full-transcript-obamas-speech-congress

My workplace is fielding a team for [Race for the Cure](http://race.komenindy.org) coming up later this year. One employee volunteer also noted in a company email newsletter that we could also “‘sleep in for the cure’ by pledging support for the team, but not attending on race day”.

That is my kind of race.

When we kicked off a proposal at work a few weeks ago, the head of the division was invited, and he is serious about winning:

> It’s not just about writing a good proposal. It’s about crushing the the competition.

Excellent.

**Question: Do you think teachers should be given guidelines for homework assignments?**

I think most teachers have enough sense to follow the guidelines that had been accepted by the school board–10 minutes per night per grade. I just don’t think most students have the capacity to actually do the work. Like the example cited in the article:

> One board member said she sympathizes with overloaded students and the parents who help them. She watched her 12-year-old grandson work on a project and spent four hours helping him with it.

I’m sure this 6th or 7th grader (who should have an hour or so of homework *every* night) didn’t get this project the night before it was due. How much time passed between the assignment and the four hour marathon to get it completed? They never mention this in the articles.

_[MyCityDaily][0] opinion poll response for [today][1]._
[0]: http://www.mycitydaily.com/
[1]: http://www.mycitydaily.com/images/022309IN01.pdf

I am almost finished reading Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan (which I [downloaded free][1] a while back). I won’t say it has been a waste of time, but there is nothing really new in the book. Here is my summary of the valuable information found in the book:

1. Reality has changed.
2. It is all of our faults.
3. You cannot borrow from tomorrow to live today.
4. You cannot spend tomorrow’s money today.
5. You must have cash saved for a rainy day.
6. You must spend less than you take in.
7. Your house is worth less than it was. Deal with it.
8. You cannot spend tomorrow’s money (for college) today.
9. You must have life and health insurance.
10. These choices are not easy.

If you still want to read it, and can’t find a copy of it, let me know and I can forward it on.

[1]: http://lifehacker.com/5126615/download-suze-ormans-2009-action-plan-free-this-week-only

When I first heard a rumor that Tricon (owner of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC) was changing it’s name to “YumWorks”, I thought that was a horrible name. Then they came out with the announment changing their name to “Yum! Brands” I thought, “Yeah, YumWorks sounded pretty good.”

I’ve been meaning to write about my feelings on the current real estate “crisis” for a while, but I think what I have to say is better summed up by Suze Orman in her 2009 Action Plan (which I [downloaded free][1] a while back):

> I have a moral problem with bailing out homeowners and lenders who had no right to do the deals they did. I certainly do not support a bailout of people who bought a home that was never affordable under any rational assessment, but I do feel we are obliged to help those who, with moderate assistance today, can afford to stay in their home.

We should help those in a “bad” loan today who should have gotten a good loan back then, or are qualified today. We got in this problem because the banks were making loans willy-nilly. We shouldn’t start forcing them to lend to the unqualified again.

[1]: http://lifehacker.com/5126615/download-suze-ormans-2009-action-plan-free-this-week-only

In a break with their corporate privacy policy, a large banking company is set to release records for thousands of people. And the people are…[rejoicing][1]? What is this world coming to?

_Response to the [Consumerist][0] post on [UBS Will Release Names Of Americans Hiding Money From IRS][1]._
[0]: http://consumerist.com/
[1]: http://consumerist.com/5156990/ubs-will-release-names-of-americans-hiding-money-from-irs

**Question: If you could have one thing “like it used to be”, what would it be?**

Back before kids, when my wife worked outside the house, it was nice to be able to come home early on a Friday and work alone to catch-up on projects. Since they are always at home, its not as easy to make this happen any more.