Smart Decisions/Reasonable Choices

Never Met Anyone Who Doesn't Like to Hang a Banner

2010-03-31T08:19:00.001-07:00

Duke and Carolina are in the Final Four(s). Carolina won the NCAA Championship last year. Duke has a chance to follow their lead this year. Carolina suffered through in injury-filled year, with high profile freshman, who didn’t meet the expectations of their fans. But they did eke into the NIT Championship and now are playing in the Finals against a good Dayton team. Some fans might scoff at an NIT Championship for such a storied program, but I have never met a coach or a fan or a player who do not like to end the season hanging a championship banner. Only one team in each tournament gets to finish on a win streak. Both Duke and Carolina have that chance this year. Winning anything is hard – don’t kid yourself. To win any match or any tournament is a great accomplishment.

Go Duke and Go Carolina!

And if interested in buying or selling a home in Durham or Chapel Hill, think about exploring an entirely new way of searching and selecting a home and an agent. Try http://www.besthomepro.com/chapel-hill-nc/homes-for-sale/ or http://www.besthomepro.com/durham-nc/homes-for-sale .

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

BestHomePro, Inc.

Blog: www.BestHomePro.com/blog

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Triangle Luxury Real Estate - Now is the Time to Buy, Waiting Could Cost You

2010-03-31T07:43:00.001-07:00

A recent Wall Street Journal article, "Time to Storm the Castles", points out that now is a great time to buy a luxury home. Local Triangle North Carolina stats echo a national trend running through the high-end real estate market... Now is a great time to buy a luxury home. Waiting could cost you.

See Triangle Area Luxury Home Stats and Read More...

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Durham NC Homes Rank High on Affordability

2010-03-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

Today Show Ranks Durham NC Homes High on Affordability

"Affordable" may seem slightly tainted to some people. Homes for sale in Durham are "affordable" doesn't sound very sexy. A '67 Chevy is affordable. But included in The Today Show's commentary from Barbara Corcoran are comments like, "Durham is a great place to live…” to read more about homes for sale in Durham, NC, go to: http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/durham-real-estate-is-affordable.

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

BestHomePro, Inc.

Blog: www.BestHomePro.com/blog

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Should You Buy a New Home or an Existing Home?

2010-03-19T07:41:00.001-07:00

Should You Buy a New Home or an Existing Home?

Almost everyone is drawn in by the shiny hardware, glimmering hardwood floors and freshly painted walls of a newly constructed home. There's a special feeling in being the first person or family in a new home. However, deciding between a new home or existing home does have its trade-offs. For a detailed discussion of this topic with Brian Davis, go to: http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/should-you-buy-a-new-or-existing-home

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

www.BestHomePro.com

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Don't Forget the Leverage in Real Estate

2010-03-17T11:17:00.001-07:00

Leverage is all about using "other people's money" to leverage your own investment. Other than big-time leverage deals on Wall Street, the common individual has few opportunities to leverage. But real estate is one of those areas. It is one of a very few areas where you can borrow money from a banker to cover the majority of the total cost of an investment. The leverage part is that if the value of the property goes up over time, you gain from the increase in value of the entire property; not just the increase in the value of your down payment.

To read more about Leverage, go to: http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/leverage-in-real-estate .

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

BestHomePro.com

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Goodness in a Bad Economy

2010-03-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

Goodness in a Bad Economy

Out of difficult times, often goodness emerges. I believe more people are helping people than ever before. Here is an example: My mother just turned 87 this week. She is a dear, small lady with some character and spunk. She still drives a little and loves to buy presents for people. I am constantly amazed at how kind and thoughtful almost everyone is toward “little old ladies.” Mom told me that after shopping at Lowes Lawn and Garden Store yesterday, she was pushing her cart with a few heavy things in it toward her car. As she tells the story, she saw a large man loading things into another car and thought he worked for Lowes. She walked over and said, “pardon me, but when you are done here could you help me?” The large man stopped what he was doing and helped Mom load her things into the car. She thanked him and asked how long he had worked at Lowes. He said, “no Ma’am, I don’t work here.” Mom apologized for bothering him and the man said, “ma’am, I try to teach my children to offer kindnesses to others. It makes me feel good to help someone and I believe it will make them feel good about themselves as well.” He then said something amazing: “these are tough times, ma’am, but during tough times I see more and more people recognizing that everyone needs help sometimes, and I see more people offering help for free.”

Just a sweet story during challenging times. It reminds me of the movie, Play It Forward. Nice!

Jeffrey M Johnston, President & CEO, http://www.besthomepro.com/

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Attended Triangle MLS Tech Fair Yesterday

2010-03-12T08:38:00.001-08:00

We attended and exhibited at the Triangle MLS Tech Fair Yesterday. There were lots of agents and brokers looking for solutions to the age-old issues of how to attract great clients and how to serve them well. My take-away is that good service must start with good, basic practices of outreach, education and earnestness. The Internet, with social networks, websites, Facebook, SEO, SEM, Twitter and other outlets are just platforms to get your message across. The Internet is not the answer, but tools available on The Internet can have outstanding results if, and only if, you have great content that assures clients that you are looking out for THEIR best interests. We had a good time at the TMLS Tech Fair and met lots of interested folks. Jeffrey M Johnston, President & CEO, BestHomePro.com. Follow us on our blog at www.BestHomePro.com/blog.

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Exhibiting at Triangle MLS Tech Fair Thursday

2010-03-10T08:55:00.001-08:00

Triangle MLS is holding its annual Tech Fair from 8:30 to 4:00 on Thursday, March 11 at their headquarters. BestHomePro.com is exhibiting its services, including its IDX and search software for REALTORS and its new BestHomePro MarketPlace lead and referral network.

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

BestHomePro, Inc.

3708 Lyckan Parkway, Suite 206

Durham, NC 27707

919-794-3355 Direct

919-215-5466 Mobile

Blog: www.BestHomePro.com/blog

Consumers: Follow us on Twitter http://Twitter.com/BestHomePro

Agents, Follow us on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/BestHomeAgent

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

When Do You Owe a Real Estate Commission?

2010-03-09T07:40:00.001-08:00

When Do You Owe a Real Estate Commission?

It's obvious to almost anyone that an agent has earned their commission when they've helped a buyer or seller close on a home. However, based on the standard real estate agreements used by the majority of North Carolina brokers, real estate buyers and sellers are surprised by some of the other scenarios in which a real estate agent has technically earned a commission. http://www.besthomepro.com/blog/post/when-do-you-owe-your-realtor-commission

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Buy Low. Sell High

2010-03-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

It sounds incredibly simple, but "buy low and sell high" needs to be the basic tenant for any investment in real estate. Like with the stock market, it is incredibly difficult to gauge the precise bottom of a bear market or the exact peak in a bull market. Real estate is similar. If you can buy within 20% of the bottom and sell within 20% of the top, you will do extremely well. http://www.besthomepro.com

Posted via email from besthomepro's posterous

Who's Right -- Who's Wrong

2010-03-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

It is a confusing world today. But I am certain it has always been a confusing world. Take the debate over health care reform. I consider myself a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. I believe government, and affluent individuals, and not-for-profits, have a responsibility to care for the less fortunate and the "under-served." I completely agree with the concept of safety nets and I believe that governments must establish laws to regulate abuse and corruption.

I do not believe that any government or any people can afford to make all benefits available equally to all people. This may sound harsh, but no economy can be viable if everyone is said to have an inalienable right to equality in the receipt of all goods and services. It may sound nice, but is simply cannot be afforded. The burden placed on tax-paying citizens and corporations would be overwhelming.

It seems to me that the conflicts in Washington these days are more about core philosophies than they are about pure politics. The media wants us all to believe that most politicians are corrupt and self-serving. I do not believe that. There is plenty of corruption in Washington, but I believe it is a corruption of good intentions, rather than greed. The media chooses to make the debate about which party "cares about people" the most. I don't think that is the argument at all. If it could be afforded, I don't think any elected official would be against universal health care, or college education or home ownership.

We as a people must decide what, in the collective conscience of our society, is the appropriate path that 1) covers the most people possible, and 2) can be afforded by our society while allowing consistent innovation and growth in our economy. I don't pretend to have the answers, but as a compassionate AND responsible citizen I want rational debate. Name-calling and demagoguery are dysfunctional exercises that do not move us forward.

I wrestle with "should everyone compromise" or "stand-up for what they believe." Our country is based on the concept of compromise, so why not start to fix problems in health care by taking those things that everyone believes are wrong and fixing them?

If you are Republican, tell your elected officials to stop saying "no" to everything and start suggesting solutions. If you are a Democrat, insist that your party stop portraying Republicans as the evil, Wall Street, money-grubbers. There are real problems in health care. Our society and our corporations cannot afford the run away money-train in medical costs.

Here is my short list of things that can be done quickly and easily:

1. Tort reform is essential. Health care providers use the threat of law suits as an excuse for ordering unnecessary procedures (that pad their pockets). Limits on punitive damages would make a huge difference quickly.
2. Force insurance companies to compete across state lines. It is silly not to allow competition.
3. Force all insurance entities to use the same risk pool. Do not allow people with pre-existing conditions to be excluded from care, and don't let insurance companies cherry-pick who they cover.
4. Establish online databases that offer profiles of doctors and health care facilities, and posts their "retail" costs per visit and procedure, and encourage them offer discounts for cash.
5. Establish a marketplace where health insurance companies compete for subscribers. Let online decision tools help people choose the plan that is most appropriate for them at the lowest cost. (The Federal Employees Health Benefit Program is a good example of an existing marketplace, but currently it is only available to federal employees and retirees.)
6. Establish rebates on premiums or tax credits for consumer-based cost-saving decisions.

I believe in free-enterprise and in capitalism, but successful capitalism is based upon competition and rewards for productivity. In health care in The United States, we have virtually no competition. This is the fault of our elected officials over a long period of time and it needs to be fixed. If health care is not fixed, our entire society stands the good chance of becoming bankrupt.

I am sure I have missed a great number of critical issues, but let's encourage our elected officials to work together to solve the problems.

Too Much, Too Little, Too Much, Just Right

2010-01-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

After the Scott Brown surprise win in Massachusetts Democrats are looking for scapegoats. I suppose I would too under the same circumstances. Interestingly, Republicans have seemed pretty quiet given what some might consider a real boost to their agenda.

Truth is, every politician needs to be nervous.

I have always felt that I could be a good candidate for public office. I am dashingly handsome (at least not anymore if truth be told), and I can give an articulate, passionate speech. But the facts are that in our political environment, moderates cannot be elected. It seems you need to be a zealot on one extreme or the other.

In my opinion, both sides try to do too much. They get kicked-back and are too nervous to do anything, so they do too little. They then get angry about their impotence and try to do too much.

Why not do "just right?"

Just right might mean compromising with your fellow legislators. Compromising might be to fix some little things, and then a few more and then a few more. Shake hands with your colleagues across the isle (or get rid of the isle). Perhaps everyone should declare themselves independents.

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry

2010-01-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Sound familiar? It ends with "Santa Claus is coming to town!" Last night's victory by Scott Brown in Massachusetts was truly a stunner. Ted Kennedy must literally be turning-over in his grave, Obama clearly did not sleep well last night and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid may have thought about "smokin' something..."

The "no one can define what's in it" health care behemoth is now likely dead. Cap and Trade may disappear and other legislative initiatives by the democrats likely will go nowhere with freightened politicians and an election coming up.

But before Republicans begin dancing in the street (they are allowed to dance for precisely one day with Scott Brown), they better recognize that the electorate is more and more independent and more and more angry about the corruption of ideals in Washington, the out-of-control spending and the lack of recognition that the independent middle class finally is saying "enough" to all politicians who recklessly spend our money without consideration of long-term benefits to our society.

You better watch out -- every elected official. THE PEOPLE are Santa Claus.

It may be time to clean-house and begin a reasonable government agenda.

What is Health Care Reform -- The Blame Game

2010-01-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

I don't pretend to understand the complexities of the healthcare reform debate, but I do know that whatever is going on in Washington has not been explained by the proponents and solid, reasoned objections have not been voiced by the opposition.

As a business person, the one thing I am certain about, however, is that competition does not exist in health care. I also know that there has been lip-service to the idea of engendering competition, but no real attempt to create competition.

Let's blame the Republicans. Okay, let's blame the Democrats. Well, let's blame the insurance companies. Hmmmm. What about let's blame the fact that there is no competition for health CARE.

When was the last time anyone checked an Internet site to see which dermatologist had the lowest price for having a mole removed? When was the last time a person with heart problems or cancer evaluated the quality of service available by different providers and the prices they charge? NEVER!

We have been covered by insurance plans with the lowest co-pays possible, so none of us has any idea what healthcare costs -- and there is no pain for us to go to the first place suggested.

Have any of you ever been treated by a doctor where the nurse didn't say, "ah, Doctor Jones is the best..." Well, if every doctor is "the best," then let them compete on price. Realistically, let them compete on experience, training and price (plus perhaps the number of malpractice claims filed...)

It is the insurance industry that caused this, but it is not their fault. Will the new federal health plan cover ALL citizens like Medicare? That will NEVER save money. My 86 year-old mother goes to the doctor 2 or 3 times a week because she has aches and pains AND the visits don't cost her anything, so there is no incentive for her to say, "I guess it is not so bad. I will save the money." And do you really think doctors or hospitals want consumers to know what things cost? Absolutely not.

Simple question for pet owners: Has pet insurance saved money? No. It has allowed veterinarians to raise their prices.

If we want everyone covered, then competition must be engendered. The health insurance companies want everyone covered because it means more revenue. The federal government wants more people covered because it establishes greater dependence upon the government from our citizens. I doubt a "government option" will engender competition. You can't have the public sector competing with the private sector and have a fair fight. "Public sector" will be the death of the "private," and thus any hope we have of establishing competition.

Let your congressman know that you want competition in health care, not higher taxes and government control.

Is Your Home a Good Investment?

2010-01-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

If a poll had been taken anytime from 2000 to 2007 the answer would be inequivically "YES!" But with all the problems in real estate in the last 3 years, many U.S. citizens are beginning to wonder if things will ever be really good again for building wealth through owning your own home or investing in residential real estate.

My answer is "Yes," but only if you buy low and sell high, and take into consideration some key factors in how to finance a home, when to buy and how to sell. Check out a recent blog post on my BestHomePro blog: Is Residential Real Estate a Good Investment?

Happy New Year!

Feeling Overwhelmed?

2009-12-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I have felt completely overwhelmed of late. The economic news is mostly bad, my personal business environment is tough, every charity is desperate for funding, the wars are not going well. Each night on the news we hear about celebrity failings, car wrecks, bombings and even bad weather.

There is just "Too Much Noise."

Check-out my blog on www.BestHomePro.com entitled "Too Much Noise." It harkens back to one of my favorite children's books and is a parable about shedding all the extraneous noise in your life and focusing only on what really matters.

Happy Holidays. May you have peace, quiet and dreams of good will and well being for all.

Buyers on Fire -- For Now - Are Tax Credits Right?

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

On our BestHomePro blog I have written two posts entitled Buyer on Fire and Buyers on Fire II about the federal home-buyer tax credit and about the newly proposed extension, plus expansion of tax credits.

When will this silliness stop? Am I too fiscally conservative? Isn't it like an individual using two credit cards to transfer balances from one, then three credit cards to transfer balances from two; while never making a payment on any card at all.

Doesn't it seem that the real estate marketplace is correcting itself? Aren't homes (on average) 30% lower in price than two years ago and aren't mortgage rates near all-time lows? Is "affordability" quite high right now?

I want to make it clear that I am not "anti-Obama." I desparately want him and for The United States to be successful, but come-on! With these kinds of incentives you only puff-up sales during the offer period and then destroy demand later that would naturally occur.

Am I missing something? Help me with your comments, and follow are common sense blog posts at www.BestHomePro.com/blog.

Urgency in Home Sale Forces Trade-Offs

2009-11-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

When the decision has been made to sell your home, everyone wants to sell quickly and at the optimum price, but that is not always possible. In fact, in today's market that is extremely unlikely. I wrote a blog post on my company website recently entitled House On Fire. It talks about how sellers need to consider their options and make trade-off decisions. The lower the price (most often), the faster it sells. The more exposure a property gets, the more likely it will sell. This translates into deciding between selling it yourself or hiring an agent at 5% to 6%.

Life is filled with trade-offs and most have an economic impact.

Where do you stand? What factors influence your trade-offs in home selling or buying.

2009-09-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Is anyone out there? Aren't you floored by what our government has been allowing banks to do? What about government protecting the "little man?" After my rant about overdraft fees (see my last post) I have Googled and Yahooed, etc. and found lots of chatter about this...

From CNNMoney: (http://tinyurl.com/mlonw5) "Overdraft uproar. A report last month from Moebs Services said U.S. banks will collect a record $38.5 billion in overdraft fees this year, with nearly all the revenue paid by just 10% of customers. The windfall is nearly double the $19.9 billion collected in 2000, as overdraft fees tick higher despite the recession.

The Moebs report said the national median overdraft fee rose to $26 from $25 in 2008, while larger Wall Street banks charge a median of $35."

Now, in articles it talks about how Bank of America and JP Morgan are reducing fees. Wow! Aren't they great guys?! The idea that the underserved population has been duped into using check cards that don't bounce, only to be charged $35 for buying $20 worth of groceries is appalling.

I noticed that Bank of America is now saying you can "opt-out" of the ability to buy stuff with no money in your account. Opt-Out? Don't you think it should be to "Opt-IN" to this ability. They know that most people won't even know they can "Opt-Out" to getting hammered with overdraft charges.

Come-on America... if government will not regulate these predatory practices, can we trust that they will control health care costs? Sure we can!

Check Card Dirty Little Secret

2009-09-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am "madder than hell and not going to take it any more!" (Network, Albert Finney) I have encouraged my 87 year old mother to use her check (debit) card rather than credit cards for most purchases. She doesn't purchase much, but does use her card at the grocery store, drug store, Walmart, Lowes and a few others.

I "manage" her bills online with Bank of America. Whow! I logged on over the weekend only to see 13 -- YES -- 13 overdraft charges at $35 each over a 10 day period. That is $455 in overdraft charges.

Yes, her account was overdrawn. Yes, I guess I should be checking her account online every day -- maybe twice per day!!! Yes, this practice is predatory and relates only to check cards.

This is how the little game works: Bank of America says that it is VISA's fault. They don't check balances on check cards so they allow virtually all check card charges to go through. Unless you go to a teller machine, you don't ever see a balance at the grocery store or anywhere else. If you don't check your balances daily (what 87 year-old does?) you get dinged $35 each and every time you use your card. With credit cards, your charge is denied, so you never pay an overdraft charge.

Now I understand why banks are encouraging people to use their check-cards. On WRAL the other night they had a story of a young soldier in Iraq who was dinged $1,750 in one month by Bank of America. He was buying cigarettes, lunch, groceries, etc.; and most of his charges were under $20, but each one dinged him for $35. This is an ugley little secret.

I don't think Bank of America is the only bank doing this. It is outrageous! It is predatory. It must be changed.

#1 Don't use your checkcards unless you are absolutely certain you have the balance to cover the charge.
#2 Set up overdraft protection (this will only cost you $10 per overdraft -- UGH! I am sure it might c0st the banks of of $0.01 per transaction to transfer funds from savings to checking. (My mother had plenty of money in her savings account.)
#3 Call you congressman and tell them this must be stopped.
#4 Call Obama and say this must be part of bank reform.
#5 If you see these charges, argue hard with your banker. You may get something back.

This is an ugley secret of banking. My own Suntrust banker told me she sees poor people using check cards to buy groceries, knowing full-well that they don't have the balance in their account to cover the charge, but they desperately need the groceries, so they accept the notion that they will be charged an extra $35.00. Ridiculous. You can't tell me that bastard VISA can't determine when to deny a charge. There is simply too much data available out there. This is predatory and must be stopped.

Your suggestions? Share your stories. Write your congressman. Tweet. Make Youtube videos about it.

Just imagine for one moment the amount of money the banks are making on this predatory practice: just imagine!!! And we bailed them out?

Scams and Trust

2009-09-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am angry -- really angry! For only the second time in my life I ordered some merchandise from a banner ad on a legitimate website. It was for (oh my God) a new teeth whitening product. It was a great deal! $4.95 trial offer. The company is Pure Essentials, 181 Marsh Hill Road, Orange, CT 06477 (877-546-0535)

14 days later I was charged $89 and one week later $93.95. Woah! That doesn't sound like a $5 trial.

I called the company only to get a "our company hours are 9:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday. I called this morning, only to be told, "oh, you must not have read the terms of the trial offer..." I said, "obviously not, what font were they printed in and on what page of your offer?" There was no answer.

I told the lady that if they did not refund all of my money I would Twitter, Blog, call every secretary of state and Better Business Bureau I could.

After making me three other "special deal offers" for as low as $29.95, she agreed to refund my money -- if I mail back the tubes of teeth whitener, return-receipt requested, watch my email, then call the number and give them my credit card so they can refund: likely 30 to 60 days.

I then called my credit card company and they told me that they have hundreds of complaints against Pure Essentials, Brite Teeth Pro.com and Cleanwhite.info. They suggested I follow the instructions and if I did not get a refund in 30 days to call them -- they will then turn it over to fraud.

No wonder consumers trust The Internet less and less. No wonder complete Opt-In is the way to go. Consumers need to not only feel they are in control, but they need to BE in control.

What a fool am I. I will likely get my money back because I am aggressive and angry, but I can't imagine how much money Pure Essentials is making off of fraudulant, bogus, sneaky promotions.

Have you been burned like this? Share your examples.

When is it a good time to buy a home?

2009-09-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

It seems to me that many people get confused about good timing versus bad. They confuse what is going-on in the general market versus what is going-on in their own lives. When I was an investment officer at a bank in Florida in the 70's, I was amazed to learn that "the little guy" almost always "bought high" and "sold low."

What that meant was when the market was going up and up and up, consumers always were afraid to get in and then just couldn't stand not participating. They waited so long that they always bought at the peak, while the smart money always sells at the peak and buys at the low.

This often is the case in real estate. Think about Wrightsville Beach, NC from 2005 to 2007. Prices went up 5% to 10% per month during peak months. People were jumping all over themselves to get into the action. The wealthy and lucky made tremendous profits (at least on paper) while the late-comers (late 2007 through 2008) bought high. leverages themselves to the ying-yang and many have lost their shirts.

The market in most places, right now, is tepid and prices have declined. That doesn't mean a house that is not for sale will be worth less, but when inventories are high, foreclosures are still in the market and short-sales are still in the papers daily; trying to sell your home is really tough.

BUT, as prices decline and interest rates stay low, affordability goes way up.

So you have to look at your own personal situation: Is your job stable? Do you have enough to make a significant down-payment? Is there pressure to sell quickly?

Depending on these individual answers, it might be a good time to buy -- maybe not sell.

Think about your own situation first, then about the market. You likely will make a good decision.

Post Office is a dinosaur

2009-09-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

If you read my posts I work hard to be positive. My blog is about decision-making with thoughts on how to make good decisions and comments on bad decision-making.

Having gone to the U.S Post Office on Shannon Rd. in Durham, NC twice today, I simply must exclaim my discontent with the always slow, always crowded, always perturbing postal service in that location.

If a business has customer who HATE to go there, the business is in trouble. In deciding what to invest in (stock market or otherwise), one simple suggestion is to invest in what you know. If you go to Target time and time again and always have a good experience, and you notice it is always crowded -- invest in it. (Which could mean buying their securities (stock) or buying their stocks (clothes, groceries, toys, etc.)

With the Durham post office, I HATE to go there. What should take 10 minutes always takes 20. When you actually talk to a postal worker they are most often quietly pleasant, but the system just plain sucks!

The cycle is set: Customer hate the post office. Customers use email, Facebook and Twitter to communicate. They use UPS or FedEx unless they have to by a stamp to addres a letter to grandma. The post office loses money. They cut services and raise prices. People hate them more, use them less and say bad things about them. They lose more money, raise their prices and lose more customers. Etc., etc., etc. . On-and-on-and-on....

Is this another example of the federal goverment and efficiency? Just imagine health care run like the post office. Ah, it is a glorious thought.

I want to make it clear. I have nothing against postal workers or the concept of the postal service. I still can't believe a letter gets from my mailbox to another one across the country in just a few days. But COME-ON! They took out a stamp machine, which a postal worker said was collecting $2,500 per week. Now you have to wait in line with 30 other people.

If they can 't get it right, they deserve to become a thing of the past.

Take a book to read!!!

Either the postal service gets it right or 5 years ago we will be telling our grandkids, "in the olden days your Grammy and I used to go to this thing called the Post Office to send packages at Christmas time. Those were the good old days.

Respectfully

Jeffrey M Johnston

Never Thought I was a Football Fan

2009-09-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am a refined guy. I like the refined sports -- not the bare-knuckles and hard-hitting bruiser sports like football, rugby and boxing. Give me a splendid walk on Croasdaile golf course, the back-and-forth of tennis or the cerebral aspects of baseball.

But I must say that the mind's images of the sights, sounds and smells of fall football are pretty intense. I was eager to see NC State play South Carolina last night. I am eager to go to the Duke opening football game against Richmond and I was even invited to go to the Carolina game this weekend.

This all reminds me of why my wife and I chose to move to Durham, North Carolina 30 years ago. The spring and fall around here are incredible. Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Cary, etc. are amazing places to raise your children and send them to public (or private) schools.

The nights are getting crisp and the start of football season creates great anticipation, for the fun of the sports and for the weather to come.

Ask Not What ....

2009-09-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

I was watching Bill Moyers being interviewed last night and found him charming and insightful about the world of politics, the history and future of our great country and his laments about the directions this country is taking. He believes we very well may be headed "down the tubes" if we don't correct ourselves and become more "progressive." He believes Obama must use his skills of oratory to inspire citizens to take action to make The United States and the world a better place.

Mr. Moyers even quoted John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." What a great, inspiring speech that was.

But it got me to wondering: What does "Ask Not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country" mean?

It seems that politicians today are all about telling "the people" what government can do for THEM. They are not conserving anything. They are spending, spending, spending; and telling the common citizen that the federal government will take care of them.

Is John Kennedy turning 0ver in his grave? How about a little sacrificing? What about balancing the budget by reducing expenditures, rather than escalating our deficit to $11 trillion? Current policy seems to be "cash for clunkers," "healthcare for everyone," "fight the 'right war,'" (not the wrong one), "bail-out money for auto companies and banks," increasing taxes on those bastard businesses that turn a profit and contribute to society -- and oh, by the way, preparing those lower income tax payers that eventuallly they will be taxed more because of all the great things the government is going to "give them."

Federal taxes will go up. North Carolina and other state taxes are going up. Let's have more lotteries and approve more gambling...

Ayn Rand was far from perfect in her theories of how governments destroy the incentives to be productive, but it sure seems we are headed in that direction.

If "Ask Not..." was a real call to action, let's as citizens call on our governments to conserve -- not spend like there is not tomorrow.