Drinking and Driving a Deadly Holiday Mix
51 Billion Dollars and rising! Sounds like a company a wise investor should invest in. After all, having a piece of a 51 billion dollar industry is an exciting prospect, filled with anticipation for the future right? Not this time. This industry takes away any hope for the future. Any promise of potential greatness is dashed to the ground, becoming ashes and dust when people continue to invest in this business.
Warnings have been issued over the years advising people to avoid investing in this global industry. Still people chose to purchase the stock – some one share at a time, others in large quantities. Each time they invest even one dollar into this corporation, they participate in destroying their own lives as well as the dreams and aspirations of others. Family and friends are even forced into the role of unwitting participants.
The government has taken a stand, as well as various groups around the globe, making it harder for people to invest in this corporation. Still people choose to disregard the signs that will eventually lead to their own demise. They continue their dangerous path of destruction. Why? Why do well educated human beings choose a pathway that is known to cause heartache and utter despair in order to be part of 51 billion dollar industry?
Doesn’t this elusive business have enough of our hard earned money? As well as our personal blood, sweat and tears? I’m sure you’re probably wondering to yourselves, ‘What industry can she possibly be writing about?’ Perhaps you would like to know if you have somehow missed the hundreds of warnings that are issued each year about this industry. Well here is the answer: Have you ever gotten behind the wheel of a vehicle with any alcohol, even one drink in your system? If you have, then you have invested in the 51 billion dollar club.
It is estimated that each year 51 billion dollars is spent on alcohol related crashes. During 2003 (According to NHTSA 2004), 17,013 deaths occurred in the U.S. alone because of alcohol-impaired drivers; 2,136 of those deaths were children under the age of 14. These investors have killed the future. This represents nearly 1/2 of all traffic related deaths in the U.S.
Most of those murdered were unsuspecting bystanders, not the impaired driver. And that is, after all, what this is…murder. Vehicular manslaughter. Vehicular homicide. You can put whatever name you want on this criminal action to help lesson the burden of the offenders, but the fact is they knowingly got behind the wheel of what turned out to be a killing machine and killed.
Although the court system doesn’t define it as such, actions of this sort can even be likened to first-degree murder. Just look at the definitions for a moment. Taken directly from the site law for kids dot org, first degree murder is defined as: “causing the death of another person with either the intent or knowledge that the conduct will cause death and with premeditation. Premeditation is often described as ‘malice aforethought,’ which basically means that you probably considered the consequence of your conduct for at least a second before you committed the act.”
With all the education available, those who drink and drive know the possible consequences of their actions before they get into their vehicle to drive. Yet, still they turn on the ignition, shift into first gear and off they go.
Why do we allow the death toll from this activity to continue? Several years ago people used the excuse ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ to turn a blind eye to the problem. That’s about the time I discovered that the second member of my family, my sister, had been killed in an alcohol-related crash. (Jurors were sympathetic to the driver of the vehicle, thinking back to times they had gotten behind the wheel of their car after having a ‘drink or two.’) The drivers in all these cases got off with a warning or a light sentence.
I have since lost another 5 members of my family and friends to these murderers. Lest you think these are mere statistics I am citing for you, let me put names to my data: Rosie (my cousin, 28, and a mother of a newborn in the car at that time), Janet (my sister, “twin” and best friend, 22), Marsha (my cousin, 25, and the mother of a five-year-old in the car at the time), and Lisa (my counselee, 12, as well as her mother, 36, and her brother Jonathan, 8). As if that wasn’t enough, a few weekends ago the tally in my family went up again.
Natasha, 16 years old, was on the way to her winter ball. A drunk driver crashed into the side of her vehicle, killing her instantly and turning her boyfriend into a quadriplegic. Thanks to yet another driver who chose to be part of the 51 billion dollar club. This driver hasn’t had his sentencing hearing yet.
How can we stop the carnage? Law enforcement has doubled efforts to curtail DWI’s, setting up sobriety checks and adding stiffer penalties on both the drivers and the establishments they had been drinking in. Criminal and civil lawsuits have inundated the courts. Education has been tripled and pamphlets are even sent out with our yearly car registration.
There are agencies that offer free rides to any driver who calls them in need of transportation after drinking. There is also the option of sleeping in your car, spending 55 cents on a phone call if you don’t have a cell phone handy, or paying $69.00 at a local motel if all else fails. Yet all of this is obviously still not enough to deter some people from getting behind their wheel and taking the life of another innocent victim.
So what is the answer? To tell you the truth, I don’t know. But I do know what will help. From one heartbroken member of these senseless tragedies, I am going to do what I can to get laws imposed that require every vehicle have Ignition Interlock systems installed on them.
Interlock systems are currently used for repeat offenders in many states around the U.S., but we need a shift from light punishments and warnings into prevention. I believe that installing these units on every new vehicle sold and requiring them to be installed on every used vehicle in U.S. (a check could be made during smog inspections to see that the law was obeyed) would save taxpayers court costs and insurance companies billions of dollars every year. More importantly, it would save family and friends the devastating loss of yet another innocent victim and another trip to the morgue to identify their loved one.
For those of us who don’t drink and drive, it will be a minor nuisance. For those who do drink and drive, they will fight any steps that inconvenience their irresponsible and potentially deadly lifestyle. Think back a little to the seat belt issue. Many opposed the seat belt law when it went into affect.
But why were we forced to wear our seat belts? Because most people didn’t do so voluntarily, and the number of accidental deaths and near fatal injuries that could have been prevented was so staggering that government decided to step in and intervene on our behalf. The deaths and injuries were senseless. The same holds true here. Drinking and driving is a senseless and oftentimes unjustly punished crime.
Won’t you join me in this fight? Don’t let the next phone call you get late at night be from the hospital telling you a loved one was injured in a drunk driving accident. Don’t let the knock at the door at 3 AM be from a policeman telling you someone you loved has just been killed in an alcohol-related death.
What price would you be willing to pay for your son or daughter, sister or brother, mother or father? Forever is a long time. Are you willing to pay the price for the 51 billion dollar club? Think about Ignition Interlock systems and contact your state officials – put the pressure on them. Let them know we won’t stand for the rules of the 51 billion dollar club anymore.
Jaci Rae is a #1 Best Selling author of Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time. Book Jaci for your next show: http://www.winningromance.com and hit contact button for her publicist.
Victims Help Criminals Career
Mario is a petty thief. He was recently arrested for burglary. During an interview, he revealed to cops how he chooses his victims. He said, most of time you do not have to choose. Your victims come to you. The cops asked, what do you mean? He said they show you what they have. They wear expensive rings and watches.
They leave cars unlocked. Many will give you money if you come up with some stupid story. The list goes on and on. I remember this one time; I was planning to rob this lady. I followed her through the mall and to her car. I was planning on snatching her purse.
But man, she did all the work for me. She sat the purse on the hood of her car while she went into the trunk. It was easy money. I Just walked up and took it and ran. Then there was this old guy with lots of cash. He went into a store to buy something and I was standing behind him in line. He pulled out his wallet and man there must have been a thousand dollars or more in his wallet.
I knew I had to have it, so I followed him back to his car. He took forever to find his keys, so I knew he was an easy target. I just pulled a knife. It almost scared him to death. I took the wallet and left. The police could not believe Mario was telling them all this. They let him continue. He said one of my favorite times was a couple of years ago during the holiday season.
I was just sitting around the mall watching people. I was trying to see who made the expensive purchases in jewelry stores. I did not sit too close, usually in a nearby restaurant. I can usually tell what they buy by their reaction at the counter. It is a calculated risk, but most of the time I am right. Anyway, there was this young couple, looks like they were in their early thirties. I immediately picked them out for surveillance.
They walked into the jewelry store. They asked the clerk something. She took them away from the other customers, you know the way they treat rich people. She showed them something and I could tell by the womans reaction it was expensive. I know that women know jewelry. I pay lots of attention to the way they act.
They made the purchase and I knew it was a gold mine for me. The woman stuffed whatever they purchased in her purse and gave the guy a kiss. It thought bingo. It was a strapped purse and she carried it on her shoulder. All they needed to do was get to the right place and it was mine.
Luck was on my side. They decided to stroll down the street and widow shop. I followed them and when the time was right I came running by and snatched the purse. I ran until I thought I was clear. I took off my outer shirt to keep from being identified. I went to an alley took what I wanted out of the purse and threw the rest away.
I got money and a necklace that cost 8 thousand dollars. How do I know? I looked at the sales receipt. I sold it for $400.00. I could have probably gotten more but I did not want to risk being caught. Besides, it did not cost me anything. The police completed the interview with Mario. They asked him why he was telling them all this?
He said I know you can not charge with any of it, so why not. He was given a 8 year prison sentence for the burglary charge. Criminals know how to choose victims. Do not make it easy for them. Have a self defense and safety strategy in mind.
Johnny A. Jenkins, Distribution Director of Repeller Technology,provides self-defense and safety products, tips and advice to fit most situations. Make your surroundings safer for you and loved ones today
at: http://www.repellertechnology.com
Small Business Petty Problem
Melvin owns a small business. He has 65 employees. He manages all their activities from a central site. They perform various services for different companies on a contractual basis. Most of his crews are pretty loyal and want to see the company succeed. In every company there are disgruntled employees who will do just about anything to make it tougher for a legitimate organization to profit.
Melvin was super nice to all his employees and they respected him very much. He knew them all by first name and was always concerned about their families. He even knew most of their family members. He also knew that some of them were struggling financially and assisted whenever he could.
They did not expect him to earn a living for them, but they appreciated anything he offered. They were all hard workers and when the company succeeded they always got extra. Melvin always kept about $3000.00 petty cash in his office safe. It was used to purchase things they needed at the different sites. He also used it to help some of the employees.
If one of them needed a little extra cash to makes ends meet he would take it out of petty cash. It was on the honor system and most of the employees used it sparingly. He mostly used it for the people with families. He knew that the single guys had an easier time financially. He did not worry as much about them. Most of the employees understood how it worked and did not mind.
Melvin had just hired a new guy named Robert about a month ago. He was not sure if the new employee would fit in with the rest of the crew but he was skilled. Melvin gave him a chance. When he explained how the petty cash fund worked, Robert had immediate objections. He did not think it was right to treat the employees with families better than the rest.
He said he had difficult times too. Melvin explained that Robert doesnot have the responsibilities of a family. He told him that his actions would only affect himself. He explained that a guy with a familys actions, affects everyone in the family. Robert pretended to understand but the look on his face said different. Robert began to do things that were adverse to the company.
Melvin let it go for a while, hoping things would turn around, but they never did. Finally one day he called Robert into his office and terminated his employment. Robert was furious and vowed that he would get what he deserves. Melvin did not think much of it. He had heard this kind of talk from others whom he had fired. A few weeks later Melvin received an earnings report for his company.
They were doing great. He was able to double the petty cash fund and help even more employees. One afternoon Melvin was leaving his office for the night. He got in his car and drove about 5 miles, when he remembered he did not set the alarm. He knew he had to go back and set the alarm.
He drove back to the office. As he drove up, he noticed the lights were on. He knew there was someone inside. He called the police. The police arrived, approached the office and trapped the suspect inside. They ordered the person inside to come out. As the person came out, Melvin looked at the guy.
It was Robert. He had heard about the doubled petty cash fund and had come back to take it all. He was arrested and charged with burglary. Melvin no longer keeps petty cash in the office. He deposits in the local bank. He uses a company debit card for withdrawals.
Not all employees are trustworthy. Business owners sometimes have a need to know whats going on at the business after they have left. Businesses handle all kinds of sensitive information. In the best interest of business, you should develop a means to keep your business secure when you are not there.
Johnny A. Jenkins, Distribution Director of Repeller Technology, has a huge selection of hidden surveillance equipment, tips and advice to fit most situations. Make your surroundings safer for you and loved ones today at: http://www.cameraindisguise.com
Contractor Hides Secrets In Clients Walls
Sally is considering remodeling part of her home. She lives in a nice suburban neighborhood. She wants to expand one of the rooms in her house. She wants to hire a contractor to do the work. She has heard all kinds of horror stories about contractors. She wanted to do some investigating before she hired one. She talked to experts and other people who had work with contractors.
She was particularly interested in the ones who were satisfied with their work. After months of investigating she decided on a contractor. People who were satisfied with their work mostly swayed her. Little did she know that the contractor she chose was under new management and had hired almost all new people. She laid the plans out to the contractor. It was extensive project, which required lots of time.
The contractor agreed to do the work in such a manner as to keep her privacy in tact. Finally they were ready to begin work. Sally worked during the day, so she got a relative to keep an eye on the contractor while she was working. The contractor went about its work day by day. They were gone every afternoon when Sally got off work. Sometimes she would drop in unannounced. Everything was going well.
Then one day she heard some of the workers talking among themselves. They said that management had underestimated the cost of the materials on Sallys job. They also said, the job could not be completed with the materials Sally wanted, without going over budget. This alarmed Sally. She knew that the contractor would not want to loose money. She wondered how they would stay within the budget without substituting materials with cheaper ones.
She figured she had better stay on guard. She told the relative what she heard, but her relative had little knowledge of the construction process. So the information did not mean a whole lot. Sally decided to take matters into her own hand and drop in more frequently.
The contractor continued with the work under Sallys watchful eye. She tried to find out as much as she could so she kept her ears open. By this time the contractors were on to her. They knew she was listening to their conversations.
They would only talk when she was not around. Her relative was not much help because she did not understand what they were talking doubt. They finally finished the job. It looked great on the surface. But a few weeks later Sally started experiencing problems with the work. At first it was small problems. Then they got worst. She eventually had to call the contractor back to her house.
She explained the problems. They said, they would see what they could do to fix it, but made no promises. Weeks went by with no response from the contractor. Sally decided to seek the advice of a lawyer. She explained the situation. She told him she thought the contractor had used deficient materials.
The lawyer explained that without evidence their hands were tied. Sally knew what she heard, but had no proof. She ended up getting a new contractor to fix the problems at her expense. Most contractors are honest and will do a good job. Some will take shortcuts to save money. If you have to pursue a matter in court, you will need evidence of wrong the doings. Video or properly recorded conversations can provide that evidence.
Johnny A. Jenkins, Distribution Director of Repeller Technology, has a huge selection of hidden surveillance equipment, tips and advice to fit most situations. Make your surroundings safer for you and loved ones today at: http://www.cameraindisguise.com
Trapped In A Sale
Harry was an insurance salesman for a large firm in the northeast. His company prided itself on personal contact with customers. He was a top salesman and well deserving of the honor. His job called for him to extensively travel in order to get new customers. He was away from home many weeks out of the year. In many ways the people he met were a part of his family.
He enjoys interaction with the customers. He had never really experienced any serious problems during his career. He met the occasional belligerent prospect but that was expected. He was very determined and usually able to convince his prospects to let him at least show them his products. Many of his prospects became customers after a meeting with him.
One day he received a call from a guy who said he was thinking about buying more insurance. He asked Harry if he could meet with him and show his products. Harry agreed. He traveled to the prospects home. He setup his products and began to explain them to the potential customer.
He thought he had persuaded the man and was sure he was about to close a sale. All of a sudden the man jumped up from his chair and started swearing. He said you insurance salesmen are all alike. You try to take advantage of people like me.
He said, I do not need any insurance and I am going to make sure you do not try and sell anything again. Harry did not know what the man meant, but he felt it was time to leave. He said Sir, its obvious that you do not want to take advantage of our insurance products at this time, so I will be going.
The guy said you are not going anywhere. He said, I am going to teach you a lesson. He started walking toward Harry. Harry knew there was going to be trouble. He forgot about packing his materials and started maneuvering too get away from the guy. The guy kept coming and Harry kept moving.
Just as the guy was about to charge at Harry, there was a frail female voice. It said, stop that nonsense right now. Harry looked up a flight of stairs and there was an older lady. The prospect stopped his attack immediately. The lady seemed to have mesmerized the guy with her voice. He immediately stopped all his actions. He became as docile as a lamb.
She said a few more choice things to him. He dropped his head and went to another room in the house. She approached Harry. He said thank you; I do not know what I would have done if you had not shown up. The lady introduced herself as the mans mother. She said he had a mental disorder and really meant no harm. She asked Harry what he was doing in the house.
Harry said he was selling insurance. She said she needed some extra insurance. Right away, Harry recognized opportunity. He talked with the lady about his products. He also kept a watchful eye out for her son. He was able to start the woman in one of his best insurance plans. Traveling salesmen never know whom they are going to encounter on the road.
They meet all types of people with different motives. Most of them are sincerely interested in the products and services. There is also a small percentage that want to make trouble. The traveling salesman must be prepared to defend themselves if the situation becomes dangerous. With a little planning the traveling salesman can successfully defend himself if the situation arises.
Johnny A. Jenkins, Distribution Director of Repeller Technology,provides self-defense and safety products, tips and advice to fit most situations. Make your surroundings safer for you and loved ones today
at: http://www.repellertechnology.com