Sarah's Blog – Page 3 – Sarah Weinberger (Professional Career Coach

Where is the uproar and outrage?

Allen Clifton wrote another amazing article talking about Trump’s comments on Tuesday night and how he is using the death of the service man on the botched Yemen attack to further his own ego. I will not paraphrase Allen’s article, as you can read that, but I do want to share my thoughts as I read the article. I had this thought previously.

People get so worked up when a soldier dies. Before talking about my thoughts, let me comment on the death. If people were truly upset at the death of the service man, which they are not, they would take actions to prevent that death from ever happening again. There would be congressional investigations, there would be rallies. People would be demanding the heads of Trump and every other Republican that signed up for that meaningless attack and the frivolous waste of money, but no. There is nothing. I see only posturing and media talking heads doing just that.

I do not want to take anything away from the people, who gave their lives fighting for the country, however I am sick and tired of all the crying when a military or police officer dies and not one single person gives a damn when every day in this country someone or several are injured or killed in this country because of gun violence.

Every day people die because of cigarettes and Tabaco, something that Republicans and Trump want to promote. Trump has said many times that cigarettes do not cause cancer and that the link is Democratic propaganda. (Dangerous Idiot!)

Republicans, conservatives, and Trump never talk about or speak about the suicides, rapes, deaths, and violence to the LGBT community, which their actions foster. Their actions foster bullying, but where is the uproar, when someone gets bullied?

When a child gets born into this world that should not have and nobody wants to take care of them or the child is put in danger or grows up unhinged because certain people feel the need to invade other women’s bodies and decide for them but then look the other way on everything.

Where is the uproar, when the social safety net is attacked and seniors and the sick are put in harm’s way?

Where is the uproar when the poor and middle class is attacked for the sake of the rich? Republicans are trying with all their might to abolish the consumer finance agency, which Elisabeth Warren heads, which has saved millions of dollars for the low and middle class, but that does not cause mayhem and destruction.

Anti-Semitism and attacks on Jews are at an all-time high, but the tone is that we have to call fascism and white supremacist “alt-right”. Where is the outrage on that? Where are all the articles that should protest and say “Never again!” Has everyone forgot the lessons of the second world war? Where is the outrage like what I am seeing for the two lost service men?

When Republicans and conservatives destroy our country from the inside out and lesson the sanctity of public service and the Presidency, where is the outrage? I have heard Oprah saying that she never thought that a person, who has no political experience and whose resume is purely acting can get voted into the white house, so that maybe she should run. Where is the outrage that the highest position in the world responsible for this country, nuclear weapons, people’s lives, and other countries, not to mention this planet gets lowered to that like winning a job at McDonald’s. Where is the outrage from the schools and chants of “no more”?

Star Trek had several episodes talking about the needs of the many. Spock gave his life saying: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.” Okay, that last bit Kirk finished up. The point is that we talk of a service man, but ignore the many deaths, injury, violence, bullying, and financial destruction, but nobody says a word, not one word. People get divorced, who may never have gotten divorced, because their lives are altered and nobody shows any concern.

The concern that I see is whether or not Trump lies and whether or not Trump acted Presidential last Tuesday. I see people, 52%, saying that well, Trump does a good job and you have to look at things this way and not go by what he says. Really?

By the way, what happened to “Trump is someone with whom I can have a drink, and that is the important qualification to being a President.” That was a popular sentiment back in 2000 voiced initially by a female college student on why she voted for Criminal Bush and not Al Gore, someone dedicated to saving the planet and people’s lives. Really? How many people died because of climate change or will die and no outrage.

I can keep on going, but I hope that I made my point. It is okay to mention the death of the service man, but we should at the same time give word to the thousands each week and each day, who suffer, because of ignorance.

It is time to call the “Alt-Right” for who they are: Neo Nazis, fascists, White Supremacists, sociopaths, anarchists, and deranged individuals.

It is time to put the money that Trump wants to spend on the military to fixing our nations many problems: damns, electrical grids, roads, paying for guaranteed basic health care (universal health care, which is not mutually exclusive to the ACA, but rather complimentary, if people actually used their heads on the left).

It is time to permanently end ignorance and for people to embrace intelligence. It is time to end violence and to realize that the right has always promotes violence. We saw that as a society with McCarthyism and a host of other things. Wake up.

As Keith Olbermann says: Resist!

A Totally Awesome Weekend

Everyone is clambering for “Please let this do the trick. Trump must go!”, however there is another way to look at these events:

1. The more Trump and Republicans get involved in scandals and accusations, then the less time Congress has to focus and work on destroying America with laws that they will enact. One can only hope that Trump gets everyone involved in more and more accusations thus preventing the repeal of the ACA.

2. The more that things happen the less the media (CNN, etc.) will say that he looks Presidential every time he reads from a teleprompter and resorts to acting, his main profession. At some point, Trump will paint a complete picture for all to see.

3. Republicans and especially Trump will do awesome advertising for 2017 and especially 2018 elections, which will throw them decisively out of both chambers of congress.

4. Republicans and Trump will keep Democrats fired up and prevent them from falling into complacency, which is what triggered Trump and Republicans to gain power in the first place.

5. With Trump staying in power for the full term, he prevents Mike Pence and Paul Ryan from assuming the Presidency and both of them are far more dangerous. Democrats need to realize that “Trump must go” is only for 2020, not before.

6. With Trump acting, well, like Trump, the Democratic nominee for 2020 will have a much easier time. I am hoping for a landslide greater than Nixon and McGovern. I do not even want Trump to win one state. I want Trump to lose decisively in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

7. Democrats need to stay focused on winning both Chambers of Congress in 2020, so that they can undo the gerrymandering that Republicans did after the 2010 census. The best way for that to happen is for Republicans to dig their own graves.

8. Voters are less likely to support Republican ideologies and policies, if they keep seeing Republicans supporting Trump and the Russians.

9. 52% of the population screwed themselves in November 2016. The deed was done and there is no undo button until 2018 and 2020, so the best that can happen is to make sure that these 52% of the population and those that did not vote see full frontal what their actions and ignorance caused and to be reminded of that daily.

10. Hopefully, Trump will prove to the 52% of the population that actors should not be politicians and leaders. Trump and Republicans are doing much more than Democrats buying ads can do. Money does not work, as evidence by the amount of money spent on Hillary’s campaign and the Virginia state senate special election. What will win is Republicans to dig their own grave. That is priceless.

Remember, a perpetually unhinged Trump will eventually sway Independents (those leaning right, but have a bit of Democratic inside them) and maybe peel off a few layers of the more moderate conservatives.

The Atlantic ran an article saying that Trump’s behavior is McCarthyism all over again. Republicans always act like that. Just because Joe McCarthy retired from the senate decades ago does not mean that their attitude stopped. Republicans are always perfect and always blame someone else. That is what they do and especially what Donald Trump does. He always blames others and insights violence against others. Like I am saying and keep saying, the more that Trump and Republicans act like themselves and overtly with all Republicans supporting each other, the more that they will dig, and I hope permanently, their own grave.

A genuinely tweeting Trump, who makes unhinged statements, as Allen Clifton calls them, is a great day. Nothing says undoing the positive points that he got Tuesday and Wednesday, like the events yesterday. What a nice way to start a Sunday.

Just Add Murder

The title is a play on the Amazon original series, Just Add Magic. Everyone here in the United States needs a bit of magic and unified hard work to keep us safe from the likes of Trump and the right, which are hell bent on enacting policies that directly leads to murder, mayhem, and anarchy. That is, of course, by their design.

A few days ago, Trump signed an executive memorandum reversing an Obama executive order limiting guns from mentally unstable individuals. That executive order sought to prevent people, who really should not have guns that if they have guns would commit murder, possibly mass murder, from having access to weapons.

With all the talk of Sessions and whether or not Trump looked professional in front of congress, Allen Clifton, Keith Olbermann, and the media glossed over this executive memorandum reported on the 3^rd by the Washington Post. Trump signs executive orders and memorandums daily, but this one bears comment.

By the way, dictator wannabes only require a willing executioner, namely power hungry and obedient Republicans in both chambers of congress, who will blindly do whatever the dictator wants. That is how all dictatorships work from Russia to Cuba to North Korea to China to every other hell hole. When you have a dictator, who needs actual legislation?

The Republican ideology has always been to spread anarchy, mayhem, and federal unraveling. Republicans do not want federal (or state) government to work. They want chaos and violence. In this chaos and shouting they can extract money and power. They can do things that ordinarily they could not do. More importantly, there are people that thrive on disorder and violence. Republicans and conservatives are those types of individuals.

While the press corps were distracted by flashier topics and Republican fed propaganda, Trump reversed an Obama era legislation that strengthened background checks on guns. As the Washington Post wrote, the Obama era regulation required the Social Security Administration (SSA) to turn over to the FBI the names of individuals receiving disability checks for being mentally disabled. The SSA also had to turn over the names of others that could not handle their own finances. The FBI runs the background check database used when purchasing a weapon.

According to this Washington Post article there are 75000 such people with more coming on the list every day. With the Affordable Care Act, mental health and heath in general is one step closer to being accessible for all citizens, something the right obviously cannot have. How can you have chaos, suffering, and mayhem if citizens are healthy and government is working?

There is the upper class (real upper class), who must control everything and everyone else. All Republican action gears towards the short-sighted needs of the rich and anarchy. Both Ryan and Trump’s idea to revamp taxes is not about helping the middle and lower classes, but rather to stick it to the poor (15% as opposed to 10%) and help the rich (39% down to 35%). Capital gains, which only affect the rich, and corporate taxes also help the rich, as does repatriating corporate money from overseas, so that corporations do not have to pay taxes.

This new memorandum is nothing new. After each previous gun massacre from an individual, Republicans are anti limiting glocks, machine guns, and other extreme weapons. Preventing another Orlando is not their concern. Heck, Republicans are also on record for supporting students of all ages being allowed to bring guns and other weapons to school.

It is scary to think that Amazon’s “The Man in the High Castle” is based on reality, just there is no film maker trying to help mankind. We have Democrats and intellectuals, however there are many people fear intellectuals and reasonable thinking as I commented on earlier. We have in quite out terms the American Nazi / White supremacist party gaining the power of the presidency and the Republican party more than happy to oblige. All that is missing is the clothing.

They already try to, and to a large degree do, control the media outlets. CNN and the other media outlets talk about what Trump wants them to talk about. He plays CNN like an expert violinist plays the fiddle. CNN is just too stupid to realize it or they realize it and do not care. It was this playing to Trump’s tune that partially caused Hillary the election. While Trump was talking economics with the base, Hillary and the media was talking about penises, vaginas, the illegal Mexicans. Given the choice between jobs and an illegal Mexican, the choice was easy and CNN was there to help. Maybe the “taken out of context” Michael Moore film was right.

Back to topic, guns in the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable is the same as Trump going to New York Times Square with a machine gun on New Year’s Eve and with the protection of the police starts killing people by the hundreds with impunity. The difference is that in one case the killing is obvious and murder, while in the other case we have murder clouded in propaganda that conservatives and the ignorant do not get.

Although the topic of another blog entry, it is not a confidence that the West Coast and East Coast are blue, while the insides are red. The same ignorance gave us Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s and the same ignorance gives us these lunatics throughout the world now.

I wanted a photo of a child holding a machine gun. I just got lucky enough on my search to find this image. It says everything. The caption says everything: “We will not sell Kinder chocolate to children in the interest of child safety. Why not assault weapons? Trump and Republicans want to make it perfectly legal for children to take guns and weapons to school. Half of America thinks that is okay and the “liberal media” find talking about whether or not Trump is Presidential and the fate of illegal Hispanic people, who should apply for citizenship through regular channels more appealing. I found Mom’s Demand Action by chance and I got paid nothing, not a dime. CNN and the liberal media rather talks and posts links about whether Trump looks presidential. I wonder who is worse: Trump or the media?

Before closing, I found this article from Rev. Robert Franek posted on PoliticUsUsa.com and Rev. Franek is spot on and says what I said here, just much better talking of the millions of deaths the Republican Party committed and will commit and how Republicans put party before country. Here is a poignant paragraph from the article:

Now less than fifty days into Donald Trump’s presidency this Republican moral failing has reached its apotheosis. Amid a growing amount of intelligence information that begs for an independent investigation into the Russian hacking of the election, Congressional Republicans continue to downplay this need. It seems now that these Republican leaders are showing more loyalty to a foreign dictator than they are to the citizens who elected them and the Constitution to which they swore an oath to uphold. And if there is any loyal left for this country it is beholden to corporate interests at the expense of public and planetary health.

For all the talk of “Moral Majority”, I do not even see a “Moral Minority”.

Fight back! Learn. Study. Resist.

Being Presidential

Think about the following. When was the last time you walked up to a woman, any woman, and said “You look like a woman”? When was the last time you walked up to a man and said: “You look like a man”?

People and the media saying that a President looks Presidential has the built-in implication by the statement that he is not presidential that he does not look presidential and that he is not President. Does one walk up to a rock and say that the rock looks like a rock?

I never once thought that wow, President Kennedy looks presidential or Clinton. Heck, I never thought that about Raegan either, but here everyone but me is, except now in this post and only because I keep hearing this topic, talking about Trump “acting” presidential.

There is a Chabad temple not too far from where I live and I often on Saturday and other times see Chabadnicks walk along the street. I do make a mental note that I see them, but that is all. I say that they are walking to or from temple. I never once in my life said that Chabadnicks “act” or “look” like an Orthodox Jew; not once, not even subconsciously.

One does not question what one is. One is what one is. Period. A woman is a woman, period case closed. A Chabadnick is a Chabadnick. One does not say that Trump looked Presidential, because that says that every other time he does NOT look Presidential.

By the way, “look” is a far, far away thing and concept from being. When was the last media report that Trump “is” presidential (president) in other than by title?

Last comment is that Trump did not “look” Presidential, his staff did and that is a big difference. A “President” is President no matter where or when. Someone “always” having to do his work means that he “is not”.

What would happen if the only time that I “look” and “acted” like a software engineer was when someone else coded sometime for me and I turned that work in as my own? Would that not construe plagiarism and misrepresentation? That other person would be the software engineer, not me. I, however, for good or bad, did my website, coded DataMover all on my own, coded Jobfish, VsIncrementer, and all the many other software products on my own. My blog articles are mine too. I can wake up at 2:00 AM and still talk about anything that I did, because I did it.

Madam Secretary has speech writers, but she can talk with or without the notes, as those are her words. She often reads part of a speech, dumps the speech, and just talks. That is a leader and shows that Tea Leoni’s character IS Secretary of State and one day maybe President.

The next time that you hear Trump “looks” or “sounded” Presidential ask yourself do you want someone that “looks” Presidential or, rather, do you want someone that IS presidential, a leader, someone who speaks for ALL America and pushes America.

A leader shows humility, can admit weakness and faults, cares about the country, can act and think alone, wants people who are smarter than they are surrounding them (like Barak Obama did), and knows that they know nothing, just a fraction of what there is to learn. Trump, like Putin and others, is, well, perfect, flawless.

Being President of the United States requires someone who is NOT perfect, because only when you fall some zillion times do you learn enough and built the understanding that goes into a leader. People of the United States are flawed and with problems. They want a leader, who understands them and knows how to lead. Bubble orange boy was born with a silver spoon, used people, and presided over many failed businesses, not to mention his scamming university. That is not a leader nor a person who understands the masses nor someone who speaks for all.

Why did Jesus live as a human for many years? Why did Jesus walk among men? He could have come here on a Roman carriage thundering riding on a cloud and saying that g-d has come? That is not what the writers of the New Testament wrote, because they knew that that would not make Jesus a leader. There are exceptions, of course, such as Kennedy, but Trump is no Kennedy.

My take on Rick Santorum’s comments attacking health care (ACA)

Allen Clifton wrote an article commenting on former Senator Rick Santorum comments regarding on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Santorum objects to how poor people game the system and cause the cost of health care to rise. Santorum makes it sound like health care costs were flat and Democrats decided to introduce legislation for the hell of it. I want to add in my own 2-cents.

What happens after 3-months? Pre-existing conditions do not go away. All I read (and see) is that the right always goes after the low and middle class, just like they always do, and push legislation to help the rich, banks, and CEOs claiming “trickle-down economics”.

I see no difference to the “tax redesign” to which Trump and Paul Ryan (WI) keep talking. Republicans want to increase taxes on the poor (12% to 15%) and lower taxes on the rich (39% to 35%) and have the uneducated say thank you for that. The ACA is one of the best pieces of legislation regarding health in forever and is the first step towards guaranteed universal healthcare.

One more thought on this topic, as long as I got the like :), a person abusing the system and not paying for the 3-months will:

Get blacklisted and be unable to purchase further insurance
Get creditors on their back demanding money
Get a lawsuit filed against them
Never be left alone on the phone
Get a record
Be unable to get insurance ever again
Who in their right mind would think that an average low-income to middle-income person could get the upper hand on an insurance company? That is like an average person gaming a casino in Las Vegas. The house always wins. Period.
The house has lawyers and the like.
The GOP is on the side of big business and the rich, regardless of Trump’s latest tweet that the GOP now stands by the working person (barf, sickening, disgusting), never the low person
When has Santorum ever been on the side of the low or working people? I defy anyone to name one instance. Come on. Name it. The GOP is never on the side of the working person. That is an oxymoron.

In summary, Rick Santorum’s comments are baseless and worthless. That he appeared on CNN IS PROOF positive that CNN is either neutral or on Trump’s side, not the left, as they give equal airtime to lies. CNN should have told Santorum to take a hike and shove it.

If you have a chance, let me know what you think of progressivesleading.com. I am attempting to fight back against the onslaught of the right from their hate speech to their gerrymandering.

Once more into the breach (Star Trek Undiscovered / Shakespeare references), as when it comes to health care and misinformation I am like a Pit Bull and cannot let the subject go. No worries, I will aggregate my three comments on this topic at my progressivesleading.com site.

One can draw several more takeaways from Citizen Rick Santorum’s comments on CNN regarding the ACA.

Insurance is not a guarantee of services. As last I heard, there are deductibles and co-payments. A bad credit means that one will not be able to go back to a doctor and definitely not to a hospital.
Low-income people do not have Platinum plans. They will have subsidized or bronze level service, as that is what they can afford. At the bronze level, exactly what will they gain from 3-months free insurance, which requires a steep out of pocket for any service? Hmm? I want to know. Talk to me.
One has to ask why a low-income person “game” the system by paying 9-months and then not paying the remaining 3-months. Let us give this person, who steals money from the innocent rich, $20 / hour, and I am super generous here, as I should say $12 per hour, which sounds a bit more logical. At best, they will have maybe $2,000 per month for their family for everything, and I do mean everything. Food, housing, transportation, and health care will take more than what they have, let alone cover the costs of everything else. What about Rick Santorum and the right talking about a “living wage”. Hmm? Asshole.
Rick Santorum makes one believe that every low and middle-income person are crooks, while big companies and rich people are poor innocent victims, who need pitying hand help. I assume that the people believing this crap are low-income people, who suffer and try to make ends meet and think that others are even worse. That is such a bullshit thought.
Rich people and companies have the time, money, and resources to game the system. They have connections and lobbyists to do their share. As Warrant Buffet said, he pays less in taxes than his secretary.
There are plenty of crooked upper income people too, so we can discount both sets.
The health care industry had a huge hand in designing the ACA. The costs of healthcare exponentially rising, the reason the ACA exists in the first place, has been happening for a long time. If the reason, or even top 100 reasons, costs of health care rising is because of poor people not paying money, then why did not, and does not, the health insurance companies mention that? They always talk preexisting conditions, costs of health, liability, and the like.
It just crossed my mind, but more Republicans have unhealthy life styles than Democrats do. People on the west and east coasts like to exercise, into vegan, not smoke, go see therapists, etc., while the rural smoke, eat meats, and bicker about who goes to church more than the other. One has to ask what the reason for the cost of health care rising.
In my experience, it is always Republican gaming the system by exploiting the social safety net. When confronted, they invariantly tell me: “I paid into the crooked system, so I should get my money’s worth.”
How about the idea that basic health care is a right, not a privilege. If everyone has basic insurance provided by the federal government, then insurance through the various carriers would be an add-on. That would solve Rick Santorum’s big problem in life.
Why does Rick Santorum focus his energy on complaining and knocking the low-income people rather than being constructive?
Most low-income people work hard and struggle just to get by holding multiple jobs.
Why does Rick Santorum not complain about auto insurance and people gaming them? Heck, for that matter, why is Rick Santorum not complaining about the requirement that ALL PEOPLE must have auto insurance in order to drive? What an asshole and hypocrite he and the GOP are.
Insurance companies can take care of themselves. Does anyone doubt that insurance companies have attorneys, staff, lobbyists, and government officials helping them?
We are talking of the same person and party, which gutted Elisabeth Warren consumer board, which has helped countless and saved billions for the low and middle class.

Okay, I think that I made my points. Like my write-up on the opera Salome on my progressivesleading.com blog, the ignorant mindless sheep of the GOP screw themselves and gain nothing.

In looking for an image for this article, I came across the site ObamaCareFacts.com.

I will close with a quote taken from ObamaCareFacts.com: “Each of the law’s many provisions have had varying degrees of success with some exceeding expectations, others drawing criticism, and others getting legislative changes. Despite the mixed sentiment, the uninsured rate is at a long-time low and under the ACA, health care spending grew at the slowest rate on record (since 1960). Meanwhile, health care price inflation is at its lowest rate in 50 years.”

It seems to be working. Maybe, Rick Santorum and the rest of the right can start quoting facts.

As Keith Olbermann says, Resist! Fight back!

Let me know your thoughts.

How the U.S. is Currently Like Richard Strauss’s Opera Salome

Last night I saw the opera Salome by Richard Strauss and could not help thinking how the opera applies to our situation today. The character of Princess Salome would be the mindless sheep that follow the GOP ignoring facts and believing whatever propaganda falls their way.

Salome as near as I can see takes place about 2000 years ago, during the time of Jesus and in relatively the same area, namely somewhere between Egypt, Arab territories, and what is not Israel, then Palestine. Rome comes somewhere in here too. Her love interest is Jokanaan and thanks to Spark Notes, Jokanaan is Wilde’s Saint John the Baptist, is the prophet imprisoned in a tomb-like cistern at the orders of the Tetrarch. “Terrible to look at”, he spends much of the play in his subterranean prison, figuring as a mad, booming voice that prophecies the ruin of the kingdom, curses the royal family, and proclaims the coming of Christ.

Princess Salome initially talks about wanting to kiss Jokanaan because he has such a beautiful voice. Only the voice matters to her. I thought that she was ditzy and ignorant, but we are talking of women portrayed by men 2000 ago, so I gave some leeway. The next thing that I know she wants to have kiss him because of his beautiful black hair and only hair interests her. My thought then is that she is an idiot. I had no issue with her being attracted to the sound of a voice, but in the next breath she was attracted to hair and hair alone. And in this manner the scene progressed. She never did win me back. Jokanaan wanted nothing to do with her instead focusing on Jesus, never named Jesus, always “The Son of Man”.

She left without having Jokanaan kiss her. She was upset. Her father asked her to dance. I think the king was her father. She refused. He offered her “anything” for her to give one dance. She did and her price afterwards was the head of Jokanaan on a silver platter, literally. The king tried to talk her out of it, but she refused, so she got the head of Jokanaan on a silver platter.

She then kissed him and said that she finally gets a kiss. I thought to myself that she is an ignorant shit believing in fantasy. A kiss is only a kiss, when both parties give a kiss. A kiss is in fact an interaction between souls, not a head on a silver platter. With that kiss the executioners came, as she committed murder. The play ends with her being an ignorant idiot never obtaining the kiss that she wanted and forfeiting her life in the process. I was right at the start. She is an idiot.

Fast forward 2017 years to modern times, but not near the Sea of Galilee but rather here in the United States. We have conservatives giving up the phrase: “look at what he does, not what he says” and ignoring the vast number of lies. Huffington Post wrote an article on Trump’s first 100 lies, since taking office.

Virtually all conservatives are enthralled by Trump because he is rich and knows how to run a business. I already wrote an article asking if Trump is really that rich. I should have added in that article that Trump had a money extortion business in that university stealing money from people, and he talks of the Clinton Foundation, where 99% goes to charity, and his several bankrupted businesses, not to mention that all his business steal money from people and uses free labor. That is hardly a role model. If we subtract out that he is rich, then he is definitely not someone to run this country. By the way, running a government is not the same as running a business, so that analogy is false.

His mindless sheep ignore the many facts about Trump and the GOP and continuously shoot themselves in the foot. They gravitate to his hair and then to his orange skin. They gravitate to his being rich and to his helping the rich. They gravitate to his gravitating to the lowest of the low, when he attacks others, of course never himself. He attacks African Americans, Muslims, Jews, and everyone who is less than he is, although truth be told, everyone is pretty much above him. Why? He has the opportunity to influence the world to be better, but rather he uses his notoriety and position with the public to foment hate, violence, illness, death, and misery. That is someone at the bottom, a bottom feeder; scum. My thought every time I see his mindless sheep is that they are an idiot and shooting themselves in the foot.

After his followers have their healthcare taking away, they are smiling and say Trump is our guy and at least I got to kiss him. After their taxes go up, safety net go away, and jobs taken away they will take a Trump doll and kiss his lips uttering at least I got to kiss him. I will then say what I said last night. You all are idiots.

After they decide to dump their health insurance, because Trump removed their health insurance mandate, and they get sick and have to go to the hospital and ask the public to pay for them, I will would like to throw them out in the street, but rather I would say “you are an idiot”.

Everything that Trump and the GOP have done have solidified my belief that they are idiots and shooting themselves, if not directly placing their heads in the shopping block. Not one GOP Senator or House Representative stands up for the truth, not even Susan Collins, Senator from Maine, who is not really moderate, but just another mindless sheep.

I talked to a GOP mindless sheep and I got cited how the deficit under President Obama increased nearly $10 trillion dollars, so we need someone like Trump to save the day on the economy. What a mindless ignorant drone. The national debt increasing nearly $10 trillion dollars happened because of two events, both of which were a direct result of Republican actions, namely the repeal of the Glass Steagall act, which allowed banks in engage in dangerous derivative manipulations triggering the bank collapse of 2008 and the housing bubble collapse, which also happened in that year. When the economy tanked and people wanted money and the lack of money going into federal coffers, the deficit increased.

President Obama, even then continuing something Criminal Bush started, created and passed legislation saving the economy from a Great Depression #2. The fact that the economy improved and improved as rapidly as it did is a testament to the 2-years of leadership he was afforded. The economy counter to Trump’s claims is doing better and crime is lower.

Should I mention that gun violence and murder are the direct result of the GOP being tied at the hip to the NRA and gun lobbyists? I do not want to hear about second amendment and constitution arguments, as Republicans could care less about the constitution and the rule of law. They only care about the law as long as it serves their power interest and short term interests. Even Republicans have to live on this planet and breath air.

Yesterday, Democrat Stephanie Hansen, won the special election for an open Senate seat. Here we have the first sword, if you wish, getting ready to slay the prince, princess.

Sooner or later Justice will get served and heads will roll. I just hope that the right will wake up before it is too late. Being a party of no, obstructing everything, and voting endlessly to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act only digs the U.S. further into a grave. We need a lift before it is too late. Let the United States not be a typical opera.

Is Donald Trump Really That Rich?

Allen Clifton wrote another awesome article on 10 Things Trump Has Done That Indicate He’s Lying About Having Ties to Russia. Although I want to talk about his wealth, or the lack thereof, as one of the comments pointed out, I do want to touch on this subject of Trump and Russia.

Trump goes out of his way to attack virtually everyone. There is virtually no one that is immune. We are talking of an individual, who can say “You are fired!” and not lose sleep or think of the consequences that the action would take. One wonders, if he would ever fire himself or hold himself to his own standards. Of course, he will not.

For all his attacks, there has never been a single attack on Russia or on Putin. Now, I can imagine that he would not attack Russia. Maybe, he is fond of the place or views Russia and Putin differently. I, for one, still remember the movie Dr. Zhivago starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. I also remember studying Russia’s Weimar Republic and their fledgling attempt at democracy. Maybe, I just do not have a hardnosed outlook on country, even Germany, but rather look towards individuals. As such, I can imagine someone not wanting to bad mouth a specific country, however Trump is definitely not this type of person and we are talking Putin, the man, who invaded an independent country, took actions against the United States, tries to manipulate our allies, and has worked tirelessly to rebuild the former Soviet Union. He is also a KGB agent, an intelligence officer, which is someone that one would think Trump would hate, but he does not. There is also the small evidence that Putin stole information on Trump, not just Hillary, which is a point Allen forgot to make. I should write an entire article on Trump and Russia, but for now, back to the thesis of this article.

Trump is definitely not as rich as he claims. That is reality. Where would he have received poorer than he advertises. He greatly exaggerates his wealth. He is obviously not poor. The election greatly helped him in this respect, but he is not a huge billionaire either.

For example, however long ago, Trump gave Charlie Sheen a watch, which he claimed is “very, very expensive”. Charlie Sheen had an appraisal friend over at his house for some other reason, nothing to do with the watch, and he decided to ask the value of the watch. The response is that the watch was a knockoff, a fake. Trump lied, nothing new there. In addition to Trump fabricating the value of the watch, he over estimated his wealth, nothing new there too.

If Trump was so rich, he would not behave financially like he does. He outsources everything. Uses cons to get rich, such as his university. His companies go bankrupt, and he was no longer employed on a television show. Couple that with his high burn rate and high probability to become irrelevant, as younger actors become more the rage, and there is a recipe for going broke, at least by his standards.

Another thought that comes to mind is his penchant for fake gold. Everything around him uses fake gold. A person, who proudly does that, probably fakes other things.

There is also the matter during his presidential run, when he stiffed some in his campaign staff. The office space for his campaign looked like a dump, when I saw published pictures of them.

One can write a novel on why Trump did not release his tax returns and his actions regarding them. I can only imagine what Trump would have said to Clinton, if the situation was reversed.

One thing by itself does not paint a picture, however like Russia, there are many small things that add up to something profound.

On the Russia front, I would not be surprised, as Barrie points out, that Putin and other oil barrens bailed him out, and that is the cause for his treasonous acts.

Just a side thought, I am not sure whether to think his game makes him look innocent or guilty. If Trump were guilty, most people would not raise red flags and just go along as business as usual torturing Putin, so as to make it look like he is not lovers with Putin. That is not the case. His actions make him look guilty, which could be a sign that he is innocent or a sign that everyone would think that he is innocent, as a guilty person would not do that, but is actually guilty.

In the end, Trump is Trump and is transparent, always has been and still is. I am beginning to like Trump. He is great for the Democratic Party and causes, like nobody else. Besides, he has a great side show. He made the Presidency into a reality show.

Does Trump’s Tweet Against the Media Violate the Constitution?

There is talk among progressives that Trump’s tweets attacking the media is treasonous. Keith Olberman in his video makes this claim. I counter that the attack, although dangerous, insightful, hideous, and a cancer on the Presidency does not equate to treason or a violation of the 1st amendment to the constitution. Trump stated his opinion, but that is granted as a right. There could be a case, though not for treason, for the same reason that one cannot yell fire in a crowded theater.

Trump uses and insights people willingly and knowingly to get them worked up and not look to the big picture. That is how he won. While the left kept talking about the Gold family and attacks on Muslims, the left did not make there case on the economy. Trump knew what he was doing. He plays the same game even now.

A fight to censure Trump or move to impeach him, would distract the public (progressives) from legislation that the right would pass, from executive orders being signed, money and power grabbing, and payouts to their rich donors.

The fight must stay focused on local elections and on 2018, not to mention staying vigilant on his executive orders. I understand Keith’s anger, but we have to resist and stay focused, not play into Trump’s hand again and again.

Someone wrote me stating that Trump “will have a chilling effect on reporters and the media corporations. That makes Trumps anti media rants just as insidious.”

All Republicans have huge negative impacts on people domestically and on the world stage. Just their direct cost of the government shutdown in 2014 by Republicans cost tax payers $24 billion (I just looked up the actual number), not even taking into account the secondary costs or the 60+ times they spent tax payers money to investigate Hillary, vote out the ACA, and every other wasteful thing. I would put the actual amount closer to quite possibly a half trillion dollars.

If we add to that the amount of money that the U.S. lost had Republicans improved the economic climate, improved domestic health of the entire population, and been the party of “Yes” and “Can do” instead of the party of “no”, we very well could have had another half trillion dollars in earned income and more if we tack in the amount lost due to poor health in the 19 states that did not adopt the ACA enhanced medical.

Very easily our $20 trillion national debt could be $18 trillion, a huge reduction, which compounded over the years would amplify. As such, Republicans are directly to blame. The huge balloon debt that increased during Obama’s years in office, just under $8 trillion, was the direct result of the near great depression part 2 and the hit that all sectors took. Republicans caused the recession with the repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act, which allowed the banks to engage in derivatives. The housing bubble, another factor, also ties in here.

Now, imagine the people that die or suffer because of lack of health care, poor roads and infrastructure, and the like.

Now, add in gun violence because Republicans fail to act on comprehensive gun reform. There are many deaths and injuries each year.

Republicans are evil as are their followers. Ignorance is not an excuse. The blood is on their heads. We have blood on our hands too, because:

1. We bicker among ourselves

2. There are several DINOs, which we do not extricate, Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Senator Joseph “Joe” Manchin III of West Virginia to name two.

3. We do not come out and vote

4. The left throws temper tantrums (Bernie or Bust), think here Bust

5. Not refuting lies (against Hillary come to mind, but elsewhere to)

6. Going into meaningless activities (99% sit-ins a few years back, marches, etc.), while the right organizes and wins elections.

7. Progressive vs. liberal infighting

8. Not voicing loud feedback, like the right, whenever they lie or obstruct.

9. Not giving one-liners (thumbs up or down!, lock her up, etc.). The right always gives memorably one-liners.

10. Not making gerrymandering an issue until well after the fact but even now immigration gets much more attention.

The list goes on, but I think that I made my point.

The left’s previous inaction with the right’s criminal activities already has huge implications across the board. Japan, Europe, and other countries no longer look to us. Our standing across the board is much less than it was. Our infighting now puts us way behind other countries in very important areas: healthcare (which is a right), education, transportation, infrastructure, governance, death and violence, wage, standard of living, research, and a host of other things.

The U.S. is the butt of jokes with all of us paying the price. That is criminal and causes death, injury, and destruction. The right is dangerous in the extreme. Trump’s attack on the media is disgraceful, but they the right and all their leadership is disgraceful. There are plenty of other actions that Republicans have done, which rise to “treason” and “criminal” status. Trump’s talk against the media, IMHO, does not. Heck, the right’s attack on the Supreme Court is treasonous. There are much better targets.

The most dangerous people in Washington is not Donald Trump. The levers of power belong to Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House and Senator from Wisconsin, Mitch McConnell, Senator from Kentucky, and of course the former governor of Indiana Mike Pence. Trump is President and a huge sideshow.

Right now, we all need to focus on taking America back. There is a special election in Delaware tomorrow and in Georgia soon. We need to win back at the local level and prove that the 99% and our planet matters.

The Possible End of Era Where Everyone Looks Up to Us

Trump is not really the end of an era, as this Politico article mentions, as for years for a variety of reasons, some of our own doing and some not, our influence and leader status diminishes.

Every time we show ourselves as a spectacle, we get laughed at and diminished. If we do not have our own affairs in order, the same happens. Ping ponging does that too.

The U.S. is like any family. If a family is at war with itself, the focus is on destruction, and not leading. What makes it worse is if people put power, greed, hang-ups (intolerance of any kind), ignorance of any kind, then the family starts to fall apart.

One issue is fine, but not repeatedly.

If the U.S. is to not be an embarrassment, we need to change.

Education for all inclusive of university. We are as strong as our weakest link.
Healthcare for all. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege of the rich.
Gun control, or should I say gun eradication. The constitution indicates the right of militias, now known as state national guards, such as the California National Guards. Seriously, the founders did not have machine guns in mind. We have a different time now.
Acceptance of all. We are a nation of immigrants.
The right needs to get rid of its selective idea of big brother when it suits them and states rights when it does not. They are full of it on this point.
Improve our infrastructure. Trump quietly acknowledges that their is no “credits” and other gimmicks. The federal government will have to pay, not $1 trillion but probably a heck of a lot more. California alone can eat up $1 trillion for damn, sewage, electricity and more.
What is with the right to pump endless amounts of money to the military and then fuck each and every army person, when they get discharged. Also, the money is better spent.
Do not get me started no nukes and the right’s position on it.
Russia: They are the enemy people. Unbelievable on the uptick by mindless sheep and the ignorant, just because Trump says so. One cannot make this up.
The right’s “Party of No” and “ABC” (anything but Clinton) and “Our strategy is to make Obama a one term president” and all the other low down things done have got to stop. The right needs to grow up and actually be constructive.

We are not past the point of no return, but we are close. Wake up America.

The list is endless.

Hit me up on Facebook and Twitter. Let me know what you think. As always, resist!

What Is a Dream Job and How to Land It

The mechanics of finding a job has not changed in years with people finding jobs with little different from that of their grandparents. People complained then and now. The lack of jobs is only a small part of the problem. The greater part of the problem is the job search strategy.

First, let me cite some facts.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate for March 2015 held steady at 5.5% with the number of unemployed people at 8.6 million. In December 2007, just prior to the Great Recession, the unemployment rate was 5.0%. The graph of the unemployment and long-term unemployment rates from 1948 onward shows the most employed periods for three brief times. We are roughly at the medium unemployment rate.

Here is the graph that the Bureau of Labor Statistics put out.

That pretty much means according to government statistics that anyone can have any job they want and that the “Great Recession” is over not just in name but in reality. One can argue that Starbucks thrives and luxurious coffee is should be the first to go, when tightening the purse/wallet.

Yet, finding a job, a real job, is as hard today than at any other time, more so now, for reasons that I frequently talk about: globalization (outsourcing, H1-B visas, etc.), the Internet, productivity improvements, a lack of the next big thing here in the States, and a declining education gap, when compared to the rest of the world.

In this article, I want to talk of only a couple of the issues, namely what is a dream job and proper strategies.

Let me start off by stating some facts:

Know thy self
Employers care about solving their problem
Most people are turned off by beginning sales and marketing tactics
One actually has to work a bit to get a job
Money is a byproduct, not the goal

I was more than a year into my bachelor’s degree. UCLA administrators started lecturing me about the need to declare a major. Other than a student and doing meaningless things, I had never been anything. I felt a degree had a direct correlation to what I wanted to do, but as I did not know what would make me happy, make lots of money, and what would excel at, I could not easily choose a profession. The solution to this dilemma was to choose a path, and the universe will correct the path, which it did.

Many people say they want to land their dream job, but few, when questioned directly, can truly site what that is. I have heard “bigger financial reward” as an answer, but money and a paycheck are byproducts. Employers hire the best candidate to solve their problem. People are the best, when they are motivated by their work.

Take two doctors. One doctor does his/her job, but talks about everything but chiropractic things. Evenings and free time get spent with everything but being a doctor. Radio, babies, parties, learning Spanish, talking with people, talking about how horrible vaccinations are, and a whole slew of other things are the course de jour.

The other doctor gets absorbed in his/her job. A patient (I in this case) asks a simple question, the next thing that I know, I get walked to a white board, where I get shown molecules, receptacles, and hear more about affinity and attraction than I ever wanted to know. There were a couple of minutes of DNA tossed into the mix too. A stupid thing to ask is “Did you read this article?” I cannot tell you that it took me a few times asking that question, before I realized how dumb it was. This person’s hobby is his/her profession. Nothing gets written or said without this person knowing it.

Which doctor would you want to treat you? I hope that you said the second. The best profession is that which involves your hobby and where you have an interest. The most successful people marry the two. Money flows from your interest.

Before anyone starts saying lawyers, I knew a person, who got a law degree, passed the bar, and had a hell of a time finding a job. Why? Their interest was not in law. Law was just something that happened.

That gets me to sales and marketing. Please do not play “sales and marketing”. To quote a famous line from the ancient (dinosaurs still did not exist on the planet) television series Dragnet: “Just the facts, ma´am; just the facts”.

Employers, recruiters, human resource personnel, and everyone in between:

Have only a couple of minutes to read a resume
Have many resumes to read
Hate to read
Loathe sales and marketing talk

The best sales and marketing pitch, comes when you genuinely have an interest in what you do. State the facts, and do not deviate from that. Lying is meaningless, because the truth is there for others to see.

Use social media and your resume to paint a picture. Do not glorify yourself with any embellishments. For instance, “I singlehandedly against great obstacles, figured out how to implement the project against others, who had a vested interest against the project succeeding. My efforts helped the company realize $2M in savings the first year alone. I then was able to implement productivity improvements leading to further savings.” My first thought when reading these types of statements is “thanks and no thanks”.

Do not talk of your personal life, unless it relates, and never go negative. Do not paint past employers in glowing or any other light. The interviewer does not care about your past companies, just what you did directly relate to your ability to solve a problem. Also, show an ability to adapt to the particulars of the situation, as no problem is ever the same.

To state the matter simply, your resume must not only show knowledge of the problem, but an interest in solving the problem, and relevant experience. You should show the same information everywhere, no matter where someone goes they should see the same thing.

If you know what your dream job is and have your documentation (resume, cover letter, social media, etc.) paint the picture that you are the expert, then you are a huge step closer to landing a position no matter the economic climate. The perfect climate starts with you.

About Sarah Weinberger

Sarah Weinberger is a professional career coach, software and systems engineer, and author. She can be contacted through the butterflyvista.com or careerarbalest.com.

Career and/or Job Search Burnout

Although most people do not work hard or smartly enough in a job search, there is such a thing as over doing a job search and burning out. Burnout comes up on one slowly, and as such it may be hard to spot. The trick is doing proper self-reflection, living properly, and setting clearly articulated and reachable goals. Remember that just like employers have goals and problems to resolve, as do employees. We each have needs. Finding a proper balance that deals with all the competing forces are key to health and happiness.

Recognizing Burnout

How can you tell if you have burnout? The answer is simple. Listen to yourself, how you talk to others, and what others say about you. You are with yourself 24×7, so you may not even realize that you have burnout.

The classic signs of burnout are short temperedness and irritability, lowered attentiveness, unable to recall information, and generally not being upbeat. You can snap at others for the smallest of things. Maybe being irritable while driving is not just because of too many vehicles on the road, but burnout.

The Employers

You can see that as Employers do look if you are upbeat. That is human nature, as nobody wants someone who will weigh them down (picture yourself with each half of the Titanic strapped to your legs) or needing rest and relaxation before they even start. Employers want candidates, who can hit the ground running and are at the top of their game and not someone who is irritable, tired, and needs time off before they even start.

You might even be working in a job, no job search, but if you have career burnout, then you can be a tragedy waiting to happen. Remember that employers do not care about you. They care about productivity and the resolution of their problem.

The Causes of Burnout

The obvious reason for burnout is simply piling on way too much on your plate in any day than what the mind and body can tolerate. Taking a day off during the week, whether you do or not, may not suffice for detox. Not taking a quiet hour before retiring for the night can also be a factor. We live in a wired world, where it is far too easy to be wired and going during all waking hours.

Another cause of burnout is trying to do too much. When we are younger, we have grandiose ideas of what we want to accomplish. When midlife hits and we realize that we did not do even half of what we originally set out to do, the temptation might be to double down and work harder or simply get sad. Taking time to reflect and ascertain priorities becomes a must. Do you hate what you are doing? Would taking time for a career change be in order? Maybe instead of looking for a job, more education might be the ticket. Now would be the time to pursue a dream, if it financially makes sense.

Remember that burnout is caused not just by working too much, but also can happen as the result of disliking what you are doing. If that is the case, your health and sanity might warrant a change in tactics. Issues in your personal life can also weigh you down and cause burnout and stress. A job search must take time to deal with these issues. Time is money, but not dealing with problems costs way more time and money than trying to bury the problems underneath a rug and pretending that they do not exist.

The Simple Solution

Much of the time, you can go further by taking a break. If movies are not your thing or you cannot afford that, then go for a walk or to the mall. Every job search should have regularly scheduled downtime, where you think and do something other than work. In the end, that will help your quest for employment. A job search should not be more than 10 to 11 hours of serious work a day.

The Prioritization and Reflection

What is necessary is to decide in priority order what you want to do and accomplish setting realistic goals and schedule. You should your day to accomplish these goals. Do not forget to factor in what would make you the most happy. What makes you the most happy may not be what brings in the most money, at least in the short to midterm, but will in the long-term. You will live longer too. Nothing ages a soul and body, like stress. Stress is good to a degree, but only to a degree.

If you do have stress, then take a deep breath and calm down. There is always a new day. That sounds like advice that one would ignore, but rushing to accomplish a task, taking shortcuts, being stressed, and being anything but methodical and precise will only exasperate the problem. The quickest road to success is through creating a proper game plan and then executing that plan. Discuss the plan with an outside person. You are too absorbed in your own situation to think clearly. Hire a career coach or talk to a friend, who is dispassionate and will advise you honestly. Be careful, as friends will tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. They also know you very well and are, by definition, not very objective.

The Clearly Set Goals List and Daily Schedule

You may be surprised to learn that when you work to clearly set goals (not just big ones, but incremental steps towards accomplishing those goals) that you become a happier worker and have a different frame of mind. Be sure to create milestones for yourself and set rewards, big and small, for accomplishing milestones. They can be something small, like a walk around the block, or something larger. Set up a schedule for the day. Create harmony and a rhythm. That feeling of reward will give you the strength to push to the next goal and ultimately success.

The Physical Exercise Regimen

Do not forget to exercise. A healthy body is necessary for a healthy mind and reduced burnout. Workouts reduce stress, get the blood flowing, and help the mind focus. Eat properly, and make sure to get enough rest, but not too much.

Engineering principles apply to life, just as they do to an engineering project. Almost, I would call engineering principles as life principles, because how you tackle and resolve problems in life are the same than how you would handle them in engineering or solving a mystery.

You have to first understand the problem. You have to wrap your head around the problem at hand taking into account all external forces and issues. You have to write down the inputs, outputs, and define the black box function generator. You have to create plans, wire-frames, set goals, work connections, allocate resources, and methodically puzzle your way through. Rome was not built in a day, so nor are goals reached in a day.

You must also be in touch with yourself. You might want to take up meditation or yoga. The breathing exercises and stretching can help focus the mind and get you to properly self-reflect.

Remember to not bulldoze your way to a solution. Make course corrections and adjustments as necessary. Factor in feature creep wisely.

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Sarah Weinberger is a professional career coach and software and systems engineer. She can be contacted through the Butterflyvista website.

How to handle a job loss?

On the first day, have a good cry / moping session, catch your breath, because the following day starts a new and better chapter. The loss of a job means that your task completed or that you were not that good of a fit for your expertise. You might have done something wrong, or some sort of combination.

The other purpose to take a breather on the first day is that a job search requires a fresh look with no emotional baggage. The first day, maybe two depending upon the circumstance emotions are high, anxiety is high, and the reality has not yet fully set in. Wait for the dust to settle and prepare to start working mentally. A job search is a job in and of itself and will be quite different from the job that you just completed.

Before delving into the mechanics, I highly recommend to work with a professional career coach. Just as most projects are best done in a collaborative team environment and athletes use a coach, so should a job seeker use someone. A job seeker does not eat, breath, and sleep career searches, an expert does. I am a big fan of working smartly in teams and bouncing off ideas and getting feedback and opinions. There is also the side benefit of having someone else to impress. Think a teacher. The money spent will be made up by getting a more rewarding and fulfilling job sooner than later.

Summary of steps to follow:

Spend a portion of each day for a week writing down in a text document or piece of paper an honest assessment of what went right and wrong in your most recent position. Even if you feel that you are perfect, write down things that you could have done better. I want you to really hone in on your strengths and mostly your weaknesses.
Work out any personal issues as best as possible.
Ascertain what skills you have and what direction you want to pursue. What would make you happy and where do your passions lie? The best job is that which would make you happy and be enthusiastic for going to work. One has to be real and take into account that the best job is one that pays, is close, and brings in a steady and consistent paycheck. A big secondary is that you like the environment / colleagues.
Update your resume and online presence inclusive of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media.
Update your profile on the main job boards.
Apply to jobs online and directly through company portals.
Reach out to your network and recruiters.
Research companies that need your skill set.
Always keep in mind that looking for work is a harder task than working and not done one-hour per day, but rather 7 to 8 or more hours per day.
Create a message and network

Remember that personal and professional lives share a common trait, namely that people gravitate towards individuals that are honest, passionate, positive, and not self-absorbed. Think of how you can solve the others problems, not how they can solve yours. Money is a byproduct. Follow your heart, as it knows best, to a degree, but realities do take precedence. You may want to surf for a living, but being a legal assistant or lawyer is more financially prudent. The same goes for acting. For every one well-known actor, Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, there are zillions more that have no name recognition. Life requires a consistent and steady cash flow not subject to variations.

You also have to take into account market realities. Is your current field flooded? Are there needs somewhere else? Is your skill set mostly outsourced or done overseas? Is your skills et outdated and either no longer needed or on its way out? Is your skills et seasonal (think of a construction worker)? You may want to create a short-term and long term plans. Maybe the short term is getting a part-time job and then going back to school and changing paths. You should weigh all these considerations and then run by your findings and thoughts by an independent person. You would be surprised how something sounds, when you say it to someone else besides just yourself.

Companies, much like people, are quite self-centered and have their interests and immediate problem at heart. When hiring managers put out a requisition, the reason is to fill a need. They need someone to solve a pressing problem. It is their misfortune (need) that is your good fortune. All interaction that you have with a company should answer their need and state why you are the best person to solve their problem rather than someone else. They do not care about previous employers, your needs, great projects that you did in the past, or anything beyond the narrow prism of the best person at the price that they can afford that can solve their problem and get them to the next step.

People also hate to read and do not have time to read novels. You will be lucky if your resume gets more than a 30-second glance. If you provide a summary, they will glance at that. The human resource manager, recruiter, or hiring manager will look at the timeline, companies, titles, and maybe a few bullet points or highlighted skills. If they feel that your resume is a novel, out it goes. Do keep that in mind. You write for someone else to read. Think what you would do if you had a stack of resumes to go through.

If you go in for an interview, be concise and to the point. Show them step by step, why you have what it takes to solve their problem. State their problem. Play with their problem, like a fiddler would show off his skills at fiddling to a rival.

Do research ahead of time. You must know your audience and the people with whom you will talk, as you do not want to talk above their heads or below it. You will be a standup comedian with an audience for all intent and purpose, just no jokes, all business. You do not want to use words that sound like gibberish. For all you Arrow fans, not everyone that you talk to will be as sharp and as fast as Felicity Smoke, the technology genius and nerd of the show.

The offer letter stage is also another part of the process. I wrote about this whole subject in another article.

A job search is hard and methodical work, totally glamorous, but there is a lot of ways that you can streamline and shorten the process. I talk about this process in other articles. One thing that I will say here is create small tasks and rewards. Create schedules and reward yourself in small ways for accomplishing goals. If you have Microsoft Project, you might want to create a project schedule for yourself with dates and timelines. Fill it out complete with milestones.

A good job search is not done from the confines of your home office chair. Finding a job is an active job, not passive. Anything done at home is passive. You can send out emails left and right, but people respond to handshakes and eye-to-eye contact. Go to groups and network. Learn to speak. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be honest. Nobody likes a liar. Omissions are lies.

My last comment is to try to make the process fun. The first stanza to the song, “A Spoonful of Sugar” from Disney’s Mary Poppins rings true. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and snap! The job’s a game.” The Sherman brothers, Robert and Richard, knew what they were talking about.

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Sarah Weinberger is a professional career coach, software and systems engineer, and founder and CEO of Butterflyvista Corporation. You can learn more about her and Butterflyvista by visiting the website, http://www.butterflyvista.com/.