ExxonMobil and Government

ExxonMobil announced $10.7 Billion first quarter earnings earlier this month.  Obama is outraged. I do not understand.

This $10.7B was made off of $114B in Revenue, which is only about 9%.  Apple made $6B on revenues of $24.7B, which is about a 25% profit margin.  So even though the number appear big, they also had HUGE revenues, and the profit margin is not so outrageous. Don't get me wrong $10.7B is a ton of money to earn, but you have to look at the whole picture and understand how much money and resources went into earning that amount.

Furthermore, XOM makes money because they have a conservative business model. They have ZERO debt, they are incorporated in the United States, which means they pay a lot of taxes and pay for the government which is a non-revenue generating COST CENTER.

The criticism should be on the banks that used tax dollars to be bailed out because of poor business decisions and inability to mitigate risks. It appalls me to hear the ignorance of so many media reports and news stations.  They should be HAPPY that companies are making money, employing individuals, and stimulating the economy. (They are a great employer)

No wonder Americans are becoming poorer and have no savings, the incentives are not there for individuals or for businesses.  You are rewarded by the government if you run your business poorly and leverage it with high debt ratios and punished if you are conservative and keep cash on hand to cover your costs.  It's just pathetic.

(These are all personal statements and personal position and are not made on behalf of ExxonMobil)

Asking too much?

It's so hard to know that your special needs little sister isn't getting the proper care at school and yet there is nothing I can do about it. I'm so proud of my older sister for setting up an appointment and talking with the principal today. I really hope it makes a difference, none of the parent complaints have been taken seriously.

How can this person be a special needs teacher?

> Lunches already eaten by 10:30am (school starts at 8:50a)

> Jackets still on the children at 9:30am

> Caught sleeping on the job more than once

> Put Hannah on the bus with a dirty diaper and refused to change it because he went off the clock at 4pm and it was 4:05pm (I didnt know teaching was a 9-4 job)

> Not sending home ARD forms in a timely manner

> Never sending updates to explain what the children are doing in class, these students are non-verbal and cannot tell us themselves.

> Not informing the parents about staffing changes

> No respect for parent feedback

> Sending students home in another childs clothes (there are only 3 kids in the class and 1 is a boy)

> He calls the parents at work as his way of "communicating", but these calls are to inform the parents they need diapers, this can be handled through the normal communication logs.

It should tell you something when the parents and champions of these children and the best aides of the class have all left because of how terrible the situation has become. There is just a complete lack of respect and there is no reason that parents should have to fight this hard for basic care of these children and proper communication.

The even more frustrating part, this is all from the district with one of the top rated Special Needs Program.

She had great teachers for 13 years, but I'd do anything to remove these last 2 terrible years. It's just weighing so heavy on my heart...I love my Princess Hannah and am grateful that she is so strong and is making it through this like a champion.

Big Business v Big Government

When I read that a friend was, "quite surprised (and possibly even more disappointed) at the outcome of the Citizens United Case" -- I had some mixed feelings.

Although I agree that the case really pitted two fundamental American desires, the desire to protect citizens freedom of speech rights against the desire to keep elections free from too much meddling by special interests. I feel that the free-speech side won and now everyone is complaining of the impact of unlimited corporate contributions. But, in my cynical and idealist mix of ideas -- maybe the corps can help make new/good decision with their monetary influence. In my extreme idealist ways, I think we will begin to only work with companies with similar political foresight and we will have more "say" than today. Since the companies that are not for the betterment of their employees (the people) will not last. Furthermore, most corporations are against regulation, taxes, and big government....making us already more fundamentally aligned than my current 'delegate'

I will also repeat that if you want to open a successful business, do not elect the government to run it. There needs to be better understanding the fundamental purpose of a budget. Working in a cost center myself, it does not seem so complicated. But then again at work we have commitments and a credibility to uphold....not sure that Washington cares about either of those.

GM Bankrupt -- thoughts/questions

1. GM, Hummer, Saab, Saturn....go bankrupt.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CHEVY STAY ALIVE!!!!!  I really want my vette.  =)

2. It was a sad day to not see GM on the ticker today. But they now have their own tab on wsj.com

3. What the heck are the Chinese going to do with Hummer?  Seriously? 

3.1 I hope they do not redesign them to look like the controversial Chery....how ugly! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chery_Automobile

4. How is it that when a business goes bankrupt the government owns them? Like they know how to run a successful company, they cant even balance a budget.

5. I'm really glad I did not have GM stock. I feel really bad for those that did...

Vacation

So apparently I took a vacation from my blog...but I also have taken 2 trips recently. I learned very quickly how important vacation is to refuel the mind. The first trip was to Santa Rosa for a beautiful wedding and a lot of fun with KC and her family. Then we went to San Fransisco since I had never been to that city and we had a blast. We took the subway, the train, the cable car, and a taxi during that trip. Public transit is amazing, I wish Houston were that cool.

The next weekend I took a road trip with my friend Katherine. We were gone a total of 72 hours and we went to Chicago, Valpo, Indianapolis, Bloomington, and back to Houston. I got to wander around Chicago (kath had never been) and see Lauren, then watch my best friend graduate from college in valpo. Then I caught up with some high school friends on the way back. 

It was sure tiring to drive that much, but well worth it. Although it took a few days to catch up on sleep, I feel refreshed from having a change in pace. Those two trips were followed by a 3 day weekend, which was just a fantastic way to end the month of May. 

If you have not taken a vacation recently, you should.

Money, Time, and Energy

Three things that need to join a conservation program: money, time, and energy

Although the energy corporations are working against all odds to find a sustainable/renewable energy substitute for oil, I have not seen a positive solution for the economy or a way to buy time.

So how to I fair with these three commodities?

As far as money, I've identified a few ways to increase my proportion. First, I applied for grad school, sure that costs money up front, but I look as it as an investment. For all of the weeks I spend in class I will not be spending any money. Also when I take finance and accounting class I tend to control my consumer tendencies much more. The other way I've decided to increase my typical share is to revisit my budget and apply a tighter grip.

Time, now this is tricky. I've tried to simplify my life...but that still does not seem to create anymore time. Therefore, I've decided that every activity or repeating commitment I add to my schedule, I have to review my current schedule and try substitute it for something else. This way I will not over commit. I added going to the gym to my schedule, and took off time I spend watching tv. If I make myself think through what I'm trading off for the activity I am doing I tend to waste less time. 

Personally I'm ok when it comes to energy, I know over the next 20 years there will be many changes to the sources from which energy is delivered over the long run. I'm slightly afraid of more resource wars, but hopefully the US will get smart and become friends with the oil exporting companies.  Also I'm not as worried about energy because I have a lot of confidence in the company I work for. I let the smart ones worry about it, I'll just keep doing my best at giving them the best solutions for storing and accessing their necessary data.

Rain X

Without fail every time I wash my car it rains, and I've been pretty forgetful to put rain x on my windshields. I never remember until it rains....which is after I wash the car.

So the last car wash I did, I remembered to use Rain X.  And of course it rained, but this time I was not as annoyed, because I didn't have to use my wipers. 

Moral: It's all about the small things in life.