Tonight is Jay Leno’s last night on the Tonight Show and I will admit being out of the loop on this one.  I saw a commercial about the change the other day and wondered, “What is that all about?”  To my surprise, Leno is really calling it quits…sort of.

I initially thought this was something that came about recently, possibly prompted by recent health issues Leno experienced.  After doing some research on the Internet, I found out that this isn’t something that came about in the last few weeks, months or even years.  Do you know when this change was planned?  I didn’t either until I found some articles on the change.  Jay Leno announced his departure and succesor 5 years ago!  That seems kind of strange to me, but part of the reason makes perfect sense.

Leno and David Letterman were up for the job as Johnny Carson’s replacement years ago and the competition caused a riff between the two that likely still exists today.  Leno, knowing that he couldn’t do this forever, thought it would cause less drama to arrange for his departure in advance.  I would say that was a smart, unselfish, move even though since then he has probably reconsidered the decision on more than one occasion.  NBC also had the luxury of locking in O’Brien long-term.

Conan O’Brien clearly isn’t for everyone, similar to the way people thought of Leno years ago, and there have been plenty of Internet comments on the change.  Many people left comments on articles saying they would stop watching the show because of their dislike for O’Brien – something I’m sure NBC took into account.  NBC likely views this as an opportunity for the Tonight Show to get younger since O’Brien will bring his fair share of fans with him from his show that followed the Tonight Show.  Whether the Tonight Show remains the ratings leader, ahead of Letterman’s show, remains to be seen and is probably unlikely immediately following the change.  But the network seems to have an ace up its sleeve.

I’m sure millions of people will miss Leno, but they will get over it soon enough.  Leno is moving to primetime and will have a nightly show airing at 10pm starting this fall.  I’m not sure what his format will be, but I think it could end up being an earlier Tonight Show.  This will undoubtedly make many viewers happy – one viewer said that the only thing that kept him up during the news was knowing the Tonight Show came on next.  Since the Tonight Show audience has got older, they will be able to go to bed sooner and still get to see Leno.

I’m not really into Leno (or Letterman), but he has done a commendable job especially considering the huge shoes he had to fill following Carson.  I hope this works out for NBC because they are in last place, ratings wise, out of the big four networks (I remember when Fox wasn’t considered a major network).  Only time will tell if this works out.  So long Jay!

Note: Conan O’Brien will be one of Jay’s guests on his last show.

“Federal tax revenue plunged $138 billion, or 34%, in April vs. a year ago — the biggest April drop since 1981, a study released Tuesday by the American Institute for Economic Research says.”

Even the IRS is feeling the crunch, but that is to be expected when 6 miliion people lose their jobs right?  Of course, since the IRS has less money that means the government has less money.  Couple that with bailing out all these companies and the deficit is skyrocketing as we speak.  I have a question: were the people drawing up the bailout plan not in contact with the people who should have realized how the recession would impact the IRS?

Oh, there is some good news on the horizon though.  The White House thinks tax revenue will increase for 2011.  But, uh, what about 2010?  Wow!

Isn’t this sort of like coming home and saying, “Hey honey, my hours at work have been cut.  You ready to go look at that new house and car?”  Again, I really believe that some CEOs are still living it up partially thanks to the bailout money their companies have received.

Am I missing something or are we digging this hole deeper and deeper?

Say cheese!

If you live in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia don’t say cheese at the DMV.  Apparently, those four states don’t want people to smile for their driver’s license picture – I happen to live in Nevada and didn’t smile by my own choosing.  Who would have thought a simple smile could defeat computers?  I guess smiling does help.

Driver’s license fraud is easier to achieve when the person on the license is smiling.  New, high-tech, software will send an alarm when two driver’s licenses have the same photo on them.  The only problem is smiling.  When the person is smiling, the software has a harder time matching the photos – kind of take the “high tech” out of this equation if you ask me.  Actually, Indiana, Nevada and Arkansas all allow a slight smile, but I guess you can’t be all teeth and gums!

“A total of 31 states do computerized matching of driver’s license photos and three others are considering it, says the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Most say their software matches faces regardless of expressions. “People can smile here in Pennsylvania,” state Transportation Department spokesman Craig Yetter says.

In Illinois, photo matching has stopped 6,000 people from getting fraudulent licenses since the technology was launched in 1999, says Beth Langen, the state head of Drivers Services.”

Do I need to jump on Dell’s website and configure new computers for Indiana, Nevada, Virginia and Arkansas?  Even though their systems claim to be high tech other states don’t seem to have this problem.

I know this has to do with fraudulent licenses and indirectly with security, but I find it ironic that computers have probably played a role in allowing people to acquire fake licenses and it is computers that are being used to fight it.  Why don’t we all go out and have a cookout and let these computers fight amongst themselves?

If you haven’t heard, over the weekend North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb. It was small, did not harm anything or anyone (that we know of), BUT it was a nuclear bomb. Also, North Korea test-fired a total of four missiles over the weekend. Again, no harm done to anything or anyone, but these missiles have the capability of reaching U.S. soil!

What does this mean for the U.S.? I mean, at this point, what type of action should we take? I think this is some serious Ish, if you know what I mean! Have we waged wars against the wrong countries? I mean, has North Korea been put on the back burner for so long that they now are “testing” the waters to see what would happen if they “practice” with nuclear bombs and missiles? What is really going on?

How should the Obama Administration handle this situation? Typically, I am not someone who advocates war, but this right here — with North Korea — the U.S. may have to handle this very quickly and when I say handle it — we may have to spank North Korea’s behind for misbehaving!

What do you think?

Have you ever had someone who you hold in high regard do something that was really bad/wrong/messed up, but didn’t say anything about it?  Have you ever had someone you didn’t like much at all extend a kind gesture to you or someone else and didn’t give credit where credit is due?  Often, once we determine someone is (generally) bad or good we only speak about those things and ignore the other actions with silence.  Is it because we have already made a categorization and aren’t adult enough to acknowledge something on the opposite side of our own opinion or do we even see it at all?

Just the other day, someone I know, and quite frankly don’t care for, said something that made me think, “Why can’t he be like that all the time?”  For me, that was acknowledging this behavior because the situation dictates my feelings are kept to myself anyway.  I have yet to do it, but it is normally my way to ask him why he is one way sometimes and something totally different other times.  Would that be so bad?

Let me break it down in plain language: I voted for President Obama, I support President Obama, President Obama has a swagger that will probably become legendary in the white house, President Obama is very well spoken and President Obama is starting to upset me.  I have always been one to see past the sweet-smelling perfume, the batting of the eyes, the smooth talk and everything else people use to get past the core of the situation.  The smile, the talk and the nice family are starting to wear thin and I would like to see more positive action.  Yes, our nation really needed to feel good, but we need to be in a more positive situation too.

The other day I talked about a person we know who does certain things and then asks for a bailout.  What about that car that is in constant need of repair or that old house that is an ineffecient money pit?  Would you keep throwing money at those things?  Your answer is probably no, but like my Internet buddy Ryan pointed out, we are doing something similar in this country.  Continually throwing good money at bad debt/problems/companies isn’t going to do much good in the long run.  Sure, some CEOs can keep their houses in the Hamptons, but what about the big picture?

An example of the big picture would be mortgage companies and the people trying to use programs to get their mortgages restructured.  Regardless of your feelings about the program, do you know a lot of people who have actually qualified?  It was way easier to get into a predatory loan than it seems to be to get help with one now.

Another example is the auto industry and the money they’ve received to keep them going.  Do we really think they are working diligently to introduce new/current technology to a showroom near you?  I know cars aren’t built and brought to market overnight, but if they really tried to offer us cars similar to what Japanese and German companies do I would estimate they would have to scrap about 80% of their entire line!  Remember that house in the Hamptons?  Yeah, they aren’t going to do that.

I still like our president, but if I say I like him on one hand, I can also say the things I don’t like about his administration on the other.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with acknowledging the good and the bad even though some would probably want to believe everything is roses.  I want everything to be roses, I really do.  Instant change is probably out of the question, but we would all probably settle for a peak at a positive future.  Just a glimpse will do because it doesn’t really look like what is going on will help those of us on main street!

I’m sure you know someone to whom you can pay tribute to on Memorial Day – it about more than a day off and cookouts with the family.  I certainly do and it is a source of pride and unfortunately pain.  It is painful because some of those who have passed mean so much to us and there is a void in our lives they once filled.  For me, two of those very special people are my mother and grandmother.  I cannot be near the cemetary where they are buried, but like most days they are on my mind.  10+ years later and those emotions are still pretty raw.

Besides, and in addition to, our loved ones, we can take the time to pay our respects to the men and women who served our country in the military and paid the ultimate price: their life.  Every life lost helps us live the way we live, enjoying freedoms people in other countries don’t have.  I was fortunate enough to serve with some of those people who have paid the ultimate price and I know some of the things that possibly lead to their loss of life; even though tragic events happen, I know with 100% certainty that these men and women are highly trained to carry out their missions. 

Serving in the military is an awesome undertaking when you consider what goes into the organization and defense of our country.  I would challenge any other industry to take young men and women from across the country and focus them on one goal such as the military must do.  When considering the enormous task they face daily, few lives are lost, but even those few mean so much.

I have to hold myself back before I really get going; it has been a while since I’ve been in that frame of mind, but it is like riding a bike.  The military will always be in my system.

Here is part of the Wiki on Memorial Day:

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25 in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Let’s say you had a friend, no, just consider it as someone you know.  You see that “person” doing all kinds of things that aren’t really right, things that are good for them now, but will surely lead down the wrong path in the future.  This person is really living it up because life is really good.  Forget about the future, this person is doing what it takes to make it big right now and the future will seemingly take care of itself.

Fast forward to when the proverbial you know what hits the fan and things aren’t looking so good for your friend.  Now your friend is looking for someone to help out and there is some of your money in a pot controlled by a group of people.  How about if we call the money you’ve been putting in the pot dues for a club that allows you to have all kinds of neat things.  So this person you know is now looking to this group of people who control this pot of money and is asking for some help.  But it gets better.

This person isn’t really coming to this group of people with humility, this person is coming in style because the lifestyle really hasn’t changed; the money supporting that lifestyle is running low however.

What do you know, that group of people is willing to help this person out with the promise of changing that lifestyle or at least the way that person does business.  You are watching the situation thinking the person got himself/herself into this mess and you shouldn’t indirectly have to get them out of it.  And you know deep down in your heart that the person will not change his/her ways.  Nope, they will just put some sugar on it and…..you know what I’m saying.

Just like people you know huh?

This is really starting to get old because it is somebody you know.  The somebody you know is called GMAC ($7.5 billion in crisp fresh bills) or maybe GM, or maybe Chrysler.  The group is the government and those are your tax dollars.

I knew what was up when we went looking for WMDs – there were no WMDs unless we are talking about black gold, Texas tea, etc.  I didn’t run out and buy a big SUV or truck with old technology, because – you are going to love this – I didn’t need one!  A high sitting position is overrated and my family is probably maxed out at three right now.  Many people took a drink of the Kool Aid and that is one reason why Detroit is hurting.  How about a better product?!!

I’m up late/early and a little peeved.  Rant over.

You very well may be considered a “deadbeat” to several credit card companies.  The credit card industry doesn’t consider the people who have trouble paying on time and/or staying under their limits deadbeats, this term is used when referring to good cardholders.  Yeah, you do the right thing and still get a negative label.

For years, penalties have been racking up for people who have had trouble paying their bills on time while the best customers racked up cash-back rewards, frequent-flier miles and other perks.  This sounds about right doesn’t it?  It makes sense for a business to reward good, paying customers while being more rigid with questionable customers.  Well, since congress is moving to limit the penalties on riskier borrowers, who have become a prime source of billions of dollars in fee revenue for the industry, good customers will be forced to pick up the slack. 

So Long To Incentives

Annual fees, cash-back and other reward programs as well as interest charges on purchases immediately instead of a grace period are all making comebacks in the credit card industry.  Interest rates will also be on the rise and banks can raise them as they wish since they have no cap – it is time to dig in and really read the fine print before using those cards!

The industry is rapidly moving towards a one-size-fits-all philosophy instead of rewarding good customers, but this is occuring for a reason.  “They aren’t charities.  They have shareholders to report to,” said Robert Hammer, an industry consultant.  “Whatever is left in the model to work from, they will start to maneuver.”

How can a move like this stimulate the economy?  It will more than likely upset many consumers and cause them to put the credit card on ice.

The Scales Will Not Be Balanced

In the past, riskier cardholders and those with higher credit scores didn’t pay the same interest rates.  Better rates were reserved for those with higher scores while the riskier segment made up the difference with high rates.  Well, it would seem like this disparity would be disapearing with the way the industry is moving, but that might not necessarily be the case.  Many of the risky cardholders have been axed, cut off and sent packing while the companies still want to turn the same or higher profit.  Yes, those who remain will pay!

How Does This Help The Industry?

The end result seems to be less credit cardholders, those with good credit paying more to maintain their accounts and possibly less spending due to decreased incentives and higher interest rates.  Although not a good situation, this seems to make sense to me until I consider the bailout money.  I could very well be wrong, but the list I looked at showed many of the credit card companies getting billions of dollars in bailout money.  If this is accurate, why are the customers still getting treated like this?  Have the situations caused by the risky customers caused the banks to force those who remain to pay more and need money from the government?  Has all of this been a way for the shareholders and high ranking bank officials to continue to get paid?  I know I will think long and hard about pulling out some plastic from now on.

In the past, I have posted articles about people calling 911 for stupid reasons (remember the lady who called 911 because McDonald’s ran out of chicken mcnuggets?) Anyway, here’s another report of stupidity as it relates to people who call 911 for senseless reasons:

In Ohio, a father called police on his 28-year-old son because — are you ready for this — the son refused to clean up his room! When I read this, I just shook my head. These calls are no longer funny, they are just sad. What is going on with people not thinking before they take action?

It seems the son lives in his parents’ basement, rent-free, but is a school board member in the Cleveland suburb of Bedford. This is really a hot mess! After calling the police, the father decided not to press charges because he doesn’t want to ruin his son’s political career. WTH?!!!!!! Oh and get this, the son, who also works as a political consultant, admits he’s lucky to be living rent-free and promises to, from this day forth, keep his room clean. Uh-huh.

In the infamous words of the judge on People’s Court, stick me with a fork ’cause I am done!

You know what they say about opinions right?  Well if you don’t, opinions are something we all have like other parts of our body.  Opinions are flying all over the place concerning our Government and how they are handling the recession.  Being a normal citizen, right in the middle of this unfortunate situation, I would like to know what the best course of action is.

People who advise the President and other government officials more than likely have an agenda.  At the end of the day, they have their best interests at heart whether it be what they really want or what someone else wants who is padding their pockets.  Those are the people who have a direct pipeline to the people who are movers and shakers.  What about us?

I’ve heard/seen shots fired directly and indirectly at President Obama since he was elected.  Now I would like to hear some suggested solutions in clear language.  I’ve heard things like:

• The Government shouldn’t be taking over businesses
• We will soon be like communist countries
• Obama is too liberal
• We are losing our freedoms and liberties as we know them
• The Government is making things worse by spending so much money – printing new money
• People are too sensitive about comments directed at Obama
• Similar and/or worse comments were made about Bush without anyone jumping to his defense

There are so many more things that could be said.  I would like to hear other perspectives and suggestions with balance in mind.  When I say balance, in this case, I’m talking about the decisions made cannot simply benefit the rich or the poor.  It is easy for someone to think about what is best for their demographic or tax bracket, but it is harder for people to think about what is best for the country in the long run.  There are certain decisions that could be made to benefit my family, but when I step back and look at it that could really be greed or selfishness.

I hope some people make some comments with some good suggestions because it could prove educational.  I hope we can hear more than the normal comments about Obama.