I speak for myself.
I have thought about writing about ACORN before, but thought this can’t go on for long and maybe I should keep what I think to myself. Today I feel different. What is going on right in front of everyone is crazy, but no one is looking, not really letting what is happening register. This world is going to implode on itself if people don’t wake up out of this fog we seem to have gotten lost in.
People I care about are being let go, losing their jobs, where they have worked really hard for very little monetary gain. I honestly have never worked at a place where I truly believe people are working more than they are wasting away on their super social networking sites, tweeting, pinging, blogging, and just passing time till they can leave.
People are registered to vote, whose voices are now being heard, their presence being felt. Families getting homes and keeping homes. People less worried about where they are going to live, having time to breath, to think, to be more aware of what is going on around them. Having time to make a difference. In any organization there are problems, especially when you are busy fighting the good fight, so why not help ACORN fix these problems and make ACORN better. What is the point of destroying them? It is important to think about why is this really happening, and who this is happening too. It is much bigger than ACORN.
I just discovered these videos today on the ACORN web site (or should I say I finally decided to watch them…) and am super impressed. It is crazy, a woman reporter, on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow sees the big picture and saying something…on mass media. Listen, if you know me, you know I am no fan of mass media, this is an important moment. I will stop going on about this and give you the link…
Day One – September 24th, 2009: “The Media Fails ACORN” [There is an ad in the beginning of the video, sorry about that, just mute it. ]
This is the time to see what is going on and do something about it. Go volunteer at ACORN. Go read a book. Go do something selfless for someone else. Start doing something different and see the change.
That’s right I said it.
-Cara
The Day After An Inconvenient Truth 
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October 1, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Marine Boudeau
I wonder if anyone at NBC knows this show is on. ;)
Great article. It is really unfair and outrageous what is happening. There are no words to define the mess we live in.
October 2, 2009 at 8:51 pm
marbiesblog
Many of us do live productive lives and volunteer wherever we see the need. In fact, everyone I know has always been productive and volunteers where they see a need. We didn’t join ACORN or any groups like that. We just saw a need and pitched in, donating time, money, hard work and love. It’s the American way that we all grew up with. We didn’t need millions of dollars from the government. It never even occured to us to ask the government for anything. The government never entered our minds. So we handled the needs and the taxpayers weren’t fleeced. (I speak of Dale Rathke now.)
We belonged to churches who have always helped those in need. So I don’t see why anyone needs to join ACORN to do what is right. But if someone wants to organize and help people, you have the right. Just keep it honest. Don’t rig elections and cheat citizens out of their right to chose their leaders by fair elections. Don’t be involved in crime, like helping pimps and prostitutes set up brothels with underaged children. Don’t tie up the court system with thousands of illegal voter registrations. That costs all of us a lot of money.
Don’t get in our faces, like Obama urged ACORN to do. Find it on YouTube, if you don’t believe it. Don’t be jealous of what others earn and try to find a way to take it from them. Go out and make your own money. Don’t protest in front of the homes of AIG executives, when Democrats (Sen. Chris Dodd) wrote the bailout bill and put in a provision to allow those bonuses, and Sen. Barney Frank, and Sen. Chris Dodd were responsible for the subprime mortgage meltdown that devastated our economy. They used ACORN to protest at banks, to go in their offices and pressure them to give subprime mortgages to people who were unlikely to repay them. They told ACORN to “get in their faces”.
I hope you are able to see the big picture and not just the one the ACORN leaders want you to believe. Volunteerism is wonderful and I applaud you for caring. But you don’t need ACORN the way it is now. Do what you can to clean it up, but you’ll find that it’s a tool used by the “big boys at the top who are getting rich and pushing their social agenda on the rest of us. When anything illegal is exposed, those big boys at the top throw the little people at the bottom under the bus and let them take the fall. Take an honest hard look.
October 2, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Cara
I don’t volunteer for ACORN, I work for them. I also volunteer my time and skills to others who need my skills, but can not afford them. There is always a need in this world to volunteer, so everyone you know must be busy. :] The American way is to spend money on nothing and be distracted by a lot of bad TV. The majority of Americans raised the American way do not have time to volunteer, much less a desire. You don’t need millions of dollars from the government, as you are volunteering on a smaller scale I would think. We are not Dale or Wade, those are two individuals and not an entire organization.
No one needs to join ACORN. I said, “Go volunteer at ACORN. Go read a book. Go do something selfless for someone else. Start doing something different and see the change.” Just go do something good, you choose. It seems we are both on the same page there.
There was never voter fraud. What was happening is the Department of Justice, per instruction, was leaning on Attorney Generals to start an “investigation” where in the end nothing was proven. Nor was a case of voter fraud ever proven. You can look that up. The truth is easily accessible. ACORN was the organization who each time they noticed fishy entries reported them as per the law. They were the ones that reported the “Mickey Mouse”, “Minnie Mouse”, etc. voters. You also have to understand, that is registering people to vote. It is not even voter fraud. It is absurd the way the media is playing people.
I am not jealous of others who make more than me. I made more money by far at a job ten years ago and was making an insane amount more before I took this job. I chose this salary, it did not choose me. Money if you have true knowledge is not going to make things better. That is up to you and your maker to work out.
If you want to see to where and who and how much taxpayers’ money is spent by the government in contracts to actual, real child prostitution rings, murders and just really bad corporations, start your research here to get the companies names and then do some research yourself and you might start to see a whole other picture. Here is the link from MSNBC, Sept. 25: “How did ACORN become a target?” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#33027963 This information you can get from the government themselves it is there, just not publicized in most mainstream media outlets. Why do you think that is?
Don’t worry about ACORN or generally anyone brainwashing me, but thank you. ;-]
This is not something to ignore, this FOX witch hunt of ACORN. Stop listening to what you are told and look deeper into what is going on. We need to stick together to make this world more caring and less enslaved to a monetary system. You should check out Zeigeist Addendum https://tdaait.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/zeigeist-addendum/ I’d love to know what you would think of it. Anyway, I hope I didn’t come off aggressive or anything. It is not my intention. I really truly want people to get along and see that life can be better simply if we just do the right thing….ACORN included! :]
-Cara
October 3, 2009 at 11:44 am
marbiesblog
I must say that as much as you believe Fox is wrong, I believe MSNBC is wrong. Chris Matthews has always failed to be objective (with that famous tingling running up his leg when he hears Obama speak) and MSNBC always protects the left version of everything, without doing research into the issues Fox is reporting. Since when does a news network do no investigative reporting, just propaganda for the left? MSNBC has flat out lied on many occasions in their efforts to smear those on the right. That’s why their ratings are at the very bottom and Fox News’ ratings are twice as high as the second place network.
I hope you will truly research what I’m talking about with an open mind. It’s really easy to find the evidence and the facts, except for the books that ACORN won’t allow to be audited. Why is that?
What was untrue that Megyn Kelly reported on Fox? She interviewed the people involved, showed documents, photos, etc. She gave the ACORN folks a chance to tell their side and answer the charges on television. MSNBC doesn’t do that for those on the other side of their opinions.
P.S. Yes, the people I know are very busy. They all work long hours in their careers, volunteer continuously, give money, time and energy, plus they are engaged in their kids’ lives, who are also very busy. I have younger relatives and friends who go to Africa for two weeks every year to help villages in need. They go with people from their church.
In response to your comment, “They spend money on nothing”, they spend their money on decent homes and alarm systems to keep burglars from stealing what they’ve worked hard for, safe vehicles to drive their families in with alarms to keep people from stealing them, their kids’ needs and school expenses, college, decent furniture, a vacation every other year or so to keep the stress at bay, televisions for entertainment so they can relax at home when they’re tired or can’t afford to go out or the weather is horrible, give to their churches and charitable orgs like the American Heart Ins. and others, fund raisers at the neighborhood schools, etc., clothes, coats, shoes that are necessary, school uniforms, lunch, window blinds for privacy, etc.
Surely you have no problem with those expenditures. Were you meaning “fun stuff”? Good heavens, I hope not. We have to have fun in life. All work and no play make Jack and Jill dull folks. And life is dreary without some pleasure.
I think people are already doing everything you suggested and have always done so. This weekend my family is cooking for a fund raiser to support our volunteer fire dept. That kind of stuff happens all the time and it’s necessary. Think of the guys who volunteer to serve on the fire dept.
You wrote:
“The American way is to spend money on nothing and be distracted by a lot of bad TV. The majority of Americans raised the American way do not have time to volunteer, much less a desire.”
I can not agree with this view at all. I do not see this anywhere. I don’t know where you live or with whom you assosciate, but this is definitely not what I see or the kind of folks I know.
When Katrina hit New Orleans and thousands of refugees were taken to Houston, did you watch that on TV? Houston citizens rushed to the Dome with vehicles loaded with clothes, food, water, diapers, childrens toys and books and crayons, medicine, bandages, everything they could think of to help them. Houstonians worked at the Dome to help the refugees for months, every day, weekends, and never stopped donating money and stuff until the need was over. The news media praised the people there for their compassion and volunteerism. They do this stuff all the time. The desire to help is in their hearts. They’ve helped just like that for other disasters.
Americans are the greatest and most generous givers and helpers all over the world.
I can’t write my answer to everything you wrote here, but I’ll just say this. I just don’t see it the way you do. I can’t imagine why you hold the views you hold. My view comes from life and knowledge of facts – and I do mean “facts”, not opinions. I guess we’ll have to politely agree to disagree.
October 3, 2009 at 11:52 am
bydesign001
In reply to your reference on my blog, no I did not delete you. I don’t have to necessarily agree with you, but as long as you are respectful, I have no problem allowing your voice to be heard. Admittedly, I expect the same in return.
You mention above “Fox doing a withch hunt?” I say who needs to do a witch hunt?
I read your blog. Sorry people are losing their jobs, but so is everyone else…and I don’t mean that in a bad way.
Not everyone that works for ACORN is crooked, however, the problem with ACORN starts at the top and indeed ACORN has a ton of issues. If you have read a few of my blogs on ACORN, you would note my feelings on the matter.
My problem with ACORN started a decade ago, and it is my personal opinion that ACORN should be gutted if not taken down totally.
My niece was a census taker for ACORN during the last census. She too thought she was doing her part in “fighting the good fight” and “making a better way.” She was mid-pregnancy when she started and worked through the rest of her pregnancy.
She rang bells during the day and took the census. She believed so strongly in her job that she would go back at after dark, of which was approved by ACORN to take the census of those who worked during the day.
She worked countless hours for ACORN. As time went on, ACORN played with her money. She was told at the end of any given pay period that worked excess hours and ACORN could not pay her for those hours. In other words, ACORN screwed her.
My cousin, 75 years old, owns a home in Queens, New York. ACORN walks neighborhoods in search of homes that need repairsw and then they approach the homeowner offering to help them obtain financial assistance, etc. in order to exact those repairs.
They told my cousin that they could help her get her roof repaired, but she had to pay the first $3,000 out of her pocket.
She gave them $2,000 and told them she would get back to them with the balance. The same person from ACORN knocked on her door twice to get the remaining $1,000. She gave that individual an additional $500.
After a month she did not hear from the ACORN employee. She called the ACORN office at least a dozen times and the person never returned her call.
Suddenly one day, the phone was disconnected. Finally, she went to the Jamaica Avenue location to find an empty storefront.
My cousin is not the only person, senior jerked over and around by ACORN. ACORN while claiming to do good by a community also robs said community blind.
The reason they get away with it is because as in the case of my cousin, she’s old school and was raised to believe that a man or woman’s word is their bond plus she did not want to make trouble for the black woman who took her money because as she put it “black people have it hard enough.”
Yes, some of us do, but to take $2,500 from a 73 year old woman is heartless and unscrupulous.
To underpay a woman who is about to have her baby everyday (who in between taking the census was running back and forth to the hospital, but she stayed on point because she thought it meant something) is unconscionable.
And that is my take of ACORN. Hence, ACORN will get no mercy from me.
If I haven’t totally pissed you off, you might want to check out my view on ACORN and plantation politics.
October 7, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Cara
bydesign001 –
Thank you for publishing my comment.
With ACORN and most other jobs overtime must be approve before the work is done. The reason that organizations have strict budgets they must meet is they just do not have the additional funds to give for overtime. That is not abnormal.
ACORN employees don’t go up asking individual for thousands of dollars to do home repairs, unless they are corrupt employees or impersonating ACORN employees. That wasn’t ACORN that screwed her that was a couple of bad people. I am very sorry it happened to your Aunt. It is horrible. Crimes like this must be reported so that people don’t get away with it again and again. I worked for the Better Business Bureau for over 6 years and it was people, consumers, reporting bad businesses and their bad practices, so that we could prevent these practices from continuing. I can’t stress this enough. I am sure she could still press charges and she should report it, in my opinion.
-Cara
October 4, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Router
Why did Wade coverup the million but swindle of Acorn accounts by his brother ?
Is that like a felonious coveup after the fact ?
You speak of money, above, why did Wade and his Bro play you as a sucker, do you evern wonder on that ?
On Rat- out, Wade hate rats, he wants a code of Omerta in ACORN, like some MOb boss.
You got the balls to tell the truth to America..
Wake up man,, just tell the truth don’t be under some vooodoo spell from kats like Wade Rathke !
That is spelled RAT-HKE. Ironic,. his own name has the wrod rat, within it.
October 7, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Cara
I never worked for ACORN when the Rathke brothers worked there.
I am not sure when the last time someone “played me as a sucker”, but thank you for your concern. :]
-Cara
October 5, 2009 at 5:14 am
Dominique
I think your idea of volunteering is a wonderful idea and principle. However, it is one that America has always embraced. Our founding Fathers felt that “helping each other” should come from each American, not the Federal Government and I agree.
While ACORN may have been a noble organization once, it no longer is. Corruption runs rampant among the leaders of the company including embezzlement of $1 million dollars that was never reported to the IRS by the brother of the founder. ACORN in it’s current state, no longer represents what is great about America.
I also want to point something else out here. Volunteerism is individual and personal. It comes from deep inside a person based on their core values. It is not something you tell other people to do. It is something they must desire to do. When that passion is awakened, then it is real and impacting. Mandating (not you, President Obama) or pushing Americans into “volunteerism” is no longer volunteering, it is a requirement. Volunteerism then becomes a drudgery instead of a joy.
We need to leave volunteerism to each individual. America is one of the top countries in donations anytime a serious event happens anywhere. America has the biggest heart of compassion of any country I know. It is in her blood. She doesn’t have to be told or reminded how to be gracious and giving, she already knows that because she understands that she has much to be thankful for!
October 7, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Cara
Those leaders (Wade and Dale Rathke) have been gone since June 2, 2008.
I agree if you don’t want to volunteer it isn’t really volunteering.
-Cara