Rshaffer's Blog

Tom the drivers in Memphis are not the only problem. When did the parents of this city forget to teach their kids and even some adults what a sidewalk was used for? Everyday I watch these kids walking down the middle of the street, impeding traffic. When you honk your horn to get them to move they look at you like you are interrupting their space. Maybe you need to do a Walk, Don't Walk segment sometime on your report. They call it a SIDE WALK for a reason people. They call it a STREET for a reason also. Something needs to be done before we have kids ran over cause they are either to stupid or to lazy to get out of the street. Then what someone will say it's the driver of the car's fault? I always thought jaywalking was against the law. Maybe some tickets need to be issued, and if enough parents have to pay for those 10 or 25 dollar tickets, then maybe Memphis would be able to pay for those extra officers to help lower the other crime rates in the city. Just a thought

Ok police cheif now say crime is down in this city. We have made national news on this murder scene. When is the city leaders going to realize that all their statistics do not tell the truth. When a fellow officer was shot and killed they all were devasted and yet they still say the crime is down. Now 6 people murdered in one night and maybe even the night before they were found. Why, because as fox reported this morning people in that area are use to hearing gun fire. You know the problem has not gotten better when people "ARE USE TO HEARING GUN SHOTS"

 Take a hint police cheif and city leaders................

MEMPHIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS CITY TO LIVE IN.

Maybe soemone should knock on their doors and give them a wake up call. My prayers go out to the family and friends of these people.

OK I've noticed this alot now that I live in my own house in a relatively nice neighborhood. Has common sense gone out the door as well as safety concerns for alot of the youth and yes even some adults in Memphis? Do these people not understand what a sidewalk is for? A street is for cars not for them to walk down the middle of and impede traffic. The worst thing is when you pull up behind them they act like you are in the wrong for driving. Let's study the situation alittle... street is for driving... sidwalk is for walking. They call it a sidwalk because you walk on the SIDE and OUT of the street.

 Street no sidewalk...sidewalk walk... street no walk...sidwalk walk..

Let's rehearse this.. street no walk.. sidewalk is for walking...

Do these people get it now or will it take one of them getting hit byu a driver not paying attention before they get it thru their thick skulls. Also drivers.. the speed limit in a residential area is less then 25 mph.. slow it down as kids do run out in the street.

Common sense has no place in some of these people's minds I honestly believe that now. What do you think out there? My parents would have warmed my backside up for even stepping foot in a street other then crossing it. Playing in the street was unheard of.

As I see it there are only a few REAL issues that the candidates should be answering about. The following is what I see needs to be addressed in this election.

1.) Crime... This needs to be gotten under control because the other issues can't be fixed with the high crime rate we have in this city. Crime is causing the other issues as well as the other issues feeding into the crime rate.

2.) Rundown houses, building, and neighborhoods. If the city cannot get the owners of these places to do what needs to be done then the city needs to exercise "Right Of Domain" law and take over these eysores. I would suggest a 20,000 dollar cap on repairs on any home that the city gets and if the repairs can't be done for that then the house needs to be demolished and a new home built. The city then would own these properties and profit from the sales as well as the taxs. This in turn could fund other important residential services.

3.) Homelessness... Why can't the city put the truly homeless to work helping to renew our neighborhoods and clean up our streets of litter in exchange for a place to live? The truly homeless and hard luck would welcoem a chance to feel important and needed and in exchange the city could feed them a nice meal and help them with a place to live. This in turn will help those who truly our hurting to build self confidence and they will be able to return to society as a hard working and productive individuals. Those that feel this is beneath them are then telling me they would rather be on the streets and living off the rest of us who are struggling ourselves to feed, cloth, and house our families.

4.) Schools... One minute 128 schools are above level and the next minute failing schools.. C'mon folks. It's time for our schools to do what's right and teach our kids the basics first. It's sad to walk into almost any fast food establishment and if the registers are down the kids behind them can't even do basic math to sell anything.

In regards to number 2 and 3 I think the city should hire local businesses to perform the jobs and keep Memphis money in Memphis. Stop hiring these out of town companies who take our money and leave. Local businesses then would prosper and therefor would put more of all residents to work.

 This election needs to send a clear and loud voice to the people who are suppose to lead us that we want actions and no more smoke screens that have plagued the last 6 years that I have lived here and watched on the news.

Maybe I'm wrong here but the leaders of this city are more worried about throwing that race card out there and making a mockery of our judicial system as well as the residents of this great city. In my opinion this city and it's residents need to wipe the slate clean of all the corrupt and unlawfulness and ELECT new representation. Let's send a message to these people that we are tired of being lied to, tired of being smoke screened, and tired of our city being the laughing stock of the country. Let's make Memphis the proud city it once was and show the country and the world that we can handle our business and stand proud once again.

 Let's show the leaders in this city that like the song says... We're going to show you the "Memphis Thang" 

What is wrong with the kids in this city? I have never in my life seen a 9 year old call a grown woman(my wife) a old white B. Everyone talks about the parents being responsible and to a degree I agree. If DHS would stop being so nit picky and let the parents discipline their child like they need to be we wouldn't have such disrespect from them.

 If I had talked to an adult the way these kids do now my parents would have taken me into my bedroom and lit my backside up. This is what we need to start doing again. I'm not talking about beating a child senseless but a good ole fashion rear end whooping doesn't hurt to keep our children in line.

 Wanta be thugs and hoodlums just roam the street, talking to each so loud that I can hear them clear down the street having a conversation. Here's a ideal folks, turn down those car stereo's and maybe you might save your hearing. Just think that when these kids get in their 30's they won't be able to hear anything at all.

 I just cannot phantom the lack of respect these kids have nowadays. They walk in our yards, throw their trash where ever they are standing. Then they are the ones who complain the loudest that our neighborhoods look like trash. C'mon and get real here. Stop it and pickup your garbage. My god it takes just a minute to throw it in a trash can. To make things worse when they do walk in your yard or throw trash down and you say somehing to them they act like you have no right to say anything. I've had them threaghten to kick my rear for asking them to please pick their mess up. Little ones riding their bikes up in my driveway and scratching my cars. The parents no where to be found.

 On the other hand I believe that if a child breaks the law then they should be held responsible for their actions... NOT THE PARENTS. Make these kids pay for their crime. They do damage to a property then make them work to fix it. My son did this a couple of years back with some so called friends and they had to spend a month cleaning up their mees and repairing the house. Yes us the parents had to do the main work but these kids had to put their portion of hard labor in also.

 Am I just way off base here or does this make sense? Make these little wannabe thugs and hoodlums pay for their mistakes and lets get back to the basics of raising a child. Discipline is needed and the goverment needs to step back and quit stepping in when it is no more then a good ole fashion country butt whoopin' these kids need to teach them respect and to put them on the straight and narrow.

I have a question for everyone. Between myhouse and my neighbor we have a ditch or what the city seems to think is a water run off. My question(s) is why don't they take care of them at all? The fences aurrounding these eyesores are falling down. They are dire need of repair and cleanup. The weeds in them are in some places over 4 foot high. They are a housing refuge for rodents and snakes. I have spent the last 12 days cleaning up the one between my neighbor and I.

 Cutting our the weeds, the grass, and the small trees that seem to grow thru fences and destroying them. The other problem is that the teens in this area as I'm sure in allot of areas are using them to go into people's backyards and break into their houses without being noticed. If the city would just clean them up and make sure the foilage in them is kept low then maybe these hoodlums and derelics can be stopped from taking advantage of the hard working citizens that cannot afford a home security system or a neighborhood where there is no watch program initiated.

 I enjoy helping my neighbors but when we have to clean these eyesores first and foremost just to feel safe from the criminal elements then I believe the city should take small steps in helping. They don't want us to bother their fence but they don't want to repair them either. Is there a phone number that I could call to see about getting them to do some repairs or cleanup? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

25 million in overcharges..... 17 million in overtime allowed.... employees abusing the overtime they get... BUT yet the state and federal goverment still are not involved. Hmm maybe its just that we here in Memphis are not unified and yelling loud enough. I have watched the news for the past week and doesn't it seem ironic that that the only time this city listens is when a unified voice is made? You can say the only reason Chickasaw Estate people are getting so much attention is because its a race issue, BUT I challenge you to think about this rationally. It's not a race issue folks... The only reason is because these people umified and went to city council in numbers and they made their voices heard. They demanded to be heard, and they took it to the governor and then again demanded to be heard. Why can't the people in Memphis do it on the MLGW scandals that just seem to keep going? Just as one calms down another is found... and I for one am just tired of these people in MLGW, The Mayor and the politicians just ignoring us because we are "BENEATH them or they just don't care" Memphis it's time to unite and make our voices heard. Let's get to the bottom of all this scandals and demand that the city, the county, the state, and the federal goverment finally and once and for all get to the bottom of this BULL in MLGW and the goverment in this city. We must unite and forget about race, creed, color, religion, or any other differences and just unify.

25 Million in overcharges that MLGW has finally admitted to and they are fighting not to give refund checks to their customers? C'mon this is just plain beaurocratic BULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. I don't want no credit on my account, I don't want to listen to no sob stories about it will cost them 300 thousand to mail out refund checks to their customers. They made interest on that money over the past year so they have the money to send every gas customer their refund.

 Also how do we know they are going to refund us exactly what they say? If there is 25 million in overcharges and say there are 2 million gas customers they owe money to, then thats about 12, 500 dollars a customer.... Hmm this is a outrage. This is what they say, they only are issueing refunds/credits to their gas customers. So that means that with their lies, game playing, deceit, and out right bull@^%$ they have turned out to be what we all exactly thought they were.

 I personally think if they lied about the gas then how are we to believe they didn't do the same with our electricity? If this doesn't prove that the federal goverment needs to do a full investigation into MLGW then nothing will. I will give this man who is interim president credit for this... He came out and said they owe the money to their customers. So now make them give the money back to the people. There are people who went without food, medicines and other things to pay their bills. Don't play games just give usour money back MLGW and quit being a bunch of pansy face liars.

Well well this morning Fox announced that the results of the MLGW investigation will be known. I'm willing to bet that it will be a whitewash at the most. There probably won't be a single new finding and I'm willing to bet that nobody will be found at wrong for anything.

 I would be surprised if they even mention the rate charges at all unless it's to say that they are within the guidelines of what they are charging. The truth is they should have had a third party in charge and it should be a federal branch doing the investigation. Preferrably the Energy Commission and/or the Federal goverment ( FBI or TBI ) so that they were completely unbias and free from anything or anyone having ties to them.

 What do you all think? Will the investigation be worth the time and money they spent doing it or will it be a snow job to the people of Memphis? Also isn't the deadline for Mr. Ford on the 27th? I would like to be driving by the business and watch MLGW pull that power wouldn't you?

 Not to sound like I want someone to be without power but I think giving him a month to pay the bill was special treatment to begin with. I have read numerous blogs on this and in almost everyone of them people have stated they are given no more then 2 weeks and most of the time only a week to get their account current. This man gets a month plus...now if thats not special treatment then what is?  

With all the evidence in this issue I am surprised that a TBI and FBI investigation hasn't been started to get to the bottom of this. Herenton calling for a full investigation is like asking a fox to do an investigation into a chicken house killing. There needs to be a body of the law who is not here in Memphis doing this investigation. The billing practices and meter reading practicing of MLGW are severely damaged. I have seen comments from people who are using mre gas then last year but their bills are lower, and people using less are paying more. That is a sign of something not right.

 Regardless of the people to blame MLGW has some very severe issues that need to be addressed. First and foremost is why has Edmund Ford been given 30 days to brign his account current? An account that for 2 years or more has been behind? If it was you or I we would be given no longer then 2 weeks and normally only a week to bring our accounts current or be shut off. What makes these people any different then us? That alone is enough to look deeper into MLGW practices. Second is the rate of our bills is being manipulated by a goverened body of which I see has not offered any believeable reason for it. The fact that the gas was bought months in advance should lock these rates in but yet I see a different rate every month.

 Next is the charges on our bills are not believable. Gas rates, meter rental(Whats this) these meters in some areas are over 20 years old but yet we continue to pay a rental on them. I've seen charges for late fees already put on my bills when I get it but yet the bill is not due till the beginningof the month. How can we be charged a late fee for something thats not late yet.

 The last issue I have is with all the scandals that have plague the city of Memphis why hasn't the Govenor of Tn stepped in and started his own investigation? Even tho Herenton says this is his town and he is the boss the Governor has further reaching authority and I can not believe that these issues have notmade the news where he lives.

This city is under seige not only by the crime, drugs, delapitated buildings and neighborhoods but also by the people we entrusted to lead us and to make Memphis the great city it can be. Come election time i know my house will be voting for a new goverment and administration to do what the current ones cannot or seem like they don't want to do. It's time for the great people of Memphis to awaken and let these corrupt and otherwise unwilling officials knwo we are tired of the blanket promises, excuses, and lack of willingness to get done what we want with our lives, our childrens lives and the future of this great city.

As with watergate the buck stops with the top dogs in this mess. Herenton, Lee, Ford... a bad dog is destroyed..a good dog is rewarded. I personally hope you are ready to be put out and try to make your bills like the rest of us hard working and honest people in Memphis. 

What happened with comcastic, my opinion is that they should change their slogan to nightmarish. On January 25th Time Warner transitioned me over to Comcast. Easy to do but instead what I got was a nightmare that still to this day has not ended. When they transtioned me over I lost my internet for 6 days. I spent the 6 days, 35 plus people I talked to, and over 18 hours on the phone trying to find out what was going on with my service. I had 3 different service people in my house on 2 different days. Finally after getting everything up and running after the 6 days I have continued to have connectivity issues and also ongoing problems with my cable tv service. In all I have been with Comcast a total of 24 days and I ahve spent 14 days on the phone with them over issues. Today I have 2 different service people scheduled to be at my house to fix both my internet and my cable tv problems. Their internet problem is very simple to fix which in return will fix the cable tv problem. Their signal is almost non existant coming from the pole on the street. Instead of just finding out why and fixing it they want to add amplifiers to my house and bandage the problem. Is this the way a multi million dollar company saves money by putting a bandage on the problem? Has anyone else had problems to this extent or am I just being unreasonable for trying to get my service correct and for what I pay for? After almost a month of service and over half that time having problems I think they should credit my account and not charge me till they fix the problem. I know fantasy thinking but something needs to be done.

Why is it every Febuary the med has the same finacial problem? I have lived in Memhis since April of 2001 and every year the same story about the med. One would think that after that long someone in their administration would have said its time to fix this problem. If the problem is out of state medical needs then the med and the goverment needs to setup a way of guaranteing that the med gets their money. It looks like the same problem with the city and its poor management. One month the mayor says the city has enough money to be in the black and the next month there is no money. If Arkansas and Mississippi are continously the problem then the med really needs to look at their arrangement with these states and do some revamping. I understand that a hospital needs to help all that come in but if the states are not paying their portions of the bills then how can they survive for the rest of us to egt the help we need? Hey king Willie, how about using some of that 10 million you said the city had in reserves for the med, paying the pyramid, hiring new police, and finally cleaning up the abandonedand ugly looking neighborhoods in this city.

 

Here we go again with the accused playing that rasism card. Why is it that everytime someone is caught doing wrong they cry racism? Is it racism that the ones doing wrong happen to be one race? Is the goverment forcing these people to take the bribes, to sell their votes for money, to use their elected position for influence? NO, they have a will and a consience that could tell them not to do it and be the honorable people they know they should be.
Call it what you will but if they had any morals they would not do this and then they wouldn't be in this situation trying to blame others for their terrible judgement. Come on people, own up to your wrong doings, and get on with life. If you are corrupt then be an adult about it and admit you got caught with your hands in the cookie jar.
Don't blame society for your own bad judgement and dishonorable behaviour.

With the current elected administration it is clear that this city needs help.
The city has more important things to take care of then councilmen going to New York to study the park system.
How about getting the trash cleaned up thats laying on our streets and neighborhoods. I've lived in this city for 6 years and only seen one sweeper in that time.
Crime rate is out of control, it's time to call in the national guard and do neighborhood sweeps to clean up the riff raff. The police and the officials know where the hot spots...clean it up
The pyramid, turn it into apts for the homeless and teach them new work capabilities. Let them help with the renovation to pay for their housing. If not for the homeless then how about a juvenile jail for the repeat and violent offenders. The outside could remain the same but the inside could be fitted to be secure and safe.
A new stadium? my god whats herenton thinking? Take that money and hire more policemen and clean up the city. Use that money to tear down the condemned and eyesores in this city.
The priorities of the elected officials is obviously to spend our money and line their own pockets. What good is making a park more attractive if all the residents are moving out.
Clean the city up and tourist dollars and new families moving here will build the economy up on its own. Who wants to move to one of the most dangerous cities in the country? Surely not for another new stadium or a park that has been given a facelift.
Tax setup in this city are stupid. Come on guys taxing us twice for the same property? Why not make one tax and the city and county split that. The school system needs to be revamped so its either city or county. Neighborhood kids are going to diff schools just because they may live across the street from each other.
It's time for the voters to let the officials know that the winds of change are blowing into Memphis and we need some new blood and not these lifelong polititions who are gettign rich why the rest of us suffer and struggle.

With the latest scandel to hit Bellvue Baptist maybe it's time that the leaders stop judging the members and look at who they have setting an example. It really seems unfair that they pass such a quick judgement on others when their own house is not clean.
Everyone makes mistakes in their lives but my question is if they are true christians then they should know that they are not the Judge, Jury, and executionor, that there is only one who has that power and it is no mortal.
My family use to go to Bellvue but quickly learned and seen the double standards toward people in the church.
To say the all mighty dollar does not mean anything in the eyes of the church is all out deception. Those who contribute more will and do make the rules. Nothing has changed in the church's throughout this country. My family will now do our own worship and reading of the bible at home. Family stand together and will always be more powerful then the biggest church with all the money.