Joe’s Journal

I like John McCain too; he seems to be a great guy, personable, likable, a kind of guy that you would invite over to a BBQ. Yeah sure, I respect him for his service in Viet Nam, No it doesn’t bother me that he was in the bottom 5% of his class at the Naval Academy, (hey I dropped out of High school) or that he crashed 4 planes,(I crashed my car twice) or even that he was shot down on his first mission over Vietnam,(hey, I’m three time loser) or even the FACT that he started singing like a bird to the enemy, without being tortured, when captured, or that he cheated on his wife, while in office, and is now trying to portray himself as the candidate for family values, hey who am I to judge, most of you know about my past, and my mistakes, so who am I to judge McCain for his.

What really gets me is that some of you, won’t name any names, (on a car trip to Florida), spoke about how Bush was going to do this, and bush was going to do that, and how the economy was going to be better….and what happened? Well we started out with a surplus and eight years later were going to end up with the biggest deficit in history, and McCain supported Bush 95% of the time. Our economy has tanked, our Gas Prices have skyrocketed and everything from the cost of food to diapers has gotten insanely expensive. I won’t mention how many Americans lost their jobs, or tax breaks to companies that ship American Jobs overseas. Maybe those of you that are well off can afford the “basic necessities”, or have a “nest egg” to carry you over until the economy gets better, but many Americans, including myself, cannot.

We went to war in IRAQ on a LIE, remember WMDs, 4,146 soldiers are dead 30,182 wounded for a LIE .How did you all get duped into agreeing to spend 12 Billion a month in Iraq for a war, that shouldn’t even be? So far we spent $368 billion on military operations, $45 billion more in veterans care, diplomatic services, training
with that type of money we could of rebuilt the nation’s Infrastructure, invested in alternative energy and established Universal Healthcare.

Come on, be honest, when “W” moved his attention from looking for Bin Laden in Afghanistan to invading Iraq, you weren’t scratching you head thinking “why in the hell are we doing that?” Intelligent and hardworking Americans such as yourselves?, didn’t have any doubt about that decision? OK, ok, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

What about when the excuse for invading Iraq was proven to be a LIE, WMDs? How about then? Were you outraged? No… no, you just voted him back into office for another four years, with the excuse, “We want him to finish what he started.” What!? Come on, wake up! If that was any other American, he would be in prison.

John McCain has been in Washington for a long time, twenty something years and nothing’s has changed. He is out of touch with reality. He doesn’t even understand economics and even admits it himself, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” McCain said on December 17 in New Hampshire, http://lburl.com/idd0k

I’m astounded, How can smart, Intelligent, hardworking people want McCain for president? Don’t get me wrong, I like John McCain, even after all the crappy things he has done, even after all his flip-flopping, I like him, just not as my Next President!

I am 36, and this will be my first election that I will vote in: presidential or otherwise. It’s Time for a change in Washington, it’s time for a president for the people, from the people, someone who has seen the same hardships that we have, made the same kind of sacrifices we made, and works hard for success, think about that when you cast your ballot in November….Obama/Biden 2008.

By Joseph Eulo

Supporters of drug prohibition say that its benefits are indisputable and obvious. Their most important belief is that without prohibition, drug use would drastically rise. In William Bennett’s, “Should Drugs Be Legalized?” Bennett uses pathetic excuses to refute pro-legalizer’s arguments that the legalization of illicit drugs will 1) take the profit out of its sales and 2) dramatically reduce crime. I disagree with the points Bennett makes on these arguments and will provide the reader with valid arguments to explain why his views are weak.

Legalization will take the profit out of drugs and generate revenue, which will then be used to educate the public on the effects of drugs and treat those who are addicted. Bennett argues, “Legalizers would have to tax drugs heavily in order to pay for drug education and treatment programs” (Bennett 28). Wait a minute; does not the American taxpayer already pay for drug education and treatment? Yes they do! Taxpayers at this time also pay for the cost of the war on drugs, which is close to ten billion dollars a year, its laws, police officers who enforce the laws, judges who uphold the law, prisons to house those who break the law, prison guards to guard them, and treatment programs and facilities to treat them. Bennett states, “In reality, this tax would only allow the government to share the drug profits now garnered by criminals” (Bennett 28). How would this be wrong? Bennett puts a negative spin on exactly what needs to be done.

Legalization will dramatically reduce crime. The moment that drugs are legalized and available at low or no cost, the demand for drugs will decrease dramatically. Drug dealers will cease to exist and addicts will no longer need to rob, steal, or murder to get their next fix; they will go to a clinic and get it for nothing. Bennett attempts to deceive the reader by passing his opinions as researched and valid. “But researchers tell us that many drug-related felonies are committed by people involved in crime before they started taking drugs.” (Bennett 29). Bennett’s statements are invalid; it is clear that he is trying to find any reason to keep from losing his foothold on this debate.

If you look at Prohibition from 1920s and 30s, you will see that the murder rate increased with the start of Prohibition, and remained there until it ended in 1933, then the murder rate dropped for eleven consecutive years. Crime involving firearms increased during Prohibition and went down for ten consecutive years afterward (Ostrowski 1989). The fact is in the last ten or so years, drug use has not dropped even with increased federal spending on the drug war (Ostrowski 1989). Moreover, in spite of all the seizures, drugs are still available to children in elementary school. Drug laws greatly increase the price of illegal drugs, forcing users to steal, kill, and rob to get the money to buy them. It is estimated that at least forty percent of all property crime in the United States is committed by drug users so that they can maintain their addictions (Ostrowski 1989).

The argument that Bennett makes about increase drug use is irrelevant. Legalization will reduce crime, take the profit out of drugs, and reduce the “forbidden fruit” aspect of prohibition, which will decrease use of or experimentation with drugs among the nation’s youth. Legalization will provide our government with an accurate picture of influences that drugs have on the United States and give control to the people to overcome its social, economical, and negative effects. The truth is, if someone really wanted to use drugs, why would they wait until it was legal to do so? People are going to use drugs regardless if it is illegal or not. Money is going to be spent on drug education and treatment either way. Legalize drugs and drug-related crimes will diminish, the prison population will shrink, and the inner cities will become safer to live. Should drugs be legalized? My answer is yes it should.

Works Cited

Bennett, William. “Should Drugs be Legalized?” The Mercury Reader. Ed Janice Neulieb, et al. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2005. 26-31

Cooper, Mary H. “War on Drugs.” CQ Researcher 3.11 (1993). CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Union County College Libraries, Cranford, NJ. 18 Sept. 2006 http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1993031900

Ostrowski, James. “Thinking About Drug Legalization.” Cat Policy Analysis No. 121 (1989): 18 Sept. 2006 http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa121.html

By Joseph Eulo

This is my daughter Anna, she is my life’s “Why statement” the reason Why I exist, the reason why I strive to be a better person, a better father, a better provider. She is the reason why I overcome adversity and accomplish the things that I never thought I could, She is the reason Why I breath. She makes me want to be a better human being. She is my real life Angel.

By Joseph Eulo

I would like to share my experiences that my family and I received at your Somers Point, NJ K-mart (store #9463). My family and I frequent your Somers Point store, and become aware of the poor Customer Service and lack of knowledgeable employees. Especially, on the days we decided to purchase merchandise.

On April 14 of this year, after looking at your Sunday advertisement, my father and I visited your store to purchase a boys bike (receipt# 09463 041408 005 75442). No one was available in the sporting goods department to lend us a hand and we had to walk to the customer service desk and ask for assistance on three separate occasions. Forty minutes later help arrived, but he was not very knowledgeable. We asked him about the cost of the bike, the quality of assembly, and the return policy. He referred us to customer service to get our answers and they told us to talk to someone in sporting goods. We went back and forth between customer service and sporting goods. It took three frustrating hours to purchase a $79.99 bike that, as we found out later, was poorly assembled. Two weeks later, as my nephew was trying to stop the bike, the rear brakes broke. A week later, and after a couple of scrapped knees, the front brakes went. The bike was too unsafe to ride. If buying the bike was a hassle, exchanging the bike would be worse. Therefore, we decided to take the bike to the local bike shop rather than go through the customer service hell at K-mart. It cost us $30 to get the brakes fixed, nearly half of what the bike originally cost.

Even after that awful experience on May 11 my mother and I returned to K-mart to purchase a bike for my five-year-old niece. We were looking at 16″ girl bikes with training wheels. Again, there was no one available in the sporting goods department, and I had to walk to the customer service desk and ask for help twice. The bike we were looking at, (item# 02891401954 $79.99, receipt# 09463 051108 026 68437) required assembly and had no price tag. Fifteen minutes later an employee, John, showed up in a red, dirty un-tucked K-mart shirt. He did not have a clue and behaved as if we were bothering him; he impatiently took out his cell phone to text someone and instructed us to take the bike to customer service for a price check. While waiting for him to get off his cell phone, I impatiently carried the boxed bike to the broken price scanner in the sporting goods department. After slapping the scanner, like an old television set, it began to buzz and beep and few seconds later displayed the price of the bike. Again, I asked about the cost of assembly and the bored employee called someone to find the answer. He told us the assembly would be free and Randy, K-marts bike assembler, would be in on Tuesday to put it together. Frustrated, I carried the bike to customer service and spoke to Nicole: the cashier. I told her that we wanted the bike assembled and began to haggle about the promised free assembly. We bought the bike and left it to be assembled.

I called Kmart on Wednesday to find out if the bike was ready and was told that the assembler would not be in until Thursday and to call back to speak to him then. I called on Thursday but there was no answer. I decided to visit K-mart to find out if the bike was ready: it was not. Randy, the bike assembler, did not show-up that day and would be in on the next day (Friday) I was told that the bike would be ready on Saturday. I returned on Saturday, May 17, to pick up the bike, and spent two hours trying to get someone to check to see if the bike was ready. After all that frustration, the bike was poorly put together. The seat and the handlebars were off center and after just a few hours of use, the training wheels became bent. To get the training wheels replaced would cost $18 + labor to fix at the bike shop.

Does K-mart want our business? What happened? K-mart used to be a fun and convenient place to shop. It was more pleasant and took less time at the DMV then it takes to buy merchandise from your store. I attempted to have the cost of repair of my nephews bike reimbursed to me, but was told that I should have tried to have K-mart fix the problem. Do you blame me for not wanting to spend hours of be ignored at your store? Know I have a 5 yr old sad that she cannot ride her bike, she does not understand that her bike is unsafe for her to ride. My family and I agree not to shop at K-mart again. Do you blame us? The sad part is that you (KMART) will not do anything to rectify the situation. You will not respond to my complaint, and not even attempt to win me back.

Sincerely a disappointed ex-customer of K-mart.

Response from K-mart

Dear Mr. Eulo,

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding your experience with one of our stores. We are always interested in hearing from our customers, but regret it was this type of situation that prompted you to contact us. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience you may have encountered due to the customer service experiences you encountered at our Somers Point store.

We have forwarded your message to the Store Coach. They will contact you within two (2) business days.

Once again, thank you for contacting us.

Dennis H.

Kmart.com Customer Care

1-866-562-7848

By Joseph Eulo

College has changed my life; in the short year that I have attended Union County College (UCC), I have become “anew” three times. The first time in developmental English with Professor Maxwell, she taught me how to write and express my thoughts, opinions, and ideas on paper, she has helped me develop my voice and has encouraged and motivated me along the way. The second time was in Psychology 101 with Professor Tharney; He challenged me intellectually and exposed me to my own self-deception, errors in thinking, and my overused defense mechanisms. I became anew a third time during the spring 2007 semester in Dr. Russell English Honors class. He supported and provided me with the tools I needed to explore my potential as a writer, artist, and poet. His insight guided me during my journey through my past and helped me emerge as man who has made peace with it. His words of wisdom were important in helping me build up the courage to throw away years of the collected mental baggage that I picked up along the way. In his class, I was able to discover my potential and develop my identity.

I have experience tremendous success within my first year at UCC. I have learned a great deal about the people I attend class with and the many different cultures that are present here. I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to my fellow students as a computer tutor in the Academic Learning Center. I have come to know and respect those I help, and honored to be able to assist in their understanding of technology. I try to lead others by example, and show them that if I can do it, so can they. I was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), Honors Society in April 2007. I am grateful for the chance to be in the UCC honors program. I never thought that I could accomplish so much in so little time and that I had the potential that I discovered here at UCC.

As a high school dropout, I never imagined that I would start a second year of college: As a member of an Honors Society; an honoree on the National Deans List; speaking a new language; As an officer in student government; and a member of a student advisory board. I never imagined that I would be building relationships with professors, staff, and students that would last a lifetime. A scholarship will help me reach my potential. It will give me an opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally, and academically. I look forward to another year of college, another year of personal growth and maturity. I look forward in learning how I can become the father, son, brother, man that I was meant to be.

By Joseph Eulo

In the search for my childhood, I selfishly missed my daughters. Her first steps, her first words, her first day of school all of the events of a child that a father should never miss. I was too selfish chasing after my lost childhood. I could not hold on to the memory of it, the very moment I had a firm grip around it, my mental anguish would pry my fingers loose one by one until I slipped back into the abyss. Only the lingering feelings of isolation and loneliness were left and haunted me throughout my teens and my adulthood.

The ghost inside me chased me as I chased after my identity. Searching for my father, I denied my daughter hers. A Fatherless father with no clue how to be one; it took until my thirties to realize my errors in thinking, it was time for me to grow up. It is a full out war going on in my subconscious: little Joe acting out when he doesn’t get the attention he needs and big Joe losing control. It is time to stop being so selfish, and start being the father that my daughter deserves, the father that I was meant to be.

By Joseph Eulo

I visited Ocean City library to look up an old article that Mark Soifer wrote back in 1981 about me. Tried several different search phrases including my last name, thinking that my name was mentioned in the article. There were nine matched to my query. Eight of those matches were obits with the word Eulogy in them. The ninth was this one. My father’s AF basic training press release posted in 1971.

By Joseph Eulo

I dropped out in the middle of my junior year of high school, I was a “G” student (worse than an F) , my grades were so bad they had to invent a grade just for me, the only subject I was good at was Lunch. I regretted dropping out of high school. I have made many mistakes in my life, and I was the king of bad decision-making until I decide to earn my GED 6 years later. Despising math, hating to write anything other than my name, (because it was hard for me), and struggling to read, I slowly and painfully earned my GED.

At 34, I decided to pursue a college degree. I never thought that I had the potential to be successful. I never thought that I could earn an “A” in anything. Last semester I earned four of them and a “B+”. Me, a success! I am not the same person as I was when I started college in the summer of 2006. My college experience has profoundly impacted my thinking, perceptions, and relationship with others, my experience here has revealed to me opportunities that I never imagined.