John B Goodman - Not Charged with Murder

Feb. 12, 2010.   At the corner of Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South a Bentley went through a stop sign and crashed into the Hyundai vehicle of Scott Patrick Wilson, age 23, declared dead at the scene.  The Bentley (a $250,000 vehicle) that crashed into their son’s car is owned, and was driven by, John Goodman.  John Goodman, according to many, is responsible for founding and owning the International Polo Club of Palm Beach.

Now here is where the opinion part comes in.  I’m thinking that perhaps when police officers, or later detectives and prosecuting attorney’s got involved, they realized there was a ‘Bentley’ on the scene.  And what does a ‘Bentley’ imply?  MONEY.  Not just any kind of money, but BIG money.  Do they really want to upset someone with multi-million dollar stature, a person who probably knows a lot of people who know a lot more people?  Let’s face it:  if John Smith had been involved in this kind of incident, they would have been arrested on the scene for driving under the influence, with a possible vehicular manslaughter to follow.  (See the police report here:  http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/palmbeachpost/news/PBSO_LogReport.pdf )

If it had been myself, or you – the reader – we would have been spending at least the night in jail.  But not Goodman!  Oh, no – he is way above the like’s of us.  Drinking and driving?  No big deal.  Running a stop sign and hitting – killing – another driver?  That’s okay.  Fleeing the scene to get to a phone (because we are so stupid we believe that multi-millionares with Bentley’s don’t have a car phone or cell phone?)?  Absolutely okay!

BULL$#@#!!!!!  This is just one more instance of people with money getting away with something that the average American does not.  And should the average American get away with it?  No!  You got drunk, drove a car, ran through a road sign, and killed another person – all against the law.  No one should get away with this.  But John Goodman has something the average American doesn’t – MONEY!  So he now has the same lawyer, Roy Black, that represented both Rush Limbaugh and William Kennedy Smith, among others.  John Goodman was never arrested, not even the night of the fatality, even though police reports (see the link to the pdf file) show substance/alcohol abuse.  At the scene, Assistant State Attorney Ellen Roberts was to have said, “law enforcement agencies usually arrest a DUI-fatality suspect right away only if they have reason to believe the person may try to flee. Otherwise they typically let the investigation be completed before any arrests are made”  (Jason Schultz, Palm Beach Post).

Hello?  Since when do drunken driver’s get to leave the scene of a crash, let alone a fatal crash, when testing positive for drugs/alcohol/substance abuse?  According to Florida Statute:

Manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide-s. 316.193 (3), F.S.

• DUI/Manslaughter: Second Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment).
• DUI Manslaughter/Leaving the Scene: A driver convicted of DUI Manslaughter who knew/should have known accident occurred; and failed to give information or render aid is guilty of a First Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 30 years imprisonment).
• Vehicular Homicide: Second Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment).
• Vehicular Homicide/Leaving the Scene: A driver convicted of vehicular homicide who left the scene of an accident is guilty of a First Degree Felony (nor more than $10,000 fine and/or 30 years imprisonment).

Well, apparently Mr. John Goodman, the officers on the scene, and the detectives and prosecuting attorneys following up feel that this statute (state law, really) does not apply to people who can afford to drive Bentley’s.

The following are quoted from various news sources related to the accident/death of one Scott Patrick Wilson (For further information, please look to the bottom of the article for various links and sites.):

“Initial sheriff’s reports said Goodman ran a stop sign at 1:05 a.m. Friday before his black Bentley convertible crashed into the side of Wilson’s Hyundai Sonata. The reports also said investigators suspect alcohol or drugs played a role.

Even so, major decisions on the case may not happen anytime soon, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys said Tuesday. They said investigations of suspected drunken-driving wrecks typically take weeks if not months, unless authorities have reason to consider the driver a flight risk….Law enforcement found Goodman at a trailer on a dirt road about a quarter-mile south of the crash, which occurred about 1 a.m. at Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South, officials with the State Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.

Goodman, the 46-year-old owner and founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, had gone to the trailer to use the phone to call for help, according to the State Attorney’s Office. The area south of the crash scene is mostly dirt roads and horse farms with few homes.” Jason Schultz, The Palm Beach Post

“Goodman, 46, survived. He was treated and released from Wellington Regional Medical Center hours after the crash.

Details of the crash are scant. Detectives say Goodman was driving south on 120th Avenue when he ran the stop sign and struck Scott Wilson’s car, which was westbound on Lake Worth Road. The Hyundai sank into the canal and Goodman’s $200,000 Bentley came to a stop on a nearby sidewalk, according to a dispatch log.

A 911 caller reported the crash, seeing the smashed-up Bentley, metal, glass and signs that a car may have gone into the canal.

Deputies and paramedics arrived around 1 a.m. Neither the Sheriff’s Office nor Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue confirmed early media reports that Goodman may have fled the scene.

Scott Wilson died at the scene. ” Brian Haas and Missy Diaz, Sun Sentinel

“Investigators suspect John B. Goodman was drinking when he ran a stop sign and plowed into Scott Wilson’s car.

At the accident scene Scott Wilson’s friend have created a memorial in his honor. Meanwhile, many are asking why the suspected drunk driver,  John B. Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach,  hasn’t been charged with anything at this point.

News Channel 5 Legal Analyst Michelle Suskauer says the investigation will take some time.

‘They are waiting on toxicology reports right now to determine if he was under the influence and what he was under the influence of,’ explains Suskauer.”  Kristyn Caddell, wptv.com

http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/duilaws.html

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/investigation-into-wellington-polo-owners-crash-may-take-245131.html

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-09/news/fl-goodman-wellington-polo-death-20100309_1_fatal-crash-polo-club-owner-crash-scene

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/centralpbc/wellington/story/Questions-surrounding-Wellington-fatal-car-acciden/n1xoT6VzW0aBy39tbYJycg.cspx

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-02-13/news/fl-wellington-fatal-crash-20100212_1_mr-goodman-crash-lake-worth-road

To this date Mr. Goodman has not been charged for anything. It has been over a month now and there are no legal charges and even though the police reports shows drunk driving Mr. Goodman has never seen a night in jail. How many of us have ever enjoyed that kind of treatment? Not me.

Internet 2010

So where is the Internet going this year? Is it gonna be another social network that we will allow follow like mindless drones? Will it be something creative and groundbreaking? There is no better way to see the feature of the internet than PLUGG in Europe.

This convention has been featuring for years the hottest new trends and the most innovating online businesses and this year their are not going to disappoint.

Looking over the big news makers of this year’s Plugg, I can see a lot of B2B development but some end user new products and services stand out.

Fits.me – is a new website that claims to change the world of online shopping as we know it. This is aimed to be a virtual dressing room where you can try on, mix up and coordinate your purchases before you pay for them and get them in the mail. I for one think is brilliant as after last Christmas, I am no longer allowed to buy my wife anything from the web . The site is not up yet but it will be functional shortly.

Another great service out there is English-Attack.com. For those of you that have relatives that can’t speak English and have a tough time learning it through conventional methods – community college, church group, etc. – this website will provide the first 100% free, 100% entertainment way of learning English. I for one again am excited about the promises of this site as I have grown impatient to my mother’s slow learning curve .

All in all it is safe to assert that the Internet has a lot more B2B products in the workings than retail or public use. But I am still going to have a drink knowing that there is no new social network coming up to fill up my mailbox.

Online Businesses for Moms

“Finding your legitimate online business is becoming one of the best ways to earn an extra income. Many moms are turning to this popular alternative in order to bring in a paycheck and spend more time with their children.” – is the introductory line of this website owned and managed by former radio personality Kelly Land.

Sounds awesome but with the rampant growth of “make money at home” scams is this site viable or just another one of those fly by night, leave your morals at the doors and hand me your credit card website?

I looked more deeply into it and I can say with full honesty that it is hard to call Kelly Land another scam. Is the website going to provide you with a paycheck each week? Hardly!

Moneymakingmommy.com is really just a review site. Mrs Land goes out and explores various make money at home opportunities and recommends some over others. To fully understand those jobs you have to keep in mind that Mrs Land gets paid a commission for each website visitor that ends up signing up for a recommended business oportunity. She is an affiliate and there is nothing wrong with that. Many people do it and for some is a very profitable business.

Most of the time this affiliate model is what she recommends anyhow so again it is hardly something one would call a scam. However it is not really the most balanced and unbiased review of its kind due to Mrs. Land financial gain off of some of the recommended opportunities. However she is really good about filtering out the obvious scams and when one of her recommended businesses turn out to be a horror story she makes sure to remove it from the site and protect future visitors.

And if the affiliate market is what you are looking for check out mega sites like commissionjunction.com or clickbank.com and save yourself commission and entry fees. The above mentioned websites are free to sign up and offer you millions of products you can market to others for a cut of the sales.

So I guess word to the wise is go check out the offerings at moneymakingmommy.com and see if any or which fit your skills and your taste. If the opportunities there sound more and more like you needing to sell some products for a cut, remember that sites like commissionjunction and clickbank (and those are just the major ones other are all over the net) charge no membership fee or start up cost for the same deal.

Oh yeah and the final though is that an online business is different than a job – it’s a business. By that understand that an online business is much of how YOU do it and what YOU do and the results are directly YOURS. Don’t expect to get a paycheck the first week or make money in the first month doing nothing. If you are looking for a steady paycheck than you are looking for a JOB not an online business.

Small Business Unemployment on the Rise

With unemployment at a 26 year high at 10.2%, its no wonder that DC movers and shakers are starting to focus more attention on small business owners.

Statistics supplied by ADP (and reported by CNN) show that small businesses (businesses with less than 50 employees) cut 68,000 jobs in the last quarter of 2oo9. A huge portion of the total 5.3 million jobs lost this year alone was due to the 2 million jobs lost in small business.

With challenges such as small business loans drying up, SBA subsidies running out, and other small business financial institutions going bankrupt, it will be harder to recover those lost jobs. In fact, large banks have axed close to $10 billion dollars in small business lending.

I guess it takes staggering numbers like those to attract the attention of the powers at be. President Obama has finally addressed the issue in a statement implying that “If you are a big corporation right now, the credit market is really working for you and the low interest rate can help you retain jobs.” However if your name is “Small Business USA” you have to do a lot better to get a loan. It is nothing short of writing off your first born in order to get a business loan from most major banks, and a miracle at least if you deal with small local banks – my choice anyhow for what is worth it.

I tend to believe that the banks of America as well as the well dressed crowd on Capitol Hill need to be reminded again that the backbone of this country is still the Small Businesses. Their growth is the growth of our economy as we together hire more than any of the fortune 500 companies, pay more taxes than they do and create a much bigger demand than they do. Without growth in this sector the burden of employment gets put solely on the large corporation which as is are inefficient, poor managed and too large to handle quick economic downturns.

Assume that the Small Business sector is flourishing and that each business hires in average 20-30 people. A company this size can swiftly adapt to market conditions, demand and supply shifts, taxation and legislation. So it makes all the sense in the world that to control unemployment is to nourish the small entrepreneur – which in most cases has a more humane work schedule and compensation package.

Even Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has acknowledged that without credit for small businesses, they simply can not grow. CNN quotes him as saying, “No jobs without growth. No growth without credit.”

So here’s another wake up call Mr. Washington DC, stop messing with bills of minimal importance – such as the newly approved airport in some 3000 people town of Tennessee costing us 1.3 billion dollars and bringing 10 jobs – and address the real elephant in the room! The state of our Small Businesses.

Yeah Another Scam-er

Wow there is another small business millionaire over night guy out there that has reached national recognition. His name is Ivan Fienney, so claimed father of two and an ex-school teacher than now makes $8000 a month. He is the latest of the Google Kit make money at home scam superstars that will sit and tell you that you will get paid for posting links on Google!

We covered the Google Kit scam before but since this guy has reached somewhat of a national recognition it only seams fair that we dissect his program and reveal the truth.

First of all he has no program of his own which to the untrained eye looks like a credible source. He is riding Robert Allen’s program that he claims he made millions off of, enough money to make him quit being a school teacher and dedicate his attention to online business opportunities. However while credible at first this guy fits all the tell tell signs of a scam-er and indeed he is one.

His website found at ivanblogecrets.com is just a big oh scam that follows all the patterns that we highlighted in earlier blogs. You will see his national accreditation images… pictures of the daily show, logo of CNBC and many other national credible media outlets. However when one clicks on those images it will return a blank document as such media coverage never existed.

Let me tell you one thing for sure, as a veteran of 20 some years of internet marketing and creator of many top ranked websites on the internet – NO ONE PAYS YOU TO POST LINKS ON GOOGLE! If that was not capitalized enough for you then I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn NY. There are several kinds of links you see on google.com: – 1. the sponsored links aka someone paid for it, the organic links aka your site is really important and the cross advertiser links aka yet again someone paid for it! Where in that equation can you spot a place for you to post links on Google for free, not sell anything and make 8K a month? Yeah its a myth but a well written myth courtesy of the most brilliant mind Mr. Robert Allen, the pioneer of online membership sites!

So please if you really value you hard earned money please do not sign up for this scam, you will only hate yourself 1 month into it. I don’t care who you are but if you promise millions over night without any work and you charge me for your secret to do it you are a scam-er! More over if you gonna use fake media logos to build your credibility I know you are desperate and if you claim you can post links on Google for free you are completely out of your mind. Just the thought the Google.com a multi-billion dollar organization will allow you to do that is beyond comprehension.

Since we try to steer people away from falling victims to those fly by night make money at home programs, we are compelled to expose this guy. It’s a scam. it will never work and it is not real. So while you are shedding a tear for his tough background – two kids and an elementary school teacher job paying nothing – remember this one thing HE IS A MADE UP PERSON WITH A GOOD ENOUGH BACKGROUND TO SQUEEZE MONEY FROM YOU AND A TEAR ON TOP OF IT!

If you still have doubts go to http://todaysmorningnews.com/ and try to click on any of the media coverage images he boasts to be covered by! That’s right they are all fake advertising insets. He took a picture of their logo and with a little help from Photoshop he claims his scam is legit and endorsed by these large media corporations. The links go nowhere.

New Credit Card Regulation

Yesterday we talked about the new changes that the CARD has brought to the wild wild west of credit card issuers world. Today we will cover even more dramatic changes and how they will affect people from all walks of life. Having said that let’s disect the new regulations and find out who it really benefits and why is AGAIN just another half baked idea.

So credit card companies are no longer allowed to sit on college campuses and sign students up offering a slice of pizza. Nor can they jack up our interest rates without prior – 45 days – notice. They no longer can increase your rate by scavenging through your financial records – unless off course you are late on your payment 60 days or more. That sounds all so awesome and overdue but what about he loopholes and how is this gonna benefit the masses?

As always simple mass will lead you to the answer. Looking at the law again I noticed that while credit card companies have all those new restrictions mentioned above, there is no law or regulation prohibiting them from charging monthly fees or yearly fees on your account. Regardless if you are paying your bill in time or not, banks like CitiGroup will charge a monthly fee if you do not spend more than $2400 a year on their card. Others like American Express and Bank of America are starting to charge a yearly service fee (call it membership fee) that really will bring no value to you as the card holder. Ohio based Fifth Third bank is charging $15.00 a month if no transaction was made on the card during that billing cycle.

All those fees are the credit card companies reaction to the fact that they now can no longer sign up “sucker” memebers that they know for sure will end up paying years of interest on their debt.

But this fees will be passed on to all of us. Whether you are a good account or not those fees will apply so how is the government regulatory legislation really help you? Well it doesn’t. It only helps those who have habitually been late on their credit card bill, those who have not been able to manage their open debt and the likes. But you the good, honest credit card consumer is about to take a penalty for something the other guy did.

If the government really wanted to do something they should have set out to ban all those fees and other charges we are all about to see. College students can not get a credit card without a co-signer or proof of sustainable income. Good payers will end up having their credit card benefits like miles and such being cut off in the name of saving to cover other assets, not to mention that all on time payers will still get a fee and an interest rate increase. Looking t statistics for the last 12 month, the median interest rate credit card companies were charging in 2008 was 12%, that is 4% lower than what we are all set to receive in 2010 and 2% lower than the media for 2009.

Banks adjust to government regulation and so should you, and unless we all learn what credit card debt and open credit line means we will never have the upper hand on the BIG BANK company. Again like I mentioned in a blog yesterday, it all starts with educating the people and the future consumers. A person well aware of how recurring debt works will never end up in the shoes of Sarah Miller, a student from Ohio, that is now 40K in debt after receiving a no limit American Express when she was 20 years old.

Under 21? No Cards For You!

This is the latest headline CNNMoney.com boast on their credit section of their website. Together with high resolution graphics and examples of students in different credit scenarios, CNN informs the public of the latest government attempt to help people.

But let not stray away from what the real issue here is. Yes there are bad practices in the credit card issuers world, yes there are tons of students that are in debt over their head and yes there are a lot of people that are managing just fine.That has never really been a major topic as everyone agrees on it. But will a new government half baked plan to correct the problem really work?

I vote no. One of my friends posted on Facebook a brilliant idea on this topic. Is not as much that people ar irresponsible or banks are too greedy but rather the issue can be found in our educational fabric.

As kids we are told to save and have a piggy bank, spend wisely and look for the bargains. At no point do parents tell us the principle of credit how it works and how to manage recurring debt or a revolving credit. We are taught basic financial skills and sent into the wild where we can get a credit card, a pizza and a teddy bear at any college campus if we stop between classes and apply at one of those improvised stands.

So rather than addressing the underlying issue here, the government sets out to spend more money on regulating how a credit company approaches students and persons under 21. Is as if only persons under 21 have a credit card debt or are buried under a mountain of credit card debt. It is again at best a mediocre attempt to solve a problem and will do noting more than change ever so little the big banks approach to making you a credit customer.

The real solution is in education. And here is where I go back to my friends idea: Everyone should be taught in high school a little course on debt, credit cards and managing such issues. Every up and coming college student should at least know how credit cards work and how they are not just a source of income but rather a much more complex financial instrument. Like he said, unless you graduated one of those course you should probably not be allowed to have a credit card. I twill save taxpayers money, it will save your parents a ton of cash and it will help you a lot when it comes to your life after crazy college years.

Again America, education is the best tool to prevent or solve problems not another government regulatory agency that will do nothing more than increase our budget deficit and obtain under par results. Wake up, demand to be educated and demand understanding of what is given to you.

Toyota Had Prior Knowlede of Diffects

At this point is a trivial fact that Toyota Motor Company is in deep troubles over their repeat recalls in recent month. What people did not know is the previous knowledge of the issues by high ranking Toyota officials.

Did Toyota know about the issue and chose to continue with the production of their vehicles or were they as surprised as we all were? Documents handed over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are painting a very scary picture of the company that many Americans have come to regard as one of the most trustworthy car manufacturers on the market.

In an internal document dating back to June 6 of 2009, a top executive boasted how by negotiating the recall to be an “equipment only” recall versus a much larger and costly “total vehicle recall” the company was able to save $100M plus. This recall was directly mentioning the problem [re: sudden acceleration].

The presentation was given by one of Toyota’s most respected executive,, head of Toyota’s North America division – Mr. Yoshi Inaba.

Following this presentation in 2009, a family of four died when their Lexus ES – yes included in the internal memo – crashed due to a malfunction with the gas pedal causing it to accelerate without control.

But this is not all that Toyota has been found to be guilty of, if one would study their trouble time line, many other inconsistencies will become obvious, all risking our lives. I am not going to go into too much detail about it but there were the Tundra brake issues, then the Camry acceleration problems, the Corolla and Camry and Lexus floor mats disaster, all more or less kept very well under cover.

The companies position even to this date remains the same – refusal to deal with U.S. government agencies. Before he changed his mind, the president of Toyota, Mr. Akio Toyoda , has refused on numerous occasions to testify before a senate or house committee. However that string of avoidance will end this coming Wednesday when he will have to address the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

I for one will not be purchasing a Toyota for many years not because I am scared but only because I condemn large corporations making a profit on my safety and that of my children. I personally don’t care if Mickey Mouse is endorsing the new Camry, the faith in their product is gone especially after it became transparent that they ignored all the tell tell signs and much more they plotted to hide safety concerns that I, as a consumer, should have been aware of.

Lives could have been saved if this document was released publicly, and if consumers, costumers and potential customers would have been made aware of the situation. I still believe that it is a moral obligation that one has to warn others of potential dangers even if that leads to loos of profit. But I guess in a world where investors no longer scrutinize the company’s way but rather only the bottom line, executives have to focus much less on safety concerns and much more on the balance sheet.

Where's the Party At?

This has to be the shortest lived jobs bill to ever enter senate, and sooner than you can say “bi-partisan effort” the bill has been nixed by Senate Majority Leader Reid. Apparently the bill introduced on the 11th by senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) was little “too bi-partisan” for Mr. Reid’s taste. After been hashed out in the senate for weeks, the democrats opposing the bill (and that would be most of them) complained to Mr. Reid that the bill contains too many tax cuts for small and medium businesses and no unemployment benefits extension. In other words… the bill did not include enough government spending.

With unemployment benefits standing to end on February 28th, it seams that the bi-partisanship effort we have grown accustomed to in the last 8 years is well and thriving on Capitol Hill. I just love watching my elected officials at work, especially when by now I am quite amused by the hatred and poisonous debates that the health care reform had to go through and the job bill is falling victim to.

Basic Business Budget

One of the oldest sayings in business is that you have to spend money to make money. But you have to spend your money wisely. And that’s where budgeting comes into play.

A basic budget tries to anticipate your spending needs and forecasts your sales and other revenue. A budget helps you predict when money comes in and goes out so you can better manage your cash flow. It’s also useful when dealing with bankers on loans. In short, a budget is a useful road map to guide your business through the year.

A good basic budget can:

1. Forecast the timing and amounts of your spending
2. Set realistic goals for income and expenses
3. Give you a standard against which to measure performance
4. Help you control your expenses
5. Show you when you’re overspending so you can adjust

The three main elements of any business budget are sales revenues, expenditures and profits. To create your budget, you’ll need to anticipate a dollar amount for each elements. Existing businesses can look to past figures for guidance; new businesses must make an educated guess.

Estimate your Revenue:
It’s better to be cautious with your revenue estimates. If you fall short of projections, you could end up without enough money to cover expenses. It’s also important to map out when revenues will arrive. For example, in a cyclical business like retail, you need to budget your cash so you’ll be able to pay your bills during slow periods while you wait for the bustling holiday season to arrive.

Estimate Your Expenses:
Calculate when and how much you’ll have to pay for business expenses, including things like cost of goods sold, office supplies, rent, utilities, auto expenses, travel, advertising, professional services, loan repayment and taxes. Companies with employees have additional expenses, including salaries, benefits, employee business expense reimbursements and bonuses.

Put it All Together:
Once you have all your numbers in place, you can begin to see where your money comes from and where it goes, which helps you direct your attention to areas that need improvement. It will also help you project profits and losses, moth or periods of time when your business is most profitable, actions taken that had the greatest impact on your business and more.

Take for example advertising, if you spend $200 a month on newspaper ads and $200 a month on radio ads, wouldn’t you like to know which is is more profitable? Sure you do, and the budget together with other marketing analysis will allow you to identify your most profitable ad element which in turn will let you focus on it and possible cancel the other.

Don’t be afraid to improvise and be unconventional. Some of the best ideas and resources are found in unconventional places. And lastly keep this bullet points in mind:

• Add a cushion: Your business will need some cash on hand for day-to-day operations and unexpected expenses, so be sure to build cash reserve into your budget.
• Use your library: When you’re trying to project revenue and need to research your industry, don’t overlook your public library, which not only has books and periodicals that might be useful but also reference librarians who can help direct you.
• Take a long look: If a one-year budget is helpful in mapping out your immediate objections, then a three-year budget can help you focus on your longer-term goals and outlook.
• Measure performance: Once you have a budget, you can periodically calculate how you’re doing compared to your plan and make changes as needed in your operations.