Hillsborough County Commissioners could do something (but they won’t)

By Chris Ingram

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White’s sexual harassment case finally appears like it will be settled by the county. The county has agreed to pay $278,000 to White’s victim and her attorneys. I think this is the right thing to do as it limits the potential for any further costs borne to taxpayers already on the hook for well over $500,000 for the county’s legal bills for defending White.

And while the county should move on and count its blessings that White’s libido didn’t cost taxpayers even more, the commission needs to do something to get rid of Mr. White who refuses to resign. (more…)

Six months later is better than never

By Chris Ingram

Earlier this week Irreverent View readers received a copy of a letter I sent to the head of Verizon Communications complaining about the filth forced on users when they try to select children’s programming using Verizon FIOS’ “on demand” service.

The public sharing of my letter followed six months having gone by since I first complained. I also sent my letter in June, and here it was September and still no reply.

After sharing my column, I received an overwhelming response from readers who shared my concern. Most of them indicated they too would let Verizon know how unhappy they are with the “R” rated movie trailers being forced on viewers using “on demand” services. Movies like slash-em up horror film “Saw” being advertised while searching for children’s programs like “Dora the Explorer.”

Well lo and behold, today I received an e-mail from someone at Verizon.  It was just a form letter but it did give instruction on how to block the garbage I was concerned with. And guess what? It works! No more blood and gore or sex when looking for Bert and Ernie. Thanks Verizon!

But more importantly, thank you readers! I firmly believe had it not been for a large response by I.V. readers to Mr. Seidenberg’s e-mail, my concerns would have still been ignored.

Verizon, take note of this: next time someone writes the president of your company a letter (twice), try responding to it in a timely manner. It would have saved you all the bad publicity.

Chris Ingram

p.s. Here are the instructions on how to block movie trailers from the on-demand service:  go to the Menu, choose Settings; Parental Controls; Promotional Video Lock and then choose “Off”

Are ads for the movie “Saw” appropriate when searching for “Dora?”

A letter to Verizon Communications from Chris Ingram

March 17, 2009

Ivan G. Seidenberg
Chairman and CEO
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc.
1095 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036

Dear Mr. Seidenberg:

We have enjoyed FIOS TV since subscribing to it in the summer of 2007. 

However, as our three girls ages 5 and twins 2, have gotten older and interested in occasionally watching television, your service has become a problem.

Specifically, when we go to select a kids “on demand” program such as Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, or the Berenstein Bears, your company runs advertisements for other “on demand” products or pay-per-view items. These are shown in a small box on the menu selection screen and cannot be turned off.  This morning when pulling up Dora on demand, a trailer for the movie “Saw” came on.

Saw is a horror film from a company called “Twisted Pictures” which describes the film as a “grisly horror film.”

My wife and I can forgive your company for offering to us the adult trash you now offer through pay-per-view with titles like “1st Time Man Lickers,” “Wet Amateur Moms,” and “10 Best: Real Teens” (which sounds like it glorifies pedophilia), since we simply choose to just not to view this crap. But using the service to let our children watch children’s programs includes inappropriate content which we cannot control.

I implore Verizon FIOS to change the nature of how these trailers are forced upon its customers, or at minimum to offer no trailers or other ads for things that are above a “G” rating.

As you and your corporate bean counters and marketing department begin to consider this, I ask you to think about your own children (if you have any) and consider whether you would want a 5 or 2 yr. old to see a trailer for a movie like “Saw.” Furthermore, you might ask yourself if your mother would be proud of you for offering all the porn filth your company now makes available. I’m guessing you’d rather not go over the aforementioned titles with her at the dinner table.

The courtesy of a reply is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Chris Ingram

The following passage comes from Verizon’s Employee Code of Conduct with an introduction from Mr. Seidenberg:

“It is imperative that, as we do so, we continue to uphold the Verizon commitment and core values: put customers first, act with integrity, treat people with respect, be accountable, and raise our standards of performance. This means that we also have to do more than simply follow the law: instead, we have to do the right thing – and we have to do it every day. Ethical conduct is the foundation of any lasting business success. For Verizon to succeed.”

Editor’s note: I sent the above letter to Mr. Seidenberg in March. I also re-sent it in July. I still have not received a reply. So much for customer service and doing the right thing…

If you are a Verizon customer who also hates this filth, send an email to Mr. Seidnenberg at:

Ivan.Seidenberg@core.verizon.com 

and, Ivan.Seidenberg@verizon.com.

Chris Ingram is the president and founder of 411 Communications a corporate and political communications firm, and publisher of www.IrreverentView.com. Ingram is a frequent pundit on Fox News and CNN, and has written opinion columns for the Washington Times, UPI, Front Page Florida, and National Review online. E-mail him at: Chris@411Communications.net.

Calling all Charlie supporters!

As the editor and publisher of Irreverent View, I am constantly seeking new contributors from the left, the right, and anything in between. We have peaks and valleys of contributors offering alternative perspectives. Of course the name of the site is “Irreverent View” so all submissions need to be irreverent in nature. That means a little humor or sarcasim, and a perspective that is against the grain of “conventional wisdom.” To simplify, what this means is, what you read in Irreverent View is likely not what you’ll read in your local newspaper.

Okay, so here is the challenge: if you are a Charlie Crist supporter, we want to hear from you. Why do you support him? Why do you like him? What policies of his do you like? Can you name three significant accomplishments of Governor Crist’s? — a nice tan doesn’t count as an accomplishment. 

I’ve had a small handful of Crist supporters e-mail me (compared to hundreds of people who can’t stand his practices as our opportunist governor) with shallow statements about how wonderful he is. I always e-mail these folks back and ask them to name three significant accomplishments of “TooTan Charlie’s” — I haven’t received a reply back yet.

So here’s your chance Charlie supporters. Make your case as to why Charlie is fit to serve in the U.S. Senate and why he isn’t the shallow, do-nothing, political opportunist, Republican version of Bill Clinton I think he is. And please, don’t send me some garbage Jim Greer or one of the cronies at the Republican Party of Florida (aka: the Crist campaign) wrote for you. And keep it irreverent.

Finally, your submission should be well written, and free from libelous or malicious content and it must contain your name and e-mail address for public posting. If you’re interested in submitting a column, send me an e-mail to: Chris@IrreverentView.com.  Non-Crist supporters are welcome to submit too, and if you want to write about something unrelated but has a national interest, feel free. But again, remember to keep it irreverent.

Chris Ingram

Publisher

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A satirical look at Florida’s shallow and leaderless governor

By Chris Ingram

Jim: Governor, your poll numbers are falling faster than Lee County housing prices. I’m getting nervous…

Charlie: Its okay Jimmie, I’ve got that senate thing lined up with Mel this summer. Start packing your bags, I’m gonna’ need a driver!

Jim: Governor, this is serious. The party faithful and loyal contributors are upset. They don’t like the whole idea of you supporting Obamalism. They say all these bailouts and spending bills are saddling our kids with more and more debt.

Charlie: I don’t have any kids. (more…)

By Lawrence A. Hunter
Two years ago, Gov. Crist dared insurance companies to leave Florida if they couldn’t do business under regulations that essentially forced them to lose money. Last week, State Farm Insurance Company, Florida’s largest writer of homeowners’ insurance, announced it is going to discontinue writing homeowners’ policies in the state.

This saga began several years ago when the governor and the Legislature began playing chicken with Mother Nature and the laws of economics by imposing price controls on homeowners insurance. This prevented insurance companies from charging homeowners actuarially sound premiums that accurately reflect the risk of storm damage. Almost immediately, insurance companies began fleeing the state, and firms that remained dropped thousands of homeowners’ policies that had suddenly become actuarially unsound under Florida’s price controls.

(Read the full commentary appearing on the SunSentinel newspaper website here).

Editor’s note: tabulator of this information is unknown and Irreverent View cannot confirm total costs of items 11 through 2 (however the costs associated with each item appear to be realistic).  Since item #1 (the costliest item) is ongoing it’s total cost cannot be calculated. 

# 11. Titanic – $150 Million The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today ‘ s dollars).

 

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Where’s the Beef in rating system?

By Richard Berman

The Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) stamp of approval has historically provided a high comfort level for consumers.

In the past, the bureau labeled businesses “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” for resolving consumer complaints. In 2009, the business watchdog is employing a new rating system.

Starting this month, businesses will be rated based on 16 weighted categories with a scale from AAA to F. The BBB Reliability Report’s algorithm calculating a company’s ranking revolves around a set of subjective characteristics including the nature of business, length of time since opening, whether the business is “problematic in the industry,” and BBB accreditation, i.e., are they a paying member. (more…)

Parody and satire are by nature offensive

By Michael A. Matteo

I have been writing comedy for approximately two decades and have laughed at jokes since I was able to understand the spoken word. In my lifetime I have heard thousands of parodies, one-liners, puns, jokes and many other forms of humor. Some of these attempts at humor I found amusing, some made me yawn and other stuff made me cringe. And even when things made me cringe I thought, “Well, I may not like what I’ve heard but someone may feel that way about something I’ve written. Thank God for freedom of speech.” (more…)

How things work in a former Communist nation
By Joe Cimino

The University of South Florida College of Engineering is known for its foreign professors some more infamous than others (remember Sami Al-Arian?). One constant throughout the program in my day was the faction of Russian math professors who would enthusiastically begin every semester with the hopes of teaching us American students advanced math, only to find that they needed to water down the curriculum after the first exam, or face the administrative consequences of failing an entire class. We always blamed it on how difficult it was to understand their accent or teaching style. The truth is that we just didn’t get it. (more…)