Political Spin to Much to blog on Arizona Shooting- Funerals ahead-Your Funeral Guy

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Pundits and  Politicians on all sides are putting forth too much spin to  blog on  Arizona Congresswoman shooting . Even the other innocents  deaths have been exploited.It is my hope that their Funerals will not be politicized.

At this time it appears that the rhetoric and politicizing  of the deaths and probably the funerals is an unprecedented  tragedy beyond the sad event.

It is my hope that all will back off and respect the dead. The violence deserves condemnation. The issues are complex.

Using this tragedy for Political Purposes shows plays on the  fears and mayhem in this event.

Generally I blog about Funerals when it involves politics. The bloggers, News stations and Cable  Media are way out of control in this case.

It is my belief that the Congress, Law Enforcement and the Executive Branch are all  off the chart, if not the planet. I also refuse to comment on the Barack  “Obama moment of silence” today

I have been praying for the families of the deceased and for the Congresswoman  Gabriel Gifford’s recovery.

The shootings is are a great national tragedy. This Coverage of this  event,( including the possible elimination of free speech) is horrific. It is a glaring Example of the division, hurt, and extremism  in the United States of America.

An Original Your Funeral Guy Post.

Eventually there will be a detailed blog post on all this.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

It is worth noting that crazed shooters, killing innocents and politicians since the foundation of the USA.

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• Westboro to Picket Funeral for Arizona Victims (unreasonablefaith.com)
• Fred Phelps of WBC Thanks God for the Arizona Shooting (VIDEO) (blippitt.com)

2nd Largest Funeral Corp-Continues decline-Your Funeral Guy

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The second largest Funeral Corporation in The United States Stewart Enterprises Inc (STEI)is continuing it’s Funeral Industry decline.

Stewart Enterprises Inc. said Wednesday its fiscal third-quarter profit edged lower as the funeral provider recorded higher costs and expenses.

The company said net income was $6 million, or 6 cents a share, for the three months ended July 31. That compares with net income of $6.1 million, or 7 cents a share, in the same quarter last year.

via www.businessweek.com

Now coming off the last year(2009) the worst in the funeral industry, due to the great recession the giant should find an easy path to growth.

Again this points to the fact that Families are paying Less for Funerals(less in Funeral Cost) and the rise of cremation.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News |Funeral Blog By Your Funeral Guy

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Recession and Funeral Cost gains Media attention|Your Funeral Guy

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Recession and Funeral Cost are gaining attention -the attention of the Media. Today there was an interesting article in the Huffington Post On this subject.

Snippet:

In the past few recessionary years, most of us have gotten used to closely watching our expenses for everything from child rearing to college to retirement funding. Another important area where comparison shopping makes sense is funerals. Yes, funerals.

While it may not make for typical water cooler chatter, dying in America is expensive and the costs are often borne by grieving family members who are in no mood to haggle. Just as life insurance is meant to benefit family members of the deceased, planning funeral arrangements in advance can save survivors time and a significant amount of money.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

There have been other important articles on this subject in the New York Times and MSN  Money Central.

The Basic ways to save money on a Funeral are:

1. Shop around(Comparison Shopping)

2. Purchase your Casket on the Internet.

3. Choose cremation.

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• Money tip: Cremation less traditional, but less expensive than burial (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Video Funerals prevented: Terrorism stopped in NYC |Your Funeral Guy

This video showed how Funerals and terrorism were prevented in Times Square, NYC. A car bomb with an ied-improvised explosive device was diffused.  The disabled veteran street vendors calling it to police and firemen attention are heroes.

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Blast from the Past|Last Episode of “Six Feet Under” You Tube|Your Funeral Guy

Nothing in the last 10 years has educated folks more about Funerals and the funeral home than the TV Series Six Feet Under. The Last episode aired in 2005.
Here is the YouTube clip of the finale  episode of “Six Feet Under”itself, set to the song “Breathe Me” by Sia.

This is the actual song used in the final episode, and for those who have seen this show, or the last episode, get out the tissues and prepare for a tear duct flow.

During the years the showed aired I did not view it all that much, too busy doing funerals. The series inspired many people to become Funeral Directors. I often wonder how many folks with this inspiration are funeral directors today.

Funeral industry|Funeral Home|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

Incredibly Funeral Protester Westboro Baptist Church Pays No Taxes|YourFuneralGuy

It is my opinion that the Westboro Baptist Church Feeds on the Media Frenzy

Incredibly the church status of the hate filled  Funeral Protester: Westboro Baptist church keeps them from paying taxes. This according to Fox News. Now sometimes as a Funeral Director I have seen cult like churches behave badly at Funerals. In some cases these churches begin their antics long before a funeral.

The sad part of it all is that often churches good and bad fancy themselves to be special because of their “church” status. People around the USA of all political persuasion are quite upset with “Westboro” the funeral protesting church. Signifiacntly the United States Supreme Court will Here 1st Amendment Rights Case late in 2010 involving the Westboro Baptist Church protest at a military funeral. at a. as they relate to

For more than a decade, members of Kansas’ Westboro Baptist Church have seemed to thrive on the wrath of Americans, dominating the headlines with their provocative protests at funerals of U.S. soldiers and their in-your-face rhetoric aimed at gays and Jews.

Westboro has been accused of being a hate group, but one detail that has been largely overlooked is that, unlike most hate groups, this group is not required to pay taxes because of its status as a religious institution.

via www.foxnews.com

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Still Room for Preneed,Prepaid Funeral Fraud-YourFuneralGuy

There is still room for preneed, prepaid, funeral and cemetery fraud around the country. In spite of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Scandal ($100 million) and National Prearranged Services Scandal(approximately $1 billion) the practice continues on a small scale and a larger scale as well.

The current example comes from Mississippi, were it appears there is a large problem with preneed cemetery fraud.

JACKSON, Miss. — Since Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann took office, his agency has seized five Mississippi cemeteries for mismanaging funds, a scenario that’s playing itself out across the country.

Critics of the pre-paid industry contend that’s because oversight has been poor, and despite states’ efforts to beef up laws, there is still plenty of room for fraud.

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann:

“Misapplying trust funds from someone’s funeral arrangements is literally grave robbing,” Hosemann said. “It is unfortunate that we have to go after these companies in court to recoup the money that is missing.”

Anyone taking from folks preened funeral funds including the IFDA and NPS is guilty of Grave Robbing.

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Embezzling $257,119 Preneed Funds|Your Funeral Guy

A couple in Michigan Embezzled(misappropriated)  $257,000 in Preneed Funds from the families they served at a funeral home. Just as the leaders in the Illinois Iuneral Directors Association Ponzi Scheme have not been brought to justice, these two appear to be getting off with restitution and probation.

When funeral providers take people’s preneed funeral funds there should be punishment. Otherwise Funeral Directors will continue to take peoples funeral money.

There are the big cases like that of National Prearranged Services.(NPS) or the Illinois Funeral Directors Association. Every week  in the press there are local  funeral providers who misappropriate or steal money-many times out of  preneed or prepaid funerals. This is one reason for mistrust of funeral directors.

A Canton couple pleaded no contest Friday to embezzling money from prepaid funeral customers and has agreed to pay back 23 victims.

Christopher and Nancy Ziomek, who operated the now-closed Ziomek Funeral Home on Wayne Road in Livonia, entered the pleas in Wayne County Circuit Court to one count of embezzlement of $50,000 or more, but less than $100,000. The offense is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

via www.freep.com

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Chile Earthquake(Video)|300 +Dead Funerals to come-yourfuneralguy

Here is a video report on the Earthquake in Chile. There estimated to be over 300 dead at this time. The damage and death tool will not be as bad Haiti because the epicenter of the quake was not in a metropolitan area.
There does not seem to be a word about funerals taking place at this time.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Pennsylvannia Gov.(D) Rendell Trying to increase Funeral Costs-YourFuneralGuy

The Pennsylvannia Governor Ed Rendell is trying to increase funeral costs in that state by adding a a sales tax on funerals. In a new legislative proposal the governor of PA wants to join 37 other states with a sales tax on the funeral.

“Since 1963, families in Pennsylvania have paid for a funeral without paying sales tax. Under the budget proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell on Tuesday, sales tax would be added to caskets and funeral costs.

Rendell’s proposed budget would reduce Pennsylvania’s sales tax from 6 to 4 percent, but the tax will apply to more goods and services — including funerals.”-Via Pocono Record

Another case of increasing taxes under the guise of lowering them. This time the target is funeral cost

Ultimately this sort of thing causes a rise in funeral cost(funeral expenses) to the consumer through the raising of funeral prices as well.

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