I just read an accounting of a story about a Notary who did a signing for some oldsters. They signed at an outdoor table, but there were no chairs. It was freezing cold and the Notary was getting tired of leaning over the table as the signers read all of the 200 pages. The notary concluded that she would never do that type of signing again.

COMMENTARY
It is dangerous to be out in the cold for a long time especially if you are a vulnerable old person. So, by trying to stay safe from Covid, you end up compromising yourself. Covid-19 spreads lightening fast not because you aren’t wearing a mask, but when it is cold. South Dakota had no problem for nine months and then the minute the weather got frigid it spread out of control. But, what goes up, must peak and come down. They peaked in early November and now their new infection rate has gone down a lot.

By being outside in the cold for a prolonged period of time you might be increasing your chance of getting Covid or the flu. This kind of stupidity just defies common sense. Back in my day, old people had a monopoly on common sense. I guess times have changed.

Many of us with public offices such as Notary Public, Police, Judges, and others have sworn an Oath of Office to protect the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. The exact wording of your Oath varies by profession, state, and varies over time. But, the concept is similar. You do not sit and watch while our constitution is being violated — you stand up and do something. But, do what? Use your imagination. Protest, write letters, make phone calls to critical people – make some noise damn it!

The constitution and its amendments are the bedrock and foundation of our society. If people can violate it with reckless abandon for light and transient causes such as diseases that only kill people in nursing homes or due to temporary riots, then the governors can get away with anything — and in 2020 they did.

It is December, 2020 when I am writing this article. State officials are beginning to speak more frequently about the constitution. Rudy Giuliani made several lawsuits involving states concerning the legitimacy of votes which included some constitutional issues. The Texas Secretary of State sued a few states that violated constitutional procedure for making changes in voting rules. And more Sheriffs (in CA & NY for example) and regular people are beginning to stand up more and more and protest how their rights have been taken away from them.

What specific violations can be sourced?

1. Liberty & Masks
Liberty is described as an unalienable right by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the State of California. Liberty is also a right in the Constitution that can only be taken from you by due process. Is forcing a healthy person to wear a mask or socially distance liberty?

Liberty I would define as the ability to do what you like unless you create extreme danger or discomfort to others. A healthy person not wearing a mask poses no more danger to others than a safe driver on the road poses. Sure there might be an accident, but the risk is a small and reasonable risk. A driver who has a record of driving recklessly would pose a significant risk. And we need to differentiate between reasonable risk and unreasonable risk — but, due to our paranoia of Covid-19, our brains no longer function rationally.

2. The First Amendment: The Right to Assemble
The right to assemble on personal property, business property, and public property such as parks, beaches, hiking trails, etc., has been abridged in many states by the respective Governors. Many were denied their right to run their business or have as many clients as they wanted in their building. Restaurants couldn’t provide inside dining either for months on end which created financial devastation to many.

3. The First Amendment: Religious Rights
Our rights to practice our religions have been violated. In many states the Governors have made it illegal to congregate in a religious building such as a church, mosque, or synagogue. Additionally, there was hypocrisy in enforcement as violent rioters were allowed to congregate in mass and damage businesses. Executive orders must be even handed across the board, so if 100 rioters can assemble to riot, therefore 100 church goers should have the same right. On the other hand, the constitution doesn’t allow any abridgement of our rights. I consider it to be treason for a member of the government to willfully violate our constitutional rights.

4. The Second Amendment: Gun Rights
Several states wanted to abridge gun rights or take guns away from members of the public. The constitution doesn’t state that the government can do such a thing. Members of the public have the right to bear firearms — it doesn’t say which type they can have or can’t have or under what conditions. It just says we can have them.

5. Constitution Main Body: Changing voting rules
Several states decided to change their voting protocol to include mail in ballots which is a contested issue. During previous years the Democrats complained about fraud involving mail-in ballot, and now the Republicans are complaining more. It is hard to verify someone’s identity or whether or not they are living or a state resident with mail-in ballots. Most Republicans claim that was the whole point — to defraud an election and defeat Trump. But, the legislation of the respective states must be the party to decide what voting procedures are and not other parties of the executive or judicial branch who “take over,” at least temporarily.

6. Freedom of Press
Although the government did not abridge our rights to free expression in any way I am aware of, the government was sluggish to crack down on utility companies such as large internet and social media outfits who routinely censor and suppress the commentary particularly of more traditional or conservative voices. If we are to live in a country with freedom and where all voices are heard, you cannot let companies censor those who they allow free commentary unless they are publishers. I also believe that if Twitter and Facebook wish to be publishers, there should be a completely different rulebook for them to play by and they should not allow their members to post freely at all. Social media should be distinguished from publishing and Twitter and Facebook need to decide if they want free press or whether they want to have designated writers. Having both simultaneously on a rocking boat doesn’t seem to work beneficially to the public.

7. A dysfunctional system of checks and balances
Governors of states in 2020 could get away with anything with little if any consequences. The people did not stand up with any force against the government — not even in Michigan where there were mini uprisings and a kidnapping attempt which never amounted to anything. From my limited knowledge of how America works, it seems that the court systems in the various states have the power to shut down a governor’s powers if he or she abuses them. However, only Wisconsin was able to stop their governor from making arbitrary Covid-19 related orders. The other states either did nothing, made a feeble and failed attempt to curtail the governor’s actions, or in the case of California only limited Newsom’s ability to make executive orders that contradicted existing legislation, but did NOT prevent him from shutting indoor dining, or preventing free assembly or freedom of religion.

California’s freedom of religion was decided by a Federal circuit court many months ago who decided that going to church would be suicide, and therefore that the constitution no longer applies and that the constitution has a “pause” button that can be pressed at arbitrary times. When I read the constitution and the various amendments, I erroneously missed the part where the pause button is described. Perhaps I should read more carefully.

Notaries also swore to protect the constitution in their Oath of Office, so it behooves you to do something to defend it. Write a letter, make a phone call, write an article, demonstrate publically — do something.

SUMMARY
The Constitution is a document — a piece of paper. It is the foundation of our society. However, without enforcement, (and we the people are part of the mechanism that can enforce it or pressure others to enforce it) — it remains a meaningless, helpless and worthless piece of paper. If you value America, the country that gave your ancestors life, freedom, liberty, safety, opportunity, and the right to pursue happiness, then get off your rear end and defend this document with your life if necessary otherwise our republic is done — perhaps permanently! We would be done due to the economic catastrophe of unconstitutional shutdowns as well as the government corruption which undermines the character of our nation.

I’ve experienced several of these, including the haunted building. I notarized documents in/for a bar/tavern that was on the Historic Record, was over one hundred years old, and had been a brothel at one time. Before and after Prohibition it operated in some capacity. More than one person had been killed on the premises over the years and there were some strange goings on. Photos taken in the mirror showed things you didn’t know were there, and then weren’t; you looked up into the ‘brothel’ area and could sometimes hear and see odd things; and the crawlspace was a horror all its own!

It is common for Notaries to meet signers at cafes. But, what is the etiquette for who pays for the coffee? Or does only one party purchase a drink so the cafe can allow them to stay there? Does the drink go on a chair or the same table with the critical documents?

This question sounds more like a Seinfeld dilemma than anything else. Since the signer is paying the notary for the notarization, it’s the least the notary can do to buy a piece of bundt cake for the client. On the other hand, if the Notary has to bill to get paid, and is billing a third party, then neither party should have to pay for the coffee. But, what if the signer wants a palpation but forgot his walled. But, then how will he have his ID for the notarization? Wow, this is really complicated stuff!

NOTARY: You should pay for the almond croissant because I’m the Notary. It’s like a courtesy for my hard work.

SIGNER: Yes, but I am the client, and it is customary to take your clients out to eat and pay.

NOTARY: You’re paying cash right?

SIGNER: Yes. Small unmarked bills to be precise.

NOTARY: Are you going to wash your hands for 20 seconds before you handle those bills? I don’t want the Coronavirus.

WOMAN: I think the man should pay.

NOTARY: Obviously not a feminist.

WOMAN: I am when it doesn’t involved someone paying for me. You see, I’m what you call an opportunistic feminist. Equal rights, but not so equal on the responsibilities.

SIGNER: Honesty is so sexy. I like you!

WOMAN: Thanks, I’m single

NOTARY: I think I see why.

WOMAN: Yeah, but at least I’m not paying alimony and child support and having my kids taken away from me by legal force. It could be worse. You know what. You guys are so much fun, I’ll pay for your frappachino.

CLERK: Sorry, we are all out of coffee.

NOTARY: But, this is a cafe. Your whole business revolves around coffee.

CLERK: Sorry. But, we have those dark chocolate covered graham crackers. They’re really good.

SIGNER: I’ll just get a soda. I don’t drink coffee after 2pm anyway.

WOMAN: Nice to meet you guys.

NOTARY: Here’s my card. I do notarizations, weddings and bar-mitzvahs.

Growing up, my father drove people crazy by slowly reading every part of long contracts while they had to sit and wait. I agree with him that reading contracts is essential. But, exasperating others is not nice. I think it is my karma being the son of a copious reader (that is his hobby by the way) to have signers who are just as bad (or diligent and good) as dad.

During my career, roughly half of my borrowers read too much. My average signing took a little more than an hour. I dealt with it. I was not too concerned unless they were delaying me from getting to another job. But, now that I am older, and value my time more, I realize this is no good. Three hour signings cannot happen.

You need a strategy for how you are going to deal with this. Here are some ideas. Put in the comments if you have other ideas.

1. During the confirmation call, let them know you are offering them “x” amount of minutes for the signing. I would offer more time to those paying you well to make sure you get rehired. For cheap signings, perhaps offer 45 minutes. Keep in mind that if they go over, you need to offer some leeway to avoid social friction (and getting fired). For signings that pay big bucks, you might allow up to two hours just to be nice. But, still emphasize that there is a limit. My personal experience was that the more I was paid, the faster the signing was. My worst client was a Lender whose borrowers always had to call him and ask painstakingly long questions on my time. The average phone call was 45 minutes which I had to sit through.

2. If you don’t give them a summary of your time offering before the signing, you can spring it on them at the signing. You explain that this is a signing appointment and not a reading appointment. You can explain that they have borrowers copies to read for the next 72 hours if this is a refinance for a primary residence, and that they can cancel after the fact. Explain that you have other appointments and have to leave in “x” amount of minutes whether the loan is signed or not out of courtesy for your subsequent appointments.

Having time limits might get you fired, not paid, or in trouble. But, if you want to make money as a signing agent, you need to book lots of appointments and nail them one by one. Or, you need to have two high paying jobs per day. 2 x $200 = $400 and $400 per day is a living — not a great living, but a living. If you make $80 per signing, you need to do at least five per day to get paid well and that means hustling and moving fast, especially at night when they might be back to back.

In the worst scenario, you might have to take the main copies signed or unsigned, put them in the Fedex and send them back. You can explain to the company that you ran out of time and that next time the Lender should explain the documents better to the signer AHEAD OF TIME otherwise they end up taking your time when you don’t have time. It is not a matter of what your time is worth — if you have another client waiting, it is an abuse of that other client’s time if you are late for any reason.

Please comment if you have better ideas, because this blog article is about playing rough which is not considered nice, but is the only way to get good income per hour spent. Otherwise you might get taken for a ride regularly.

Since my Notaries over 50 blog article was so popular, I am writing another one that is similar.

Viruses
Notaries over 60 need to be careful about the Coronavirus which partakes in ageism. It kills mainly elderly people and people from cultures that eat noodles like Italians and Chinese (not sure why). Personally, I think this disease is prejudiced against people who live in cold weather and I think the disease is racist! Washing your hands regularly and using disinfecting wipes on all surfaces at signings, in your home and car make sense. The regular flue also kills many elderly people, so being extra cautious about your immunity and health makes sense.

Bad Weather
Avoiding signings during inclement weather makes sense too. At your age do you want to be caught in a freezing rain storm? Think about it.

Stairs
Going up long flights of stairs might be hazardous to your health depending on how good your health is.

Exercise
Getting plenty of non-impact exercise is critical. If you want to live to be old and healthy, lots of swimming and walking should be a daily habit. Jogging and exercise that puts strain on your joints might come back to haunt you in your old age.

Diet
A good diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and supplements makes sense as well. My article about Notaries over 50 goes in detail about which foods are miracles for good health.

Sleep
It is necessary to get enough sleep so you are not cranky or susceptible to disease. However, elderly people sometimes sleep less than others. What a paradox. Get enough sleep just to remain healthy and have a good immunity system.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a way to balance your energy channels in your body. It also helps to strengthen immunity and deal with aches and pains.

Keeping a sharp mind
Mental atrophe is a problem for people getting older. It is important to review Notary educational materials, your state handbook, and do mental exercises to keep sharp. Grape juice and grape seed extra help to keep the cobwebs out of your cerebral neurons. A good mind has a physical aspect as well as an intellectual. Keep this in mind so that you don’t get mentally fuzzy.

Lutein
Good eyes are important. Americans don’t eat enough orange foods, but those are good for the eyes along with good circulation. The eyes need blood too, so if the blood doesn’t slow, they will suffer. Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and yams are some excellent sources of orange foods. These are also good for the spleen. Spinach also has lots of vitamin A for your eyes and it can be put in juice mixes, but is not good as a solo in a juice. I try to each orange foods at least once per day or at least a few times a week for my spleen and eyes.

Don’t retire – just slow down
People who retire just die according to research. So, if you don’t want to die, don’t retire. Just do less. People in one of the Greek islands where people live to be 100 frequently all have community responsibilities, hike by necessity, have a mainly plant based diet, and live near the ocean so they get that ocean vibe which helps people relax.

Get health energies
The forest, ocean and desert all have healthy energies. These can help you feel better and perhaps live longer. I visit these places regularly. Trees and flowers or gardens can also have healing energy as the plants have metaphysical properties. Stay healthy by getting external sources of good qi so you can make it to 70.

Socialize
This might be hard if you live in Los Angeles. But, if you live in a normal state where people have human values (like Texas or Montana) you might find others who like to socialize. For those who live in California, it might make sense to find people out of state to socialize with – just trying to be realistic.

Let me know if you guys can think of other tips for the 60+ crowd.