ranjbrown.com

First off, I’d like to start by saying that I don’t have anything personal against the Dear Abby advice column. I will admit that I am a little jealous of her worldwide recognition; but you must remember that the syndicated advice column was started in 1956. Pauline Phillips the original Dear Abigail Van Buren, passed the pen name and column down to her daughter, Jeanne Phillips. Along with the syndicated column, Jeanne also received an enormous fan base and dedicated following. In a Dear Abby column in Dec. 2000, Mrs. Phillips introduced Jeanne as co-creator of Dear Abby. They began to share the byline Abigail Van Buren and both were pictured with the column. Now let me tell you why I should be preferred over Dear Abby for advice. Dear Abby’s ssyndication company claims the column is known for its "uncommon common sense and youthful perspective”. I’d be willing to debate Dear Abby’s youthful perspective. I mean, look at the picture. Mrs. Phillips is a handsome woman; but she is no spring chicken. I haven’t seen that hairstyle on anyone younger than 45. I heard someone refer to Dear Abby’s advice as motherly. That might be true, if Pauline Phillips had any children. Jeanne has largely kept her personal life to herself, with only occasional references to it while advising people or during interviews. She has never disclosed her husband's identity. During her 2005 web-radio broadcast, she mentioned that her husband was younger than she. Her date of birth has not been made public. According to a 2002 interview, Phillips and her husband have no children. This mysterious husband has me questioning Dear Abby’s relationship experience. Why is she keeping him a secret? Does her relationship get rocky? Does she have a strong and happy marriage? A lot of people seem to think so because "Dear Abby" is syndicated in about 1,400 newspapers in the U.S. with a combined circulation of more than 110 million. Would you take dental advice from a dentist with no teeth? Would you invest your money into something you heard works even though there wasn’t any proof? I’m not one to talk because I can’t validate my expertise in decision making and advice. However, if you’re going to use blind faith when asking for advice, you might as well get that advice from me. I’ll come straight out and tell you that I’ve been in several messed up relationships and learned something from them all. As a matter of fact, I’ve had a lot of life experiences; some were good, most were bad. I’ve learned many valuable lessons from them all. I can prevent you from making some of the mistakes that I have made in the past. The main reason why you should ask for my advice over Dear Abby’s is because I will answer. Dear Abby's Web site column reportedly receives 5,000 to 10,000 letters per week, seeking advice on a large variety of personal matters. Do you really think she has time to read your letter? No, she doesn’t, but I do.