this is just a note regarding today 7/1/12. biggest issue was obamacare supreme court decision discussion. roberts was main interest. some called him very smart and way ahead of everyone else, others called him a traitor and yet others thought he came around to the view that wee need unified health care and this was a way to keep the ball rolling toward that goal. i think he didnt have the balls to do what was right and necessary. his only job is to interpret the constitutionality of the law, not to determine what any law might casue the country to do. he failed miserably. he used convoluted logic to escape making the proper decision in this case and he probably thinks he saved our country a lot of aggravation by doing so.
he has not! We need more people to  use the KISS principle when making decisions. things just aint that complicated when you boil them down to the basics.

Lying Commentator

Read a column by Bob Ingle today. I believe he is a Jersey guy who writes commentary for NJ Press Media. He is not nationally syndicated.
His commentary was about Romney, Obama and Carter (president in 76-80). Now, I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion regardless of its stupidity. Where I have a problem is when someone with access uses that access to try to convince people of their position using lies and innuendo.
This is exactly what Bob Ingle did! Without going into the details, he trashed Romney, praised Obama and absolutely beatified Carter. He did it by lying and using innuendo to perpetrate more lies. To his credit, he responded to two of my emails. To my dismay, he ignored the most serious charges I laid before him. He would not acknowledge lying, nor would he state he did not lie.
I copied the Editor of the Press  in all these emails and have not heard from him as yet. Since it is a weekend, I'll give him Monday to get back to me. What I want from the Press is an acknowledgement that they will review commentary and not publish such articles when obvious lies are a part of it. Isn't that what editors should do? I previously wrote a Press reporter who badly slanted an article on solar power. When I questioned her bias, she did not deny it, but said when the oil companies receive no subsidies, she might (not will), but might change her slant. And here I thought reporters were supposed to present the facts, not any innuendo. The editor in that case,  who was told of what she wrote, did nothing to reprimand her and failed to get back to me after promising he would.
This is the same editor! I will let all know what happens.

Unemployment Rate

Aren't you a bit tired of labor statistics that do not show the reality of our collective situation? We have a monthly unemployment rate that does not accurately reflect what is actually going on in our country. Look at April's numbers. They show the unemployment rate going down, not because of the number of jobs created, but because more Americans stopped looking for work.  The current rate measures the number of jobs created and the number of people supposedly looking for work, but does not count those who are no longer looking. Who are these people no longer looking? Am I included? I have been looking since 2008, but I am sure I am counted among those who stopped looking. But, nobody asked if I stopped. As far as I know nobody checked to see how many resumes I sent out or how many networking events I attended. Why measure (? - not so sure it's measureable) and report an unemployment rate that does not reflect our situation?
We can easily count the number of employed people and we can certainly count the number of people living here of working age, including illegals. So, why not report that number? I believe that number more accurately reflects what is going on in the labor market. Is it because that number would show unemployment at about 30+%?  We could also develop the yearly average income and report that as a function of total employment. It would tell us how we are doing not only in employment, but in dollars. What would that tell us? It would tell us whether or not the new jobs were paying a living wage. Not all jobs are good jobs. If we lose a job paying $75,000/year and replace it with a job paying $30,000/year, are we better or worse off?
Politicians love statistics! They can dance around any number reported to show whatever it is they are trying to prove. Remember, "figures lie, and liars figure". Politicians do both. We (the people) need to make it a  crime for any politician to lie to us, not the other way around (it is a crime for us to lie to Congress).
So, let's get a new reporting method and stop the reporting that allows Obama to say one thing and Romney another, without either being called a liar.

So much to do

Well, now it's May. Baseball underway, basketball and hockey playoffs, always have some football news and the world of government in NJ and the 2012 election season is upon us. So much to choose from and so much to do!
Today I am commenting on the Bin Laden attack of one year ago. I have always maintained that the office defines the President and that when it comes to defense of the USA, most all presidents would respond in the same way to events.
The CIA, the Army and other governments agencies found Bin Laden, not Obama. Seal Team Six came up with the plan to get him and Obama did what any thinking president would have done, he ordered the attack to go forward!
I was very happy that day and even understood why they buried him at sea and did not release much other info about any part of the events. I also gained some respect for Obama when he said "no one should spike the football". Now, here we are in May of 2012, one year after Bin Laden's death, and Obama is spiking the football and suggesting no one else, but especially Romney, would have done what he did. To that we should all say - "bullshit!"

I'M BACK!!!

It's been a while since I have written a post about anything. Got discouraged due to so few followers. Interestingly enough, several of my Blog's ideas have since started to take hold in public affairs. For instance, I suggested consolidation of NJ schools and towns. Now, there is more interest and actual consolidation happening. My discussion about coaches is also taking hold.
Nothing in particular today, but with the political season upon us, I will certainly have a lot of fodder for the grist mill over the next several months.
So, hello again, and I do hope some of my Blogs will interest you and that you in turn will share my posts with others you know.

Bias in Media

Hey, this one is short and sweet. I want you to read, watch, listen or do any combination thereof of news reports, paying careful attention to how the information is presented to you. Please look at two pieces between tonight and Sunday evening and post your comments on this blog by Monday sometime.
I watch lots of different outlets to get a flavor for who does what, but I expect most of you have limited time and tend to get your news from the same source each day. I am hoping that this little experiment will help me to flesh out my thoughts on this subject. That, in turn, may be of help to people who wish to stay in the know, but may be misled from time to time by the news organizations they watch.
So, what do you say, take the time! I'll have my two posted by Monday AM.

College Coaching

Over this summer we have been assaulted by several college sports scandals. At USC, at UNC and at Kentucky. In all cases, blame has been placed on the college level players for accepting money or for hiding their past. You may correct me if I am wrong, but everything I have ever been made aware of through newspaper accounts, interviews, etc. leads me to believe that college coaches are very detail oriented and are control freaks. Additionally, these same coaches are the ones who reap the most benefits from their success. At Alabama our first association is Saban, at Florida it is Meyers at Penn State it is Paterno and so on. These coaches, and most all others at the major college level, are the athletics leaders at their schools. AND, they reap the rewards in terms of fame, opportunity and pay.

So, why is it that they are not held accountable for the dalliances of their players? If you truly wish to stop these instances of crime, greed and bad choices, hold the coach responsible for these problems. They are the ones recruiting the players, they are the ones controlling their respective "programs" and they are the ones interacting with alumni groups and other university people. These coaches are the ones making several millions of dollars each year because of their supposed coaching expertise.

So, first violation, eliminate any bonus associated with that coach's compensation, plus take away player's scholarship (no matter who they are) Also, no contract clauses that allow for a "loophole" for this punishment. Second violation, cut compensation in half. After that fire them and have the NCAA post a rule that no member university be allowed to hire them. AND, do it quickly, no more than 6 months from time of complaint.

That should end most of the problems since these guys will not wish to exit the gravy train. It will also make them more responsible about who they recruit, nipping many problems in the bud.

If coaches really wish to impact player's lives (they all say that is the most important part of their job), then make them responsible for their programs. I am tired of seeing the coaching merry-go-round and tired of seeing coaches shifting the blame to those who do not lead their programs.