Guns & Roses

Plaxico Burress always struck me as a pretty good football player, albeit a little "odd". He caught the pass that was ultimately the winning score in last years Super Bowl I believe. He's a pro football player which also means he makes lots of money. So now he goes to a nightclub and decides to bring along an unregistered handgun to protect himself. Maybe I'm different, but I don't usually go to places where I think I'll need a gun to defend myself. Now I realize that pro athletes can be easy targets because of the money they make. But a gun? And he tops off the evening by shooting himself! Maybe he tried to rob himself. Maybe it was just mistaken identity. Maybe he had too much to drink and didn't remember which end of the gun the bullet came out of. I read yesterday that he's being sued by some woman that he rear-ended and that his auto insurance had lapsed. Are you serious? This guy needs to have a guardian appointed to make sure he doesn't go out and lie down on a highway somewhere.

Bet you're wondering about the roses part, aren't you? Those will have to be shared by the New York Yankees, agent Scott Boras and first baseman Mark Teixeira. Teixeira is a good ball player, he was a free agent and he was able to accept bids and go to the one he thought best. He seems like a nice enough guy whenever I've seen him interviews , so good for him. Scott Boras is what people see to call a "super agent" because he only seems to represent elite players. Upper level players who have other agents, like Manny Ramirez, fire their existing agents and go to Boras so he can represent (read: squeeze every last nickel from teams) them. Nobody really knows what is said behind closed doors in negotiations and I'm sure there's posturing and bluffing on both sides but this guy always seems to come out a winner. I just have a feeling that if I shook his hand the next thing I'd want to do is make sure I still had my wallet. And the final recipient of the roses is the Yankees. I can only fantasize what it must be like to be able to print your own money, to be able to just get anything you want by simply paying more for it than anyone else can or will. They are playing by the rules so good for them. I believe they've had the highest payroll in baseball for a number of years and still haven't won anything lately. There must be a lesson in that somewhere. In 2009 the Yankees will have 9 players being paid a combined $159.1 million - more than any other team in baseball. For that kind of money they should win their division by 20 plus games, blow through the playoffs and take the World Series in 3 games. I know it's a best of seven series but I think the other team will be so disheartened that they won't even show up for the fourth game.

Bernie Madoff

Well I guess they've really taught this guy a lesson for stealing untold amounts of money from schools, religious organizations and just about everyone! He's under house arrest so he's supposedly confined to his ritzy zillion dollar digs although he was on the news yesterday walking down the street shoving photographers and reporters. Doesn't sound like he was very confined to me. I wonder if I bilked millions of dollars from people if they'd let me stay at home? My guess is that I'd be given an orange jumpsuit and a number to call my own and I'd be a guest of the state for a pretty long time. Why are criminals treated differently if they're rich? A criminal is a criminal is a criminal!

Airport Security

I saw a spot on TV last night about airport security, and that so many people were complaining about it and being rude to the inspectors. I only travel by air a couple of times a year so it's not a real big deal to me. My wife usually gets the full treatment because she has a replacement knee which lights up every little device they have at the airport, so we're used to her being carted off to the side where they check her up, down and sideways while I attempt to recover all carry-ons, shoes, watches, keys, loose change and whatever else. Now only once did we encounter a security person that might have been considered a bit "over zealous". Maybe she watched a Rambo double-header the night before but she was only doing her job. If you are in a hurry then it's not their fault that they're trying to protect you and the hundreds of other people that are flying that day. Remember the old adage "lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!". The only problem we had occurred in Atlanta when we were returning from a graduation with a 9 week old puppy. We were at the airport in plenty of time however they decided to open only 2 security lines for the literally hundreds of people attempting to make a flight. They opened up 2 other lines as soon as we got to the original ones, of course. However we missed our flight by 5 minutes because of security. The airline did put us on a later flight and the puppy was an absolute gem - not a whimper at all. So yes, that was dumb on their part but it did all work out. We shouldn't be angry with the people that are attempting to keep us safe - we should be angry with the people that made all this this necessary in the first place!

Punishing the innocent

Earlier today somebody sent me a video clip of a news account of CitiGroup and AIG reporting on the huge bonuses given to top executives. I think that's the same CitiGroup that put thousands of people out on the street not too long ago, and AIG has already had a small "reduction" with more to follow at any moment. Of all those people that were sent packing, how many of them do you think actually had an active role in the daily operation of those companies? Do you think they made key decisions regarding the direction that either of those two companies would take? My guess is no, that they were just ordinary people doing their jobs as instructed. So if they didn't cause the problem, why were they let go? And the senior executives that did make the decisions that resulted in financial chaos, why are they being rewarded for their stupidity? AIG said their bonuses were to keep the top executives from leaving and going to other companies. Considering the bang-up job they did I think I'd actually prefer them working for my competition! And it's more than these two companies, but they were brought to mind today so they win. I don't think you'd have to search very far to find people that think there's something fundamentally wrong with this. How about if we bring the little people back and whack all the top executives? The average person apparently has a better idea of right and wrong and it sounds like they'd also have a lot more common sense! And the companies would probably still save money!

And while I'm at it, what the hell is an "orderly bankruptcy"? Do they all march out in single file? If this wasn't so sad it would be hilarious.

Time to Get Creative

The Fed lowered their benchmark interest rate today to basically nothing which kicked off an immediate jump on Wall Street. If nothing else, this recession has caused lots of ordinary people like me to pay more attention to how the overall economy works. It's like a big wheel where every spoke feeds into the next spoke all the way around. Granted the banks and mortgage companies shot themselves in their collective feet by giving large mortgages to mostly well-meaning people that had no chance of paying them. Should the consumers have known better? Probably. But I remember when I bought my first house. I had stars in my eyes and thought that it was the most wonderful thing I could ever imagine which is what most of these people also thought I'm sure. The mortgage brokers fed into this and probably assured them that the $400,000 house they were buying today would easily be worth $800,000 in a couple of months. But to get back to my main point, consumers drive this economy. We buy cars, food, clothing, furniture, toys and we take vacations. However right now we're not buying much of anything because we either have already lost our jobs or are worried that we will lose our jobs. That's because if nobody buys anything then they don't need to make those products. So then the factories tell us they'll have to lay off thousands of people because nobody is buying their products or visiting their resort and restaurants. Is this the chicken and the egg or what? There are things that I personally would buy both for myself and others but I won't because I hear every day that it's going to get much worse. That's because the companies ran themselves into the ground with bad debt related to the mortgage stuff and other very creative "financial instruments" which is a term them all love. This had nothing to do with you or me. So now the Fed has lowered rates. They've given tons of money to banks that I thought were for loans to consumers. Maybe some of it has actually found its way to the consumers but I'm not seeing any mention of it. Maybe it was meant for businesses to help them get through this current situation and keep people employed, but every night it's a few thousand layoffs at this company, a few thousand layoffs at that company which puts more people out of work and more people worried about being out of work and fewer people spending any money. Maybe it's time to try something different. The modern version of the WPA will probably help to some degree and I hope the new administration has more ideas that hopefully won't take 15 months to put into motion. What's the answer? At this point I don't know. But I do know this: repeating the same action over and over hoping for a different result doesn't get it done. Anybody have any ideas? We can't afford not to listen.

A Parting Shot

To begin, let me make sure everyone understands that I am a self employed software consultant and project manager so although I cannot technically be "laid off" we realize that we are owed no unemployment compensation if we suddenly find ourselves on the bench as we like to call it. I was under contract since January of 1995 to a large international insurance company that just received a large dose of government aid and usually is just referred by 3 letters. On December 1 I was summarily told that my contract had just ended without warning. OK, it's a little abrupt but I have to admit I was surprised considering what I was in charge of for this company, but they're up to their hubcaps in problems and I guess it could happen. I have been attempting to find something else but between the economy and the holidays things are moving a bit slowly out there which comes as no surprise. However last week I received a Christmas card in the mail from, oddly enough, the guy that told me I was all done a couple of weeks before. I opened the card and realized it was pretty generic and actually was signed by his wife, not him. However there was a computer printed, very festive looking letter folded inside. That letter went on to tell people receiving their cards that they would be stopping after this year because 'with so many people having trouble meeting day to day expenses and more people needing help with basic necessities like food ... that they will donate the money normally spent on cards to a local food pantry'. However we all would remain in their thoughts in the future. Hmmm. Do they realize that they sent these cards to the people that they just terminated without warning 3 weeks before Christmas? Is receiving and reading this card supposed to make everything OK? I don't think so. Now I can't speak for any of the others that were sent packing the day I was, and I'm not ready to have to start looking for a bridge to move my family under, but I found this to be completely inappropriate. At 42 cents postage each they should have saved the $2.10 this year and kept those cards. Sometimes the less you say the better off you are. I think this was one of those times. We all know how to close our mouths, the secret is in knowing when!

Vladimir Lenin

Why is there a statue of Vladimir Lenin, the Communist leader, in Seattle? I don't recall ever hearing about him growing up or migrating there.

Political Arrogance

What exactly is the deal with Governor Blagojevich in Illinois? These people must absolutely think that they're invicible to do the incredibly stupid things they've done! And there are 2 city councilors in Boston who have been charged with accepting bribes, one of whom was photographed stuffing a wad of cash into her bra in a coffee shop or restaurant. Yeah, nothing wrong here - people stuff lumps of cash into their underwear all the time! The Governor wanted to sell Obama's former Senate seat? He should have tried eBay or Craig's List. He probably wouldn't have made as much money but if he slid it in between the lawnmowers and used electric guitars nobody probably would have noticed.

Consumer Confidence?

I have to admit that I do find it somewhat amusing that on all the news programs they go on and on about the lack of consumer confidence and how it's affecting the economy. Then they follow up that story with some "expert" telling us that AAA Corporation is laying off thousands of people and XYZ Corporation is laying off thousands of people and preparing for Chapter 11. How much confidence does that bring? If you're still employed you're not going to spend any extra money because tomorrow it could be you. Now if you had some confidence that maybe your job would be safe for 6, 9 or 12 months anyway maybe there would be that extra Christmas present under the tree or maybe you'd buy yourself that new set of golf clubs you've been ogling for. As with anything nobody is looking for a guarantee, which is good because there aren't any. But maybe we need to stop bombarding the public with gloom and doom every single day. We know what the current climate is, we didn't cause it and we don't need it shoved in our faces at every turn.

Politics

Now that we've completed another election season and we're waiting for a new group to take the reins, I'm reminded of a few things that have always puzzled me about politics. For the most part politicians are charlatans. If they're talking to the school PTA then they ramble on about how they'll send more money to the schools. If they're talking at a VFW Hall they fill their address about how more money should be given to the veterans. Probably because we're wasting money on our schools. We all know this, yet some people absolutely gush when some guy or woman who's running for office goes out on a limb and states that "the sky is blue"! What a risky move that was. I didn't watch the conventions because it was laughable. People sitting in the audience with what my nephew the bartender calls a "perma-grin" on their faces and they absolutely go hysterical when the candidate proudly announces that 2 plus 2 equals 4. Do you have any idea how stupid you look? And in my mind I would be concerned that if I liked that candidate people would think I sit in my living room and drool and applaud whenever my candidate had a sound bite on the news. Disgusting.

And doesn't it puzzle you just a bit why a candidate would spend hundreds of thousands (or more) of their own money to get elected to a job that pays $35,000 a year? You don't need a math degree from MIT to know that this ain't a good deal! Therefore there must be something that we don't know about and that they don't want us to know about. Hmmmm.

I remember one day a long time ago when I came home from elementary school where we must have learned about the Presidency that day and I said to my father "Do you know that I could become President some day?". He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face and said to me "Why in the world would anybody want that job? You have the weight of the world on your shoulders and you have to deal with everybody's problems. You can make more money playing baseball." Isn't THAT the truth!

Another thing I wish the networks would do is when they show some politician talking about something they always show at the bottom "Joe Jones VT(R)". What about if we just left off the D, I or R? That way everybody could judge Joe Jones on what he actually said, not blindly agreeing or disagreeing with him based on that one letter. If I like what somebody recommends, then I like it whether he's a Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. It might actually open our minds a little bit.

Health Care in the US

Doesn't it seem a bit strange that the people that keep telling us that they will reform health care and make things better for us, our beloved politicians, cannot relate at all to what the average family or person must go through to obtain adequate health care coverage? They have full coverage included even after they leave office so how can they possibly relate to things like co-pays, pre-existing conditions, etc? Wouldn't the process of making health care more available, complete and affordable be better left to people that have actually had to deal with the problem?

And on top of that, why do the same drugs cost much, much more in the US than they do in Canada? Canada is not some third world, underdeveloped country - they're actually pretty civilized from what I've seen and heard. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

The Current Economy

Doesn't it seem strange that the 3 CEO's of the major US auto companies, who are going to Washington with their hands out, make infinitely more money than you or I (unfortunately) will ever make and the welfare of thousands of ordinary people under their rule? They threaten the country by saying that if we don't give them millions and millions they may have to close down and toss many thousands of ordinary people out of work. Well, I don't know the exact figures but my guess is that if each CEO took some of the money he was paid to run his company into the ground and gave it out to the workers then things wouldn't be so bad for them at least in the short term. Like Wall Street how do we manage to reward people that essentially do lousy jobs with lots and lots and lots of money? It makes me want to go out and really screw something up just for the money! Remember when we rewarded a "good" job? Now these guys just get rewarded. If they happen to also do a good job then that's a bonus. And why are we buying out the insanely bad mortgages that banks wrote during the boom? If I bought a car and found out 6 months down the road that I really couldn't afford the payments could I just call my Senator and ask him to pay off the loan for me? That would be a funny phone call! Remember accountability? I know I'm going back a ways but is was pretty simple - you did something good and you got rewarded; you did something bad and you got punished. It was really simple and we all understood it. Hopefully this will be enough to get things started. But stay tuned because I have a LOT to say!

Welcome!

I've been thinking about this for a long time and now that I've been let go by a major insurance company I have the time. I have a variety of subjects I'd like to cover including things like our current economy and how we got there, healthcare, schools and home, politics, sports and basically anything and everything that affects the average American Citizen. If this blog accomplishes nothing other than conversation and making people think and hopefully act then I will be completely satisifed. As I look back I'm trying to find the spot in time where my country got away from me. We're hated around the world, and probably with good reason. Not because of you and I but because of politicians and ultra-greedy CEO's. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
If you're wondering about me, I'm a 50+ year old self-employed white male. I am a software consultant and my wife is a social worker, and we have one 25 year old son who is out on his own and doing rather well actually. I think there are lots of issues that the average person is concerned about and hopefully this forum can initiate something for the greater good!