I was in Traverse City Friday when I got a call from my friend CJ asking what I thought of Palin's announcement. Since I hadn't seen the TV I had no idea what he was talking about and I was shocked when he told me she was resigning. Her actions have created quite a buzz in Republican circles ranging from criticism to praise. Here is my take:
Sarah Palin is most concerned about Sarah Palin. In her speech she talked about Alaska and how her resigning was good for the state. The reality is that she is no longer having fun being governor and therefore moving on. Granted she has received a lot of bad publicity but unfortunately, like her resignation, she mostly brought it on herself. She was the one who agreed to run for VP while knowing that her teenage daughter was pregnant. Did she not think that the media would care about that? She is the one who reportedly refused to prepare for her interview with Katie Couric which ended in a disaster. And now this.
Did she really think she would get positive coverage for quitting in the middle of her term? And the way she framed her announcement was preposterous and pretentious. If she was intent on resigning, the least she could have done is make the announcement with dignity and class. Most people would give her some slack if she simply said I am tired of the spotlight and being dragged through the mud and I want some time away to rebuild my family. Instead she turned her resignation into a badge of honor and noted how she was inspired by her visit with the troops. I am sorry but those troops don't quit when the going gets tough. They don't go home halfway through their deployment. If anything, her visit with them should have inspired her to stay the course. After all, wasn't her claim to fame that she was tough minded and could take on the establishment? Apparently not.
If she was really interested in helping Alaska, she should have dropped the pretense of running for president and focus on accomplishing reforms before she left office. Instead with dropping poll numbers and a tumbling economy to contend with she somehow decides it's in the best interest of Alaskans for their leader to give up and go home. It doesn't make any sense. As for her presidential aspirations, as my New York friends would say "forget about it".
One of the criticisms of her last year was that she was untested and not ready to be President. Quitting the one job that will give her the necessary experience and skills to become President is not the right plan. If she can't take the heat of Alaskan politics how is she going to handle being the leader of the free world? Leaving the Governor's office early does little to inspire confidence or build her already thin resume. She could have used her time in office to learn the issues and sharpen her ability to govern. She could have demonstrated the type of leader she would be for the country by her actions in Alaska. Well maybe she just did that.
Now what is she going to do? Write a book or join the talk radio/Cable TV circuit. Yes they pay more but they don't help prepare someone for the presidency. In the end her demise is hardly a disappointment. Less than a year ago most people in the lower 48 states had never heard of her. And outside of the first few weeks of the campaign her performance was less than impressive. With Sanford's trouble and now this, somewhere Mitt Romney is smiling.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The Pistons
I have been a Pistons fan for a long time. I grew up cheering for the bad boys and enjoyed the past several seasons and the 04 championship. That's why it is so painful to watch what is happening to the team.
Joe Dumars is making a lot of suspect decisions lately; from hiring Michael Curry last year to passing over Dejuan Blair to draft a 6'11 kid who weighs less than I do and wasn't even the third best player on Gonzaga. Now he thankfully dumped Curry who was the worst coach in the league but then to counter that smart move he just signed two middle of the road players to expensive long term contracts.
When the Pistons unceremoniously shipped off Billups it was supposedly to free up cap space so they could sign a big time free agent. Did anybody have Ben Gordon in mind as that premier free agent? Yes he is a scorer but he is also a ball hog and a terrible defender. For every three he jacks up he gives up two layups. But that isn't the worst part, he plays the same position as Rip Hamilton and let's face it Hamilton doesn't much like sharing his minutes. Just ask Curry and Iverson.
In addition to Gordon the Pistons signed Charlie Villaneuva who is a lackadaisical forward who even Milwaukee didn't want. And the Bucks are not exactly overflowing with all stars. Yes the guy has talent and it's tempting to think he might put it all together but he hasn't done it so far and there is no reason to believe he will ever reach his potential. To me he is a younger, less talented Rasheed Wallace but without the defense.
After these two signings, the roster is now officially a mess. They have three shooting guards because Stuckey is not a point guard no matter what they say. Then they have two small forwards in Prince and Villanueva plus the last 5 draft picks who may or may not work out. But there is no proven point guard and our big guys consist of only Maxiel and Kwame Brown. It might be the worst front court in the league. Add to the mix that the defense and rebounding that has been a hallmark of the Pistons is virtually gone. This reminds me of when the Steelers tried to become a passing team and skimped on the running game. That didn't work out and neither will this.
The best hope for Pistons fans is that they deal Hamilton for a big guy like Chandler or Okafur and both are realistic possibilities. I have been down on Hamilton for several years. Mostly because he complains every time something doesn't go his way but also because he is easily replaceable. There are a lot of guards who can hit a mid range jump shot. I would even consider tossing in Prince if they could land a better big man like Bosh or Stoudamire. Prince has been solid and I like him but he has capped out his potential and simply put; he is not an all star.
Hopefully I am wrong and Joe D's moves will pan out. But I am not optimistic.
Joe Dumars is making a lot of suspect decisions lately; from hiring Michael Curry last year to passing over Dejuan Blair to draft a 6'11 kid who weighs less than I do and wasn't even the third best player on Gonzaga. Now he thankfully dumped Curry who was the worst coach in the league but then to counter that smart move he just signed two middle of the road players to expensive long term contracts.
When the Pistons unceremoniously shipped off Billups it was supposedly to free up cap space so they could sign a big time free agent. Did anybody have Ben Gordon in mind as that premier free agent? Yes he is a scorer but he is also a ball hog and a terrible defender. For every three he jacks up he gives up two layups. But that isn't the worst part, he plays the same position as Rip Hamilton and let's face it Hamilton doesn't much like sharing his minutes. Just ask Curry and Iverson.
In addition to Gordon the Pistons signed Charlie Villaneuva who is a lackadaisical forward who even Milwaukee didn't want. And the Bucks are not exactly overflowing with all stars. Yes the guy has talent and it's tempting to think he might put it all together but he hasn't done it so far and there is no reason to believe he will ever reach his potential. To me he is a younger, less talented Rasheed Wallace but without the defense.
After these two signings, the roster is now officially a mess. They have three shooting guards because Stuckey is not a point guard no matter what they say. Then they have two small forwards in Prince and Villanueva plus the last 5 draft picks who may or may not work out. But there is no proven point guard and our big guys consist of only Maxiel and Kwame Brown. It might be the worst front court in the league. Add to the mix that the defense and rebounding that has been a hallmark of the Pistons is virtually gone. This reminds me of when the Steelers tried to become a passing team and skimped on the running game. That didn't work out and neither will this.
The best hope for Pistons fans is that they deal Hamilton for a big guy like Chandler or Okafur and both are realistic possibilities. I have been down on Hamilton for several years. Mostly because he complains every time something doesn't go his way but also because he is easily replaceable. There are a lot of guards who can hit a mid range jump shot. I would even consider tossing in Prince if they could land a better big man like Bosh or Stoudamire. Prince has been solid and I like him but he has capped out his potential and simply put; he is not an all star.
Hopefully I am wrong and Joe D's moves will pan out. But I am not optimistic.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Another one bites the dust
So Gov. Mark Sanford fled the country for a liaison with his mistress and then lied about what he was doing until the press found out the truth. And this was supposed to be the Republican up and coming star who was going to take on Obama in 2012?
If you google 2012 Republican presidential candidates you begin to realize the complete dearth of leaders within the party. From Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to Sarah Palin and Haley Barbor, the list is a mix of has beens and nobodies. That's why Republicans were so anxious to promote Sanford to the top of the list. This despite the fact that nobody outside of South Carolina either knew or cared about him just over a year ago. His rise and fall is similar to Sen. George Allen who was supposed to be the conservative choice in 2008. Too bad he couldn't even win re-election in his home state.
This desperate yearning for a presidential candidate is a sign of how misguided our party has become. It won't matter who leads us as long as the party's only answer to every question is less taxes and a ban on gay marriage. Whether you agree with those issues or not, they still don't address the main concerns of most Americans.
Rather than constantly jumping from one supposed hot candidate to another who will hopefully lead us out of the wilderness we would be better off to do some soul searching and rediscover what the Republican message should be in the future. A message that addresses concerns over rising health care costs, sustainably managing our natural resources and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. No one candidate is going to do that for us; even the ones who haven't cheated on their spouse.
If you google 2012 Republican presidential candidates you begin to realize the complete dearth of leaders within the party. From Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to Sarah Palin and Haley Barbor, the list is a mix of has beens and nobodies. That's why Republicans were so anxious to promote Sanford to the top of the list. This despite the fact that nobody outside of South Carolina either knew or cared about him just over a year ago. His rise and fall is similar to Sen. George Allen who was supposed to be the conservative choice in 2008. Too bad he couldn't even win re-election in his home state.
This desperate yearning for a presidential candidate is a sign of how misguided our party has become. It won't matter who leads us as long as the party's only answer to every question is less taxes and a ban on gay marriage. Whether you agree with those issues or not, they still don't address the main concerns of most Americans.
Rather than constantly jumping from one supposed hot candidate to another who will hopefully lead us out of the wilderness we would be better off to do some soul searching and rediscover what the Republican message should be in the future. A message that addresses concerns over rising health care costs, sustainably managing our natural resources and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. No one candidate is going to do that for us; even the ones who haven't cheated on their spouse.
Too Much Michael
It was quite unexpected to learn that Michael Jackson died earlier this week. He was definitely a tragic and fascinating person who seems to have spent the last 40 years of his life trying to reclaim his first 10 years of childhood. However, after the initial shock wore off, I am ready to move on. Unfortunately, The 24 hour cable/entertainment industry simply can't turn off the Jackson spigot. And while I am mostly just bored with the story, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the over exuberant praise that is being heaped upon the self proclaimed king of pop. Yes, he was a great musician, creative artist and innovative dancer but he hasn't been musically relevant since the mid 90's. But not only is the news coverage heavily focused on the 1980's version of Michael Jackson but it is almost completely lacking any attention to the child abuse allegations. Regardless of the court case dismissing the charges, I remain convinced that he molested several children and I wonder how those kids and their families feel watching the coverage this week. Too bad nobody in the TV business seems to care.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Back by popular demand
So I have had a couple friends suggest I write more. To be honest, since the beginning of the year, I find myself spending more time on facebook than here. But as summer approaches I am going to begin writing more.
Now my thoughts on Sonia Sotomayor being nominated for the Supreme Court. First, let me say that I really don't care what race or gender she is. To me that kind of stuff should have nothing to do with whether or not a person is qualified to be a judge. But obviously Obama picked her because she is a Hispanic woman. To make matters worse is that she actually thinks that her "rich heritage" will make her a better judge than a typical white guy. Since when does heritage matter in interpreting the law? I thought the law was supposed to be color blind. And if I have to hear one more news story talking up her personal life story as some sort of qualification I am going to throw something at the TV. Nobody talked up Clarence Thomas' personal life story nor should they have. What truly matters in how someone views the law.
As for Sotomayor judicial record I am a little ignorant on it . The two biggest cases I know of both dealt with sports. She ruled against the baseball owners thus ending the lockout in the mid nineties and she ruled against Maurice Clarette and his bid to turn pro after only one year at Ohio State. I probably agree with her on both instances but does that make her a good judge?
I have seen the clip on YouTube of her saying that the appeals court is where the law is made. It sounds to me like she is just stating a fact and it is hard to tell if she condones that or not. My suspicion is that she does but it is hard to prove just based on that clip.
I write all this to say that Republicans are in a box on this one. Hispanics are the new swing voters and attacking the first ever Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court spells trouble for Republicans seeking those votes. Additionally, while we can all assume she is a liberal who will create the law rather than apply it, there isn't a ton of proof to that point. We won't know the answer to that until she is already on the court and by then it's too late to do anything about it.
Personally, I wouldn't have appointed Sotomayor as I am sure most Republicans wouldn't have. But making this appointment is the president's prerogative and they should defer to his judgement. That's how it was always done until the Democrats decided to block Robert Bork back in 86. He was imminently qualified but they blocked him for purely political reasons. That unfortunately has politicized the court but it doesn't mean Republicans should sink to that level.
Besides, practically speaking I don't think Republicans can win this fight even if they wanted to so why waste what little political capital they have left. They should save it for issues they can actually win like opposing cap and trade. But then again, I am not Rush Limbaugh so they probably won't listen to me.
Now my thoughts on Sonia Sotomayor being nominated for the Supreme Court. First, let me say that I really don't care what race or gender she is. To me that kind of stuff should have nothing to do with whether or not a person is qualified to be a judge. But obviously Obama picked her because she is a Hispanic woman. To make matters worse is that she actually thinks that her "rich heritage" will make her a better judge than a typical white guy. Since when does heritage matter in interpreting the law? I thought the law was supposed to be color blind. And if I have to hear one more news story talking up her personal life story as some sort of qualification I am going to throw something at the TV. Nobody talked up Clarence Thomas' personal life story nor should they have. What truly matters in how someone views the law.
As for Sotomayor judicial record I am a little ignorant on it . The two biggest cases I know of both dealt with sports. She ruled against the baseball owners thus ending the lockout in the mid nineties and she ruled against Maurice Clarette and his bid to turn pro after only one year at Ohio State. I probably agree with her on both instances but does that make her a good judge?
I have seen the clip on YouTube of her saying that the appeals court is where the law is made. It sounds to me like she is just stating a fact and it is hard to tell if she condones that or not. My suspicion is that she does but it is hard to prove just based on that clip.
I write all this to say that Republicans are in a box on this one. Hispanics are the new swing voters and attacking the first ever Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court spells trouble for Republicans seeking those votes. Additionally, while we can all assume she is a liberal who will create the law rather than apply it, there isn't a ton of proof to that point. We won't know the answer to that until she is already on the court and by then it's too late to do anything about it.
Personally, I wouldn't have appointed Sotomayor as I am sure most Republicans wouldn't have. But making this appointment is the president's prerogative and they should defer to his judgement. That's how it was always done until the Democrats decided to block Robert Bork back in 86. He was imminently qualified but they blocked him for purely political reasons. That unfortunately has politicized the court but it doesn't mean Republicans should sink to that level.
Besides, practically speaking I don't think Republicans can win this fight even if they wanted to so why waste what little political capital they have left. They should save it for issues they can actually win like opposing cap and trade. But then again, I am not Rush Limbaugh so they probably won't listen to me.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday
Good Friday is always a hard day for me. The whole idea of Jesus suffering makes me uncomfortable. As a pessimist, you would think that I would be attracted to the darkness of Good Friday and the Cross but instead I would just as soon skip over it and get to Easter Sunday and the joyful celebration. I much prefer to sing "he's alive" on Sunday morning than to meditate on the beating he endured on Friday.
Last year I went to a Good Friday service and I was forced to remember all that Jesus endured on the Cross. It was a difficult but needed reminder for me. It seems it is easier for me to sin and to do my own thing when I think of God as only loving and forgiving but Good Friday reminds me what it cost him to forgive me. I don't like that so much. It is much harder for me to turn my back on God when I am faced with the grim brutality of the cross. I am sure this is why I have never been able to watch The Passion of the Christ. I fear that it might permanently negate my selfishness.
Good Friday and the cross also provides a glimpse of what is expected of those who call themselves Christians. I have always thought that the American church culture is much more an Easter celebration faith than a sacrificial Good Friday faith. We like the good times and benefits but when the going gets tough we get going back to our safety and comfort zone. Yet if we claim to be Christ like are we not supposed to pick up our cross as well? This doesn't mean we all have to be martyrs but I do think it means that we are supposed to follow Christ's example of being sacrificial. We are called to give our time, money, goals, talents and opinions over to God for him to do what he pleases with them. How can we say no to that request on Good Friday?
Last year I went to a Good Friday service and I was forced to remember all that Jesus endured on the Cross. It was a difficult but needed reminder for me. It seems it is easier for me to sin and to do my own thing when I think of God as only loving and forgiving but Good Friday reminds me what it cost him to forgive me. I don't like that so much. It is much harder for me to turn my back on God when I am faced with the grim brutality of the cross. I am sure this is why I have never been able to watch The Passion of the Christ. I fear that it might permanently negate my selfishness.
Good Friday and the cross also provides a glimpse of what is expected of those who call themselves Christians. I have always thought that the American church culture is much more an Easter celebration faith than a sacrificial Good Friday faith. We like the good times and benefits but when the going gets tough we get going back to our safety and comfort zone. Yet if we claim to be Christ like are we not supposed to pick up our cross as well? This doesn't mean we all have to be martyrs but I do think it means that we are supposed to follow Christ's example of being sacrificial. We are called to give our time, money, goals, talents and opinions over to God for him to do what he pleases with them. How can we say no to that request on Good Friday?
Monday, March 30, 2009
March Badness
I love March. It's my favorite month of the year. I love the longer days, the warming weather and college basketball. There is just something about filling out a bracket that gives me great pleasure. This year I filled out several and as of yesterday I was officially elimated from winning any money. My picks were so bad that I am currently in 167th out of 170 people in my work pool. Even the interns who picked the winners by colors and mascots are doing better than I am.
Growing up I won a lot of bracket pools or would at least place in the money. Now I am the laughing stock of my friends and family pool where I am dead last. My buddy Jason who couldn't name you 5 starters in all of college basketball is going to win it. Meanwhile I am up watching the 6 OT big east tournament game until late in the night. I know all the bracket statistics and trends and yet I still bomb out. Now I remember why I gave up internet wagering on football a few years ago.
Despite this year's debacle, I still do love March. Even without winning, it is still the best sporting event of the year. Watching MSU reach the final four has been fun and it was especially sweet to see Michigan return from their self imposed ban. Besides I am only a little over 11 months from getting my shot at redemption.
Growing up I won a lot of bracket pools or would at least place in the money. Now I am the laughing stock of my friends and family pool where I am dead last. My buddy Jason who couldn't name you 5 starters in all of college basketball is going to win it. Meanwhile I am up watching the 6 OT big east tournament game until late in the night. I know all the bracket statistics and trends and yet I still bomb out. Now I remember why I gave up internet wagering on football a few years ago.
Despite this year's debacle, I still do love March. Even without winning, it is still the best sporting event of the year. Watching MSU reach the final four has been fun and it was especially sweet to see Michigan return from their self imposed ban. Besides I am only a little over 11 months from getting my shot at redemption.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ash Wednesday
Yesterday I went to the Ash Wednesday service at the catholic church in downtown Lansing. It was packed. When I mentioned how crowded it was to my friend he wittingly replied that there are a lot of sinners. The homily was very good. It was about rendering our heart to God and what motivates us during lent. That this was more than just a time to sacrifice something but it was a time to reflect on our sin and to recommit to the Gospel.
As the service wore on I realized that I wasn't really in a penitent mood. I was more interested in trying to keep up with the liturgy or looking around to see who I knew. It was wasn't until a little girl behind me started crying bitterly that it sunk in as to why I was there. Her cry full of anguish seemed like the only fitting response to acknowledging the sin in our lives.
By contrast, I was simply going through the motions not really taking into account how much my sin has angered and disappointed God. If I knew just how offensive it was I would sob uncontrollably just like the girl behind me. Unfortunately, I have learned to make excuses for sin and have justified it to myself and to others and made it seem like no big deal. This lent season I am hoping to recapture just what it cost to have Christ go to the cross for me.
As the service wore on I realized that I wasn't really in a penitent mood. I was more interested in trying to keep up with the liturgy or looking around to see who I knew. It was wasn't until a little girl behind me started crying bitterly that it sunk in as to why I was there. Her cry full of anguish seemed like the only fitting response to acknowledging the sin in our lives.
By contrast, I was simply going through the motions not really taking into account how much my sin has angered and disappointed God. If I knew just how offensive it was I would sob uncontrollably just like the girl behind me. Unfortunately, I have learned to make excuses for sin and have justified it to myself and to others and made it seem like no big deal. This lent season I am hoping to recapture just what it cost to have Christ go to the cross for me.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The year of jubilee
In the Old Testament the Jews used to observe something called the Year of Jubilee. Every 49 years all the people's debts would be forgiven and their land returned to them. The idea was to keep them from enslaving their own people via huge crushing debt. As I watched how pitiful the stimulus debate played out, I kept hearkening back to this idea of paying off our debts and how it would help spur our economy. I wondered if it was possible for the federal government to pay off the public's credit card debt thus freeing them to spend more money on goods and services, catch up on their mortgage or to buy a new car. I checked and found out that the total amount of U. S. credit card debt is $971 billion which is in the same ball park as what the stimulus plan just cost us.
I know that many people will say that the idea of paying off everyone’s credit cards only helps those who have made bad financial decisions. My reply is that we are a country of second chances but just as importantly it makes economic sense. What would help the working poor and middle class more than freeing up several hundred dollars a month to spend how they please? Families could do what they wish with their money that was once tied up in debt. Some would save it, some would invest it, and many would spend it. The money would flood into the economy directly rather than through some government programs that may or may not create jobs. On top of that, the banks would get a shot of cash to help keep them solvent and allow them to make new credit available.
One added advantage is that it would also help reassure the public and improve the overall mood regarding the economy. Currently, the main drag on the economy is the fear and uncertainty that many people are experiencing. Even those with jobs and money to spend are reigning in their consumption until they are confident that we are headed in the right direction. This lack of spending just adds to the recession and thus leads to more economic anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle and something that the recent stimulus plan failed to address. Eliminating their credit card debt would be a psychological game changer as much as an economic boost.
I realize my plan may never happen and obviously the idea has to be fleshed out. Some checks and balances would need to be in place to deter people from simply running up huge debt again. Maybe there would be a cap on how much each individual gets paid off or a requirement to go without credit cards for certain time period. Regardless of details, the Year of Jubilee makes more sense than the typical big government spending that just passed under the guise of stimulus.
I know that many people will say that the idea of paying off everyone’s credit cards only helps those who have made bad financial decisions. My reply is that we are a country of second chances but just as importantly it makes economic sense. What would help the working poor and middle class more than freeing up several hundred dollars a month to spend how they please? Families could do what they wish with their money that was once tied up in debt. Some would save it, some would invest it, and many would spend it. The money would flood into the economy directly rather than through some government programs that may or may not create jobs. On top of that, the banks would get a shot of cash to help keep them solvent and allow them to make new credit available.
One added advantage is that it would also help reassure the public and improve the overall mood regarding the economy. Currently, the main drag on the economy is the fear and uncertainty that many people are experiencing. Even those with jobs and money to spend are reigning in their consumption until they are confident that we are headed in the right direction. This lack of spending just adds to the recession and thus leads to more economic anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle and something that the recent stimulus plan failed to address. Eliminating their credit card debt would be a psychological game changer as much as an economic boost.
I realize my plan may never happen and obviously the idea has to be fleshed out. Some checks and balances would need to be in place to deter people from simply running up huge debt again. Maybe there would be a cap on how much each individual gets paid off or a requirement to go without credit cards for certain time period. Regardless of details, the Year of Jubilee makes more sense than the typical big government spending that just passed under the guise of stimulus.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Tired of the blame game
This weekend I received updates from both the Republican and Democratic state conventions. One update that particularly grabbed my attention was by Lt. Gov. John Cherry who mentioned in his speech to the Democrats that they didn't get us into this mess but they will get us out of it. Really? I like John Cherry personally but his comment while not surprising was extremely disingenuous.
Michigan's economy is a mess and while a great portion of that is due to the demise of the auto industry, the government has not been effective in addressing the growing turmoil. And who has been in charge during this time? Not the Republicans. No it is Jennifer Granholm and John Cherry. To say that this is not their mess is more of the same blame game they have been playing for years. I fully expect to see on Granholm's tombstone "it was all Bush's fault".
The people of Michigan didn't elect Granholm to blame Engler or Bush or anybody else. They want her to lead and take on the problems facing the state. Instead she and Cherry are good at talking about reform but doing nothing and then blaming Republicans for their lack of results. It's getting very tiresome.
In the state of the state Granholm announced that she was appointing Cherry to study how to reorganize state government. She has been on the job for over 6 years and she has to have him study the problem? The Governor should already know what needs to be done and just do it. We don't need another study or task force, we need leadership. We need a decision maker who will make the tough choices and not blame others. I was hoping that maybe Cherry would be that guy on the Democratic side but I was obviously wrong.
Michigan's economy is a mess and while a great portion of that is due to the demise of the auto industry, the government has not been effective in addressing the growing turmoil. And who has been in charge during this time? Not the Republicans. No it is Jennifer Granholm and John Cherry. To say that this is not their mess is more of the same blame game they have been playing for years. I fully expect to see on Granholm's tombstone "it was all Bush's fault".
The people of Michigan didn't elect Granholm to blame Engler or Bush or anybody else. They want her to lead and take on the problems facing the state. Instead she and Cherry are good at talking about reform but doing nothing and then blaming Republicans for their lack of results. It's getting very tiresome.
In the state of the state Granholm announced that she was appointing Cherry to study how to reorganize state government. She has been on the job for over 6 years and she has to have him study the problem? The Governor should already know what needs to be done and just do it. We don't need another study or task force, we need leadership. We need a decision maker who will make the tough choices and not blame others. I was hoping that maybe Cherry would be that guy on the Democratic side but I was obviously wrong.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Salsa
Due to my love of tacos, pisco sours and siestas I have always felt a fondness for Latin American culture. However, tonight's adventure in salsa dancing reminded me of my very white ethnicity.
I went with my friend Gwen and her friends to a salsa club. I took dance lessons a couple years ago so I figured it would be fun to get out of the house. Unfortunately nothing stuck from my lessons. I would have better recalling 10th grade algebra than anything I learned about salsa dancing.
To call me rhythmically challenged is like calling the pope moral. Don't get me wrong, I do like to dance now and then But salsa is a little too structured for me. I prefer a more freestyle approach. Tonight, I realized that my dancing is similar to my life in general. Having a partner does not agree with me for some reason. It is way too hard to keep in sync with someone else so I dance to my own beat.
I went with my friend Gwen and her friends to a salsa club. I took dance lessons a couple years ago so I figured it would be fun to get out of the house. Unfortunately nothing stuck from my lessons. I would have better recalling 10th grade algebra than anything I learned about salsa dancing.
To call me rhythmically challenged is like calling the pope moral. Don't get me wrong, I do like to dance now and then But salsa is a little too structured for me. I prefer a more freestyle approach. Tonight, I realized that my dancing is similar to my life in general. Having a partner does not agree with me for some reason. It is way too hard to keep in sync with someone else so I dance to my own beat.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Change we can believe in?
Yesterday Tom Dashcle withdrew his name for consideration for Secretary of Health and Human Services because he hadn't paid several hundred thousand in taxes. His withdraw marks the third person Obama has nominated to have had "trouble" paying their taxes in the past. Nancy Killefer was supposed to be his chief performance officer for the federal government, whatever that is, but she didn't pay her taxes either. The only one to get away with it is the new Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, who was inexplicably confirmed despite being a tax cheat himself. I guess this explains why Democrats don't mind raising taxes because they have no intention on actually paying them.
Does anyone else wonder why it takes a Senate investigation to uncover all these unpaid taxes? Isn't that what the IRS is for? Apparently, they aren't worried if you are either rich or politically connected. How much more money is out there in unpaid taxes that could be used to help pay down some of our ballooning budget deficit? Maybe we should have Obama randomly appoint people so the Senate can dig into their past and see how much they owe in taxes.
This is not a good start for the Obama administration. The entire scenario reeks of hypocrisy. Not only has there been a pattern of not paying taxes by his nominees but this is the second well known nominee to withdraw because of ethical concerns. Anyone else remember Bill Richardson? I thought Obama was supposed to usher in an era of good government and restore confidence in our leadership. Instead, we get the same old, same old; attempts to reward political allies with plum government appointments despite their ethical lapses. Obviously, he was full of change we can't believe in.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the media can sweep this under the rug. I guarantee you by next week, there will not be one story printed connecting the dots and pointing out this pattern of appointing unethical people. It just doesn't fit into their make believe Camelot storyline.
Does anyone else wonder why it takes a Senate investigation to uncover all these unpaid taxes? Isn't that what the IRS is for? Apparently, they aren't worried if you are either rich or politically connected. How much more money is out there in unpaid taxes that could be used to help pay down some of our ballooning budget deficit? Maybe we should have Obama randomly appoint people so the Senate can dig into their past and see how much they owe in taxes.
This is not a good start for the Obama administration. The entire scenario reeks of hypocrisy. Not only has there been a pattern of not paying taxes by his nominees but this is the second well known nominee to withdraw because of ethical concerns. Anyone else remember Bill Richardson? I thought Obama was supposed to usher in an era of good government and restore confidence in our leadership. Instead, we get the same old, same old; attempts to reward political allies with plum government appointments despite their ethical lapses. Obviously, he was full of change we can't believe in.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the media can sweep this under the rug. I guarantee you by next week, there will not be one story printed connecting the dots and pointing out this pattern of appointing unethical people. It just doesn't fit into their make believe Camelot storyline.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
What a game!
I realize I am impartial because my Steelers won but that was a great, great game. I watched with a couple fellow Steelers fans and we never relaxed the entire game. We all knew that not getting touchdowns inside the red zone was going to come back and bite us.
I give the Cardinals a ton of credit for coming back in the fourth quarter. Kurt Warner is an amazing QB and I kind of like Fitzgerald as well. But I was happy that they scored so quickly and that Big Ben would have a few minutes left to pull out a miracle. He always does his best when his back is against the wall. And Holmes definitely moved up on the list of great players in Steelers history.
Has there ever been a greater play than James Harrison's interception return just before halftime? What an incredible turn of momentum. How he stayed in bounds and scored is beyond me. I was also impressed they didn't get called for clipping. It might have been the only play that the refs didn't throw a flag on.
It's truly fun to be a Steelers fan. I love that we win but I love that we do things the right way. We have a classy owner, we have good guys that play for us and we play sound football. Now we just have to rebuild the offensive line and we should be back for number 7 next year.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Titanic
Yesterday, I finally watched the movie Titanic. I skipped it in the theaters several years ago and it wasn't really on my wish list. But I have been sick and couped up all weekend and decided I had the prerequisite three hours to spend watching it. Frankly, I doubted I would like it, since I typically dislike big blockbusters. However, I really enjoyed it. For some reason, I found my cynicism for love melted as I rooted for Jack and Rose. In fact, it got me to thinking of my own life and how I wished I had someone to fall in love with. I want to meet someone and have that instant chemistry that bonds us together. Of course, I don't want to have to go down with the Titanic to find that soulmate. Although some of my most recent dating experiences have felt like a sinking ship.
I keep thinking to myself, what I am doing wrong. Then I remember that my life is not a Hollywood movie. But I see many of my friends happy and in love. I am not sure what their secret is but I definitely have not discovered it. Many people have suggested that my expectations are too high. But settling for someone less than my soul mate doesn't excite me. I have experienced the real work that it takes to invest in a relationship and it isn't worth it unless I have that emotional spark. Unfortunately as my desire to fall is love is piqued, I simply haven't met anybody that ignites my desire to throw caution to the wind. I want to want to call her every night not out of duty but because I need to hear her voice. I want to have my entire day justified simply because I get to spend a few minutes with her. I want to share everyday experiences and transform them from ordinary to favorite memories simply because we spend time together. Is that too much to ask for? Or maybe it just happens in movies.
I keep thinking to myself, what I am doing wrong. Then I remember that my life is not a Hollywood movie. But I see many of my friends happy and in love. I am not sure what their secret is but I definitely have not discovered it. Many people have suggested that my expectations are too high. But settling for someone less than my soul mate doesn't excite me. I have experienced the real work that it takes to invest in a relationship and it isn't worth it unless I have that emotional spark. Unfortunately as my desire to fall is love is piqued, I simply haven't met anybody that ignites my desire to throw caution to the wind. I want to want to call her every night not out of duty but because I need to hear her voice. I want to have my entire day justified simply because I get to spend a few minutes with her. I want to share everyday experiences and transform them from ordinary to favorite memories simply because we spend time together. Is that too much to ask for? Or maybe it just happens in movies.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
The real national champion
I watched a little bit of the Utah - Alabama game last night and Utah was very impressive. They ended the season 13-0 and the only unbeaten team. Unfortunately, the idiots that control college football didn't allow them a chance to win the national championship. Yes, the only team to go unbeaten doesn't even get the chance to play for the title while two one loss teams get to play for it. This is why college football is a joke.
Utah is not the only team to get screwed this year. Texas beats Oklahoma and has the same record yet Oklahoma gets to play for the title simply because a bunch of coaches voted for them. And I agree with Pete Carrol at USC that his team could probably beat anybody and should have had a chance to play for a national title as well,. However, Utah actually has a better argument than USC considering they beat Oregon State while USC lost to them.
Thankfully, the AP poll is free to vote whoever they want as the national champion and I sincerely hope they reward the kids at Utah. They played a tough schedule and beat many quality opponents. In fact, they beat Alabama more handily than Florida did. It's time to send a message to the corrupt rulers of college football that they cannot simply deny a championship to a team because they don't play in a BCS conference. This year you could make the case that the Mountain West Conference was comparable to most of the BCS conferences.
So while there are still a couple games left to be played. In my mind it doesn't matter who wins between Oklahoma and Florida. The national championship is already settled. Congratulations to the Utah Utes.
Utah is not the only team to get screwed this year. Texas beats Oklahoma and has the same record yet Oklahoma gets to play for the title simply because a bunch of coaches voted for them. And I agree with Pete Carrol at USC that his team could probably beat anybody and should have had a chance to play for a national title as well,. However, Utah actually has a better argument than USC considering they beat Oregon State while USC lost to them.
Thankfully, the AP poll is free to vote whoever they want as the national champion and I sincerely hope they reward the kids at Utah. They played a tough schedule and beat many quality opponents. In fact, they beat Alabama more handily than Florida did. It's time to send a message to the corrupt rulers of college football that they cannot simply deny a championship to a team because they don't play in a BCS conference. This year you could make the case that the Mountain West Conference was comparable to most of the BCS conferences.
So while there are still a couple games left to be played. In my mind it doesn't matter who wins between Oklahoma and Florida. The national championship is already settled. Congratulations to the Utah Utes.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Two Friends and a Leather Jacket
I have two friends of mine who are very dear to me and whom I have known since junior high school; Don and Jason. When we were seniors in high school the three of us decided to go to Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids to buy new leather jackets. Jason and I bought a brown leather bomber jacket and Don bought a black motorcycle jacket. They were a hundred bucks a piece and we spent nearly all our money on them.
Rather than simply being satisfied with our purchase we decided to show them off and celebrate how cool we looked in our new jackets. So we hopped in my old Honda Prelude and drove 3 hours to Chicago on a total whim. It was exhilarating being on the open road with two of my closest friends and ready to hit the town. Unfortunately, as soon as we hit Wacker Street in Chicago my car died. The alternator belt went out and we were stuck in Chicago with very little money and no way to get back home.
We decided to call my Mom because she was most likely to help us out of our predicament. She was not too happy for sure. After the initial shock wore off she wired us enough money to tow the car, find a hotel and buy train tickets back to Michigan. The three of us ended up having a fun evening. We ate at Ed Debevic's and stayed at a posh hotel in the city. The trip had offered us more than we could have hoped for. Our fun however was halted when my parents picked us up at the train station the next day with a look of complete disappointment.
As I was cleaning up my house last week I found that same leather jacket. It was hiding in my basement and doesn't fit anymore. Even so, I have been dragging it from city to city and house to house all these years because I so cherish that first memory with it. Every time I see that jacket I am reminded of my two friends and our youthful indiscretions.
What's intersting is that in the past week I have had the opportunity to visit both Don and Jason. Don flew in from New York last weekend for the closing of Studio 28 and we were able to catch the new James Bond movie. He and I are now famous as we were shown on TV 13 talking about our favorite movie memories. On Tuesday, I flew to Denver to visit Jason and his family for Thanksgiving. We took a hike in the mountains earlier this week and drank out of a mountain river we discovered. It was amazing.
What I am learning is that I don't need an old jacket, no matter how cool it is, to remind me of my friendships. I am so blessed to still have those relationships. And as much as I love that memory of our ill fated Chicago trip, I am making new memories with both Don and Jason. While I outgrew the jacket years ago and it doesn't fit me anymore, my friendships have grown and still fit even better today than back in Chicago. That is why I finally decided it was time to donate the jacket to our church's clothing drive and allow somebody else to make great memories with it. Hopefully, they have as good friends as I do to share it with.
Rather than simply being satisfied with our purchase we decided to show them off and celebrate how cool we looked in our new jackets. So we hopped in my old Honda Prelude and drove 3 hours to Chicago on a total whim. It was exhilarating being on the open road with two of my closest friends and ready to hit the town. Unfortunately, as soon as we hit Wacker Street in Chicago my car died. The alternator belt went out and we were stuck in Chicago with very little money and no way to get back home.
We decided to call my Mom because she was most likely to help us out of our predicament. She was not too happy for sure. After the initial shock wore off she wired us enough money to tow the car, find a hotel and buy train tickets back to Michigan. The three of us ended up having a fun evening. We ate at Ed Debevic's and stayed at a posh hotel in the city. The trip had offered us more than we could have hoped for. Our fun however was halted when my parents picked us up at the train station the next day with a look of complete disappointment.
As I was cleaning up my house last week I found that same leather jacket. It was hiding in my basement and doesn't fit anymore. Even so, I have been dragging it from city to city and house to house all these years because I so cherish that first memory with it. Every time I see that jacket I am reminded of my two friends and our youthful indiscretions.
What's intersting is that in the past week I have had the opportunity to visit both Don and Jason. Don flew in from New York last weekend for the closing of Studio 28 and we were able to catch the new James Bond movie. He and I are now famous as we were shown on TV 13 talking about our favorite movie memories. On Tuesday, I flew to Denver to visit Jason and his family for Thanksgiving. We took a hike in the mountains earlier this week and drank out of a mountain river we discovered. It was amazing.
What I am learning is that I don't need an old jacket, no matter how cool it is, to remind me of my friendships. I am so blessed to still have those relationships. And as much as I love that memory of our ill fated Chicago trip, I am making new memories with both Don and Jason. While I outgrew the jacket years ago and it doesn't fit me anymore, my friendships have grown and still fit even better today than back in Chicago. That is why I finally decided it was time to donate the jacket to our church's clothing drive and allow somebody else to make great memories with it. Hopefully, they have as good friends as I do to share it with.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Last week's sermon
As many of you know I have the privilege to preach at my church from time to time. It's been a great opportunity to learn about God's word and how to communicate it effectively. This past week I spoke on Romans 12:1-2 and how we are supposed to sacrifice and have our minds renewed in order to test and approve God's will. Here is the link for those that would like to listen to it.
Auto Bailout
In September I was willing to give some slack to the government to help bailout the banking industry. Unfortunately, the first roll out of that bailout has been a complete debacle and there are stories coming out that we don't even know who is receiving the money. This is quickly becoming one of the largest public lootings in our history. Now the big 3 automakers want another bailout. Talk about bad timing.
Living in Michigan I have the unfortunate perspective of watching the decline of the American automakers. Their demise has been a long time coming but laughably they are now arguing that they are "turning things around" and that the reason for their troubles is the bad credit markets. It's ironic because I thought the first bailout was supposed to loosen up those markets.
But let's be honest, the problem isn't solely that the big 3 can't get loans it's that they are poorly run companies who sell products that the public doesn't want to buy and they pay their employees more than they can afford. No amount of government handouts are going to change that. In fact, it will probably only protect that failing culture by insulating them from the consequences of their poor decision making.
The problem is that the bailout floodgates have been opened and once you give one industry money, how can you say with a straight face that another industry doesn't deserve the same thing. Well I guess you can say that if you are Paulson and your only interest was in protecting your fat cat friends on wall street.
To completely understand why there is so much pressure on the Democrats to pass a bailout for the automakers you have to acknowledge the elephant sitting in the room: the unions. If the big 3 go bankrupt all those union contracts will be voided and the democrats will lose their control on a huge sector of voters. If the government bails them out then the unions can continue to go along as they please and the workers will be forever indebted to the Democrats.
But a bailout will not solve the long term economic problems of the big 3. They simply cannot continue to pay the high wages and benefits the unions demand and be competitive in the market place. The built in disadvantage for car makers who have unions vs those who do not have unions is $2000 per car. That's not going to change with a bailout but it might change if they go through bankruptcy court.
Finally, there has been a lot of talk lately about Gov. Granholm leaving Michigan to become part of Obama's administration. Some even speculate that he will name her "auto czar". If he does that he is dumber than Republicans suspected as Granholm has been fiddling for 6 years while Detroit burned. Instead of Granholm, Obama should back up his bipartisan talk by appointing Mitt Romney as the auto czar. He just wrote an excellent column in the NY times and has the business experience that is needed to turn around the automakers. But somehow I doubt the unions will go along with that idea.
Living in Michigan I have the unfortunate perspective of watching the decline of the American automakers. Their demise has been a long time coming but laughably they are now arguing that they are "turning things around" and that the reason for their troubles is the bad credit markets. It's ironic because I thought the first bailout was supposed to loosen up those markets.
But let's be honest, the problem isn't solely that the big 3 can't get loans it's that they are poorly run companies who sell products that the public doesn't want to buy and they pay their employees more than they can afford. No amount of government handouts are going to change that. In fact, it will probably only protect that failing culture by insulating them from the consequences of their poor decision making.
The problem is that the bailout floodgates have been opened and once you give one industry money, how can you say with a straight face that another industry doesn't deserve the same thing. Well I guess you can say that if you are Paulson and your only interest was in protecting your fat cat friends on wall street.
To completely understand why there is so much pressure on the Democrats to pass a bailout for the automakers you have to acknowledge the elephant sitting in the room: the unions. If the big 3 go bankrupt all those union contracts will be voided and the democrats will lose their control on a huge sector of voters. If the government bails them out then the unions can continue to go along as they please and the workers will be forever indebted to the Democrats.
But a bailout will not solve the long term economic problems of the big 3. They simply cannot continue to pay the high wages and benefits the unions demand and be competitive in the market place. The built in disadvantage for car makers who have unions vs those who do not have unions is $2000 per car. That's not going to change with a bailout but it might change if they go through bankruptcy court.
Finally, there has been a lot of talk lately about Gov. Granholm leaving Michigan to become part of Obama's administration. Some even speculate that he will name her "auto czar". If he does that he is dumber than Republicans suspected as Granholm has been fiddling for 6 years while Detroit burned. Instead of Granholm, Obama should back up his bipartisan talk by appointing Mitt Romney as the auto czar. He just wrote an excellent column in the NY times and has the business experience that is needed to turn around the automakers. But somehow I doubt the unions will go along with that idea.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Studio 28
I just read in the Grand Rapids Press that Studio 28 is closing. This came as quite a shock. I recall as a kid going there often and at one time it was the largest movie theater in the country. How times change. I have many memories of that place including my first time sneaking into an R rated movie. It was exhilarating getting past the ticket person and into the forbidden theater. The movie was running scared and not all that great but it was fun watching something that we weren't allowed to. One summer my co-workers and I would leave straight form work to catch the matinees. I think we watched The Firm and Jurassic Park that year.
Back then going to the movies was a big event. Now I suppose people just wait for their netflix to come in the mail and watch it at home. One thing I always remember was the parking lot being super crowded but I guess today you could park near the front and that's the problem. I get a little sad when I think of all the changes to my home town. Showcase Cinemas is now a Home Depot or something and the Quad closed years ago. I guess kids have their new hangouts but mine are definitely vanishing.
I read in the article that they are having a special event to close the theater on November 23rd. Anybody from GR want to go with me?
Back then going to the movies was a big event. Now I suppose people just wait for their netflix to come in the mail and watch it at home. One thing I always remember was the parking lot being super crowded but I guess today you could park near the front and that's the problem. I get a little sad when I think of all the changes to my home town. Showcase Cinemas is now a Home Depot or something and the Quad closed years ago. I guess kids have their new hangouts but mine are definitely vanishing.
I read in the article that they are having a special event to close the theater on November 23rd. Anybody from GR want to go with me?
Maybe I should take up walking
I just read this in the Lansing State Journal. It's about a man who, while walking around the world, meets a woman and falls in love and gets married. How incredibly adventuresome and romantic. I think it time to renew my passport.
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