For this post I thought that I'd take a break from the usual, and instead focus on the incredible spectacle going on in China. The Olympics have always been about human achievement, and the sheer will to overcome all odds in rising to the pinnacle of one's abilities. The 29th Olympiad is no exception to this millenia old endeavor.
As I have watched not just our athletes, but also those from around the world, I cannot be anything but impressed with the dedication, drive, determination, and fierce strength of will to rise to the top and be called the world's best. These men and women are truly amazing in every way, and are an inspiration to billions around the world.
Whether they take home a medal or not, these athletes have overcome tremendous odds just to be on that stage. Some are their countries lone representatives, and their nations swell with pride at seeing their athlete compete at such a grand event.
Win or lose, every competitor at this, or any other Olympiad will take with them the memories, pride, friendships, and simple joy at the incredible experience they went through. They should always be our heroes, and we should always seek to emulate the examples that they have put forth in their quest to be the best in the world.
I hope that everyone in the US, and the world, stops to watch this phenomenal display of athleticism now happening in Beijing; and that they appreciate and applaud the outstanding men and women competing on this grandest of world stages.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Possibly THE WORST Drivers In This Country
On my last post I alluded to the fact that I would write an upcoming post on whom I believe to possibly be the worst drivers in the country; and they reside right here in Utah.
Why do I say that? Well, besides living here for the last 6 1/2 years, I was a first hand witness to my own kids going through the process of learning to drive; and let me tell you--it wasn't pretty.
Like I alluded to in my post regarding the State Legislature, the insurance rates (auto) are among the highest in the nation. This is due to the extraordinary number of at-fault accidents in this state. By at-fault, I mean accidents that could, and should, have been avoided simply through following the rules of the road in regards to yourself, and the drivers around you.
Now, I could go on and on in illustrating why the drivers here are so awful, so I'll try to constrain myself to a few real-life stories about accidents on Utah's roads.
1) Just last week, a 23 year old woman was killed in a roll-over accident which was caused by a semi driver going too fast, as well as cutting her off when he (the truck driver) made a sudden, non-signalled lane change, thereby causing the woman (who was driving a small car) to hit the trucks tires, lose control, roll across the median and onto the other side of the freeway, and was there hit by another driver.
2) A few winters ago a woman and her daughter were killed when they were driving in the commuter lane on I-15. They were legally obeying the speed limit when a man in a pick-up truck (who was alone in the vehicle) came up behind them in the commuter lane as well. Police estimate he was traveling at least 85 mph in a 65 zone). Right when he came within inches of this womans bumper (trying to intimidate her into moving out of the commuter lane), her car hit a patch of black ice. She swerved, the truck smashed into the back of her car sending it headlong into a guardrail then onto the median.
The pick-up sped right by and never stopped to assist (luckily someone got the plate #). The mother was killed instantly, the daughter survived. But as she was making her way to the side of the freeway to get help, another car hit the same black ice, and swerved right into the girl, killing her.
3) About a year ago I was driving with my daughter along I-15 when we came up to a line of cars approaching an exit. It was a holiday weekend, so there were lots of cars waiting to exit. I was in the middle of three lanes, and a solid line of cars to my right. As I approached the point of the freeway exit, a driver (in a camper and pulling a boat) was busy doing whatever because he didn't see the car in front of him stop. Well, instead of turning out to the side of the road, he turned into my lane.
I was going 65 mph.
I saw his thoughtless maneauver and instantly did all I could to avoid hitting him. I ended up swerving (on dry pavement, luckily) across two lanes, going back and forth several times before regaining control of my car (you could see my skid marks for a few weeks!). My daughter was in tears, and I was grateful to be alive.
In all three of these instances, there was a common factor that contributed to each. Can you name it?
Ok, here it is...They were ALL preventable.
It's a fact that 98% of all physical trauma (accidents, in whatever form) is the result of 1 or more bad choices by 1 or more people. That's huge! Think about it. Statistically, out of all the trauma out there, 98 times out of 100 it could have been prevented. That's a sobering thought.
So, what makes Utah drivers so bad? There are several factors. They start with the State Legislature. They refuse to raise taxes, therefore there is less money for educational programs. The fewer taxes are received in a particular area, the less state tax allocation the school receives (or something like that). Where my kids went to High School, they got very little funding from the state. One glaring point of this is Drivers Education.
Both my kids got exactly two weeks (that's right, two whole weeks) of classroom instruction, with each class taking approximately 1 hr 15 minutes. They never opened their drivers ed manual, and the instructor barely taught anything (this, according to my kids). Then, their "range time" consisted of three sessions in a car with an instructor, each of which lasted approximately 20 minutes. That's 1 hour folks.
According to State law, the kids are supposed to have 40 hours of supervised driving time with a parent. I can say with 99.9% assurety that this never happens. Even as adamant as we were, my kids only got about 30 hours in.
After that, a 16 year old can get a license. Is anyone out there frightened? You should be; because generation after generation of drivers in this state are not properly educated on the rules of the road. Forget advanced rules, I'm talking basic, common-sense things like signalling when you are going to make a turn; What signs mean; Obeying the Speed Limit; What is your responsibility in merging onto the freeway, etc, etc, etc.
This is downright scary stuff folks! And the state turns a blind to the perpetual problem it has created. Further, they do nothing to prevent more accidents by (once again) refusing to raise tax money to hire more troopers to patrol our freeways. Which brings me to another point...State Troopers who also break the laws of the road. How often in most states will you see a trooper holding up a line of cars on a freeway because no one dares to pass them? In most states you'd never dream of passing a police vehicle for fear of being the recipient of a moving violation.
In my time in Utah, I regularly see on-duty (and off-duty) officers exceeding the speed limit as a regular matter of driving. Why should anyone go the posted speed limit when even the police don't obey that one? Drivers here speed with seeming impugnity because they know that the odds of them actually being pulled over are slim to none.
Get this one--In Salt Lake County I can actually get a ticket for driving the posted speed limit! Absolutely true. That county has an ordinance that states a car holding up the flow of traffic can receive a moving violation. This very thing happened a few years ago. The traffic flow was moving at around 75 mph (in a 65 zone), and a driver, legally obeying the federally posted Speed Limit, was pulled over and cited for impeding traffic. Can you believe that?! He got a ticket for obeying the law!!!
The city police really aren't any better. In my daily 10-minute commute to work I see traffic light violations, non-signalled turns, extremely close-up tailgating, driving through stop signs as if they weren't even there, etc, etc. When driving in a large parking lot (like at a Mall), drivers regularly zoom across the whole lot in order to get around the mall roads. They don't pay attention to anyone or anything as they go 35-45 mph or faster. I honestly don't know how many times I've been close to being involved to a T-bone accident while safely and legally driving in parking lots.
When you drive on Utah's roads, you have to be prepared to have a major catastrophe at any time. The drivers here are truly that dangerous. And no one at the local or state level seems to care one iota. I have written my elected officials, and no one has responded.
I could literally go on for paragraph after paragraph about things that drivers do on the roads in this state; and it would all be 100% true. The drivers in Utah (as a whole) are absolutely horrendous, and downright dangerous. Something needs--no, something MUST be done. How many more people will needlessly die for anyone in the state or local governments to take notice and start the change?
There are clearly no easy answers to this one, folks; but when even the men and women who are supposed to protect our roads are themselves breaking the basic driving laws, then we as a population should be very afraid for our lives every time we sit behind the steering wheel. And truthfully, I am. Every day.
(For those of you who might be wondering, I have been driving for 30 years. In all that time, I have gotten exactly ZERO moving violations, and have been involved in one accident-- which wasn't my fault...I was rear ended by a drunk driver at a stop sign.)
Why do I say that? Well, besides living here for the last 6 1/2 years, I was a first hand witness to my own kids going through the process of learning to drive; and let me tell you--it wasn't pretty.
Like I alluded to in my post regarding the State Legislature, the insurance rates (auto) are among the highest in the nation. This is due to the extraordinary number of at-fault accidents in this state. By at-fault, I mean accidents that could, and should, have been avoided simply through following the rules of the road in regards to yourself, and the drivers around you.
Now, I could go on and on in illustrating why the drivers here are so awful, so I'll try to constrain myself to a few real-life stories about accidents on Utah's roads.
1) Just last week, a 23 year old woman was killed in a roll-over accident which was caused by a semi driver going too fast, as well as cutting her off when he (the truck driver) made a sudden, non-signalled lane change, thereby causing the woman (who was driving a small car) to hit the trucks tires, lose control, roll across the median and onto the other side of the freeway, and was there hit by another driver.
2) A few winters ago a woman and her daughter were killed when they were driving in the commuter lane on I-15. They were legally obeying the speed limit when a man in a pick-up truck (who was alone in the vehicle) came up behind them in the commuter lane as well. Police estimate he was traveling at least 85 mph in a 65 zone). Right when he came within inches of this womans bumper (trying to intimidate her into moving out of the commuter lane), her car hit a patch of black ice. She swerved, the truck smashed into the back of her car sending it headlong into a guardrail then onto the median.
The pick-up sped right by and never stopped to assist (luckily someone got the plate #). The mother was killed instantly, the daughter survived. But as she was making her way to the side of the freeway to get help, another car hit the same black ice, and swerved right into the girl, killing her.
3) About a year ago I was driving with my daughter along I-15 when we came up to a line of cars approaching an exit. It was a holiday weekend, so there were lots of cars waiting to exit. I was in the middle of three lanes, and a solid line of cars to my right. As I approached the point of the freeway exit, a driver (in a camper and pulling a boat) was busy doing whatever because he didn't see the car in front of him stop. Well, instead of turning out to the side of the road, he turned into my lane.
I was going 65 mph.
I saw his thoughtless maneauver and instantly did all I could to avoid hitting him. I ended up swerving (on dry pavement, luckily) across two lanes, going back and forth several times before regaining control of my car (you could see my skid marks for a few weeks!). My daughter was in tears, and I was grateful to be alive.
In all three of these instances, there was a common factor that contributed to each. Can you name it?
Ok, here it is...They were ALL preventable.
It's a fact that 98% of all physical trauma (accidents, in whatever form) is the result of 1 or more bad choices by 1 or more people. That's huge! Think about it. Statistically, out of all the trauma out there, 98 times out of 100 it could have been prevented. That's a sobering thought.
So, what makes Utah drivers so bad? There are several factors. They start with the State Legislature. They refuse to raise taxes, therefore there is less money for educational programs. The fewer taxes are received in a particular area, the less state tax allocation the school receives (or something like that). Where my kids went to High School, they got very little funding from the state. One glaring point of this is Drivers Education.
Both my kids got exactly two weeks (that's right, two whole weeks) of classroom instruction, with each class taking approximately 1 hr 15 minutes. They never opened their drivers ed manual, and the instructor barely taught anything (this, according to my kids). Then, their "range time" consisted of three sessions in a car with an instructor, each of which lasted approximately 20 minutes. That's 1 hour folks.
According to State law, the kids are supposed to have 40 hours of supervised driving time with a parent. I can say with 99.9% assurety that this never happens. Even as adamant as we were, my kids only got about 30 hours in.
After that, a 16 year old can get a license. Is anyone out there frightened? You should be; because generation after generation of drivers in this state are not properly educated on the rules of the road. Forget advanced rules, I'm talking basic, common-sense things like signalling when you are going to make a turn; What signs mean; Obeying the Speed Limit; What is your responsibility in merging onto the freeway, etc, etc, etc.
This is downright scary stuff folks! And the state turns a blind to the perpetual problem it has created. Further, they do nothing to prevent more accidents by (once again) refusing to raise tax money to hire more troopers to patrol our freeways. Which brings me to another point...State Troopers who also break the laws of the road. How often in most states will you see a trooper holding up a line of cars on a freeway because no one dares to pass them? In most states you'd never dream of passing a police vehicle for fear of being the recipient of a moving violation.
In my time in Utah, I regularly see on-duty (and off-duty) officers exceeding the speed limit as a regular matter of driving. Why should anyone go the posted speed limit when even the police don't obey that one? Drivers here speed with seeming impugnity because they know that the odds of them actually being pulled over are slim to none.
Get this one--In Salt Lake County I can actually get a ticket for driving the posted speed limit! Absolutely true. That county has an ordinance that states a car holding up the flow of traffic can receive a moving violation. This very thing happened a few years ago. The traffic flow was moving at around 75 mph (in a 65 zone), and a driver, legally obeying the federally posted Speed Limit, was pulled over and cited for impeding traffic. Can you believe that?! He got a ticket for obeying the law!!!
The city police really aren't any better. In my daily 10-minute commute to work I see traffic light violations, non-signalled turns, extremely close-up tailgating, driving through stop signs as if they weren't even there, etc, etc. When driving in a large parking lot (like at a Mall), drivers regularly zoom across the whole lot in order to get around the mall roads. They don't pay attention to anyone or anything as they go 35-45 mph or faster. I honestly don't know how many times I've been close to being involved to a T-bone accident while safely and legally driving in parking lots.
When you drive on Utah's roads, you have to be prepared to have a major catastrophe at any time. The drivers here are truly that dangerous. And no one at the local or state level seems to care one iota. I have written my elected officials, and no one has responded.
I could literally go on for paragraph after paragraph about things that drivers do on the roads in this state; and it would all be 100% true. The drivers in Utah (as a whole) are absolutely horrendous, and downright dangerous. Something needs--no, something MUST be done. How many more people will needlessly die for anyone in the state or local governments to take notice and start the change?
There are clearly no easy answers to this one, folks; but when even the men and women who are supposed to protect our roads are themselves breaking the basic driving laws, then we as a population should be very afraid for our lives every time we sit behind the steering wheel. And truthfully, I am. Every day.
(For those of you who might be wondering, I have been driving for 30 years. In all that time, I have gotten exactly ZERO moving violations, and have been involved in one accident-- which wasn't my fault...I was rear ended by a drunk driver at a stop sign.)
Effective Goverment In Action...?
Alright...I'm going to give up a little personal info here. But first, a question: What would you call a State Legislature that works approximately 15 weeks per year, is unpaid, and wastes most of its first 13 weeks endlessly debating bills, taxes, budgets, etc, then crams into two weeks what should have been done over the previous 13?
In Utah, its called Effective Government In Action--or, I should say, inaction. That's right. I've lived in Utah (unfortunately) for 6 1/2 long years. Enough time to know that the State Legislature is a joke of a "Legislative Body." The endless debates do indeed suddenly cease somewhere in the 13th week, then every Representative and Senator puts as many riders on as many bills as they can, and finally reach the end of their yearly session; each heading back to their regular jobs, knowing that they did their best.
Do you see what's wrong with this picture? If not, let me give you a little more info. Most of each years' session is filled in budgetary discussion. New laws are passed that have no real effect on everyday lives in Utah, while REAL issues are never addressed.
For instance, the Legislature (I don't think) has any real oversight on the state contracts issued to road repair work. There is a stretch on I-15 which is filled with pot holes. Repair crews (plural) head out, patch it up, then return (literally) 3-4 months later to repair the same holes. This has gone on the whole 6 1/2 years I have lived here! The state will pay the contractor multiple times for a repair job that could (and should) be done once. Why don't they? Where is the oversight?
The drivers in this state are perhaps the worst I have ever been around. (I've got a whole other blog I'll be doing on this, but let me touch on this briefly). Why? There are multiple reasons, so let me just start here. The lifelong citizens of this state are so paranoid about raising taxes ("I don't want the governmint tellin ME what to do!") that the State doesn't have enough $$ too pay for the much needed law enforcement increases. I wrote my State Representative and Senator about this issue, as well as the Governor. I got NOTHING of a response from any of them. They don't seem to care. A sad statement.
It's a fact that Utah has one of the highest per capita auto insurance rates in the country. Why? Because there are so many at-fault accidents. Now, I know that increased law enforcement wouldn't necessarily decrease the at-fault accidents significantly, but increased presence would indeed help to lower the number.
Then finally, here's the real doozie. The Legislature, in its infinite and misguided wisdom, in order to meet the budget, has decided that all State offices will have a 4-day work-work. Further, there is discussion that this will include the public schools! Instead of raising taxes to benefit education, the Legislature might essentially tell every parent that their children's future isn't important enough.
Additionally, the very concept creates other issues such as daycare for working parents who will suddenly have to either stay home (and miss out on income), or pay extra monies for another day of childcare. What non-core subjects will be lost because there is no longer enough time to teach everything (arts, music, etc)? Or how about the product vendors for all the school districts? How many workers would they have to lay-off in order to meet their budgets? How many taxes will be lost because the schools are closed one extra day?
How will one of the poorest funded educational systems in this country fare when an additional day of instruction is lost because the Legislature is afraid to raise taxes?
The Utah State Legislature is a joke. It won't do what it MUST in order to meet the basic needs of its citizens because it's too afraid that a pro-tax strategy will lose their next elections. When will they wake up an realize that the constituancy of this state deserve better than the "best" they (the Legislature) have done?
Taxes can indeed go too far; but when the basics of education and infrastructure are marginalized, then we have a prime example of government 'inaction.'
In Utah, its called Effective Government In Action--or, I should say, inaction. That's right. I've lived in Utah (unfortunately) for 6 1/2 long years. Enough time to know that the State Legislature is a joke of a "Legislative Body." The endless debates do indeed suddenly cease somewhere in the 13th week, then every Representative and Senator puts as many riders on as many bills as they can, and finally reach the end of their yearly session; each heading back to their regular jobs, knowing that they did their best.
Do you see what's wrong with this picture? If not, let me give you a little more info. Most of each years' session is filled in budgetary discussion. New laws are passed that have no real effect on everyday lives in Utah, while REAL issues are never addressed.
For instance, the Legislature (I don't think) has any real oversight on the state contracts issued to road repair work. There is a stretch on I-15 which is filled with pot holes. Repair crews (plural) head out, patch it up, then return (literally) 3-4 months later to repair the same holes. This has gone on the whole 6 1/2 years I have lived here! The state will pay the contractor multiple times for a repair job that could (and should) be done once. Why don't they? Where is the oversight?
The drivers in this state are perhaps the worst I have ever been around. (I've got a whole other blog I'll be doing on this, but let me touch on this briefly). Why? There are multiple reasons, so let me just start here. The lifelong citizens of this state are so paranoid about raising taxes ("I don't want the governmint tellin ME what to do!") that the State doesn't have enough $$ too pay for the much needed law enforcement increases. I wrote my State Representative and Senator about this issue, as well as the Governor. I got NOTHING of a response from any of them. They don't seem to care. A sad statement.
It's a fact that Utah has one of the highest per capita auto insurance rates in the country. Why? Because there are so many at-fault accidents. Now, I know that increased law enforcement wouldn't necessarily decrease the at-fault accidents significantly, but increased presence would indeed help to lower the number.
Then finally, here's the real doozie. The Legislature, in its infinite and misguided wisdom, in order to meet the budget, has decided that all State offices will have a 4-day work-work. Further, there is discussion that this will include the public schools! Instead of raising taxes to benefit education, the Legislature might essentially tell every parent that their children's future isn't important enough.
Additionally, the very concept creates other issues such as daycare for working parents who will suddenly have to either stay home (and miss out on income), or pay extra monies for another day of childcare. What non-core subjects will be lost because there is no longer enough time to teach everything (arts, music, etc)? Or how about the product vendors for all the school districts? How many workers would they have to lay-off in order to meet their budgets? How many taxes will be lost because the schools are closed one extra day?
How will one of the poorest funded educational systems in this country fare when an additional day of instruction is lost because the Legislature is afraid to raise taxes?
The Utah State Legislature is a joke. It won't do what it MUST in order to meet the basic needs of its citizens because it's too afraid that a pro-tax strategy will lose their next elections. When will they wake up an realize that the constituancy of this state deserve better than the "best" they (the Legislature) have done?
Taxes can indeed go too far; but when the basics of education and infrastructure are marginalized, then we have a prime example of government 'inaction.'
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
More on "Dubya's At It Again"
Following up on my first post "Dubya's At It Again," this was released just today regarding drilling for oil off the nations coasts:
...Experts believe that currently restricted areas … could eventually produce up to 18 billion barrels of oil," Mr. Bush said in a recent speech.
On that quote, my first question is,"Who paid for the 'Expert Opinions,' and why is the opinion not one of assurety? It is common practice in many industries to conduct research to determine what is correct, beneficial, etc, and what is bad, dangerous, unhealthy, etc.
In commisioning this research, the company wanting the information will hire a firm that will give them the results they (the 'fact finding' company) want. In other words, the results are skewed from the beginning. Mr. Bush seems to advocate this same 'fact finding' to support his call for oil drilling. Notice the words "...could eventually..." Anyone who has followed politics can recognize this jargon as basically saying, "...well, the oil might be down there, and if it is, it will take a long, long time to get it out."
Mr. Prez is still adding on to the Texas-sized pile of horse poo that is already sickeningly deep. I still maintain that his one interest is for $$$. The same articles I read on this alluded to the fact that if the oil actually hits the market in the next 22 years or so, its impact might well be as much as an entire two-bits--yep, a whole quarter. Whoopy-Dooo!!!!
Let's all jump up right now and gleefully yell our praises to the big Oilman from Texas. Billions in assured tax breaks, exemptions from established Environmental safeguards, and a profit windfall fall for every hire-up associated with the exploration, drilling, refining, and selling of the petroleum products.
The environment will get screwed; the American Taxpayer will get shafted; and the American consumers will feel the brunt of the "lower" gas prices when they spend $100 on gas to fill their car, instead of $100 on groceries to fill their stomachs. Isn't it about time the government put some real money into energy research instead of shoveling it towards companies (in the form of tax breaks) that already could care less whether or not you can feed your family?
(Write your Congressional Representatives, Please!!!)
...According to the federal government's own Department of Energy, drilling off America's coasts would not have a significant impact on domestic oil production or prices before 2030. And off-shore leasing wouldn't even begin before 2012...
...Most of the U.S. offshore oil, almost 10 billion barrels, lie off the coast of California. But at the current rate of U.S. consumption - about 20.7 million barrels a day - that would be burned up in 16 months...
(and I love this one!)
...Experts believe that currently restricted areas … could eventually produce up to 18 billion barrels of oil," Mr. Bush said in a recent speech.
On that quote, my first question is,"Who paid for the 'Expert Opinions,' and why is the opinion not one of assurety? It is common practice in many industries to conduct research to determine what is correct, beneficial, etc, and what is bad, dangerous, unhealthy, etc.
In commisioning this research, the company wanting the information will hire a firm that will give them the results they (the 'fact finding' company) want. In other words, the results are skewed from the beginning. Mr. Bush seems to advocate this same 'fact finding' to support his call for oil drilling. Notice the words "...could eventually..." Anyone who has followed politics can recognize this jargon as basically saying, "...well, the oil might be down there, and if it is, it will take a long, long time to get it out."
Mr. Prez is still adding on to the Texas-sized pile of horse poo that is already sickeningly deep. I still maintain that his one interest is for $$$. The same articles I read on this alluded to the fact that if the oil actually hits the market in the next 22 years or so, its impact might well be as much as an entire two-bits--yep, a whole quarter. Whoopy-Dooo!!!!
Let's all jump up right now and gleefully yell our praises to the big Oilman from Texas. Billions in assured tax breaks, exemptions from established Environmental safeguards, and a profit windfall fall for every hire-up associated with the exploration, drilling, refining, and selling of the petroleum products.
The environment will get screwed; the American Taxpayer will get shafted; and the American consumers will feel the brunt of the "lower" gas prices when they spend $100 on gas to fill their car, instead of $100 on groceries to fill their stomachs. Isn't it about time the government put some real money into energy research instead of shoveling it towards companies (in the form of tax breaks) that already could care less whether or not you can feed your family?
(Write your Congressional Representatives, Please!!!)
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Obesity Scapegoats
Over the last twenty years, the average American waistline has expanded to widths not previously known. Both men and women, young and old alike, are getting bigger, rounder. Recently, the US Dept. of Health stated (and I'm paraphrasing here) that we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic, the likes of which this country has never seen.
As has gotten popular over the same twenty years, the average American is looking for a scapegoat to blame for their gluttony, or at the very least, their poor dietary choices. Lawyers have been entrenched here or there, going after this or that industry. People are actually suing restaurants like McDonalds for making them fat.
The basic problem here is what I have already alluded to...people looking for a scapegoat. Rather than facing the REAL issue, consumers are turning to a less painful path--that of blame. It's so easy to blame this or that. It's convenient to label people into easily identifiable demographic groups so as to squarely place blame here or there.
My problem with all of this is (or should be, at least) highly apparent: Where is the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in this entire argument? No one made the Average American eat an endless list of foods at a particular restaurant. No one told them to chow down thousands of grams of saturated fat every day. These people ACTUALLY CHOSE to take in the foods they ate. Their very own personal choices led to their historic weight gains.
Sure the advertising of various foods blitzes everyone day after day. The smells can be almost intoxicating. But the real issue here is still personal choice. Yet, the government, lawyers, and [a large] number of individuals are trying (and succeeding) to blame the fast food industry for the extraordinary weight problem besetting this country.
(A little soap boxing here) I've got news for everyone who falls in this category...YOU MADE THE CHOICES THAT LED TO YOUR WEIGHT! NO ONE ELSE ATE THAT FOOD FOR YOU! NO ONE DEMANDED YOU INGEST ALL THAT FAT, AND ALL THOSE CALORIES! YOU CHOSE TO PUT THESE THINGS IN YOUR BODY, SO STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR CHOICES!!!
Do you see my point? People are simply looking for excuses to justify the choices they made which led to the weight gain and subsequent health related issues. Personal accountability is completely lost. When we teach children as they grow, they learn the natural consequences of poor decisions. As adults, those same children are learning that they don't have to be held responsible for choosing things which are a detriment to themselves.
It's far easier to place blame and go after a monetary award than it is to take a good look at yourself and admit that you haven't made the best choices when it comes to food. Personally, I think its a very sad statement about us as individuals, that we are allowing others to pay (both literally and figuratively) for the choices we have been making all along; for allowing others to pay for our mistakes and poor judgement.
As has gotten popular over the same twenty years, the average American is looking for a scapegoat to blame for their gluttony, or at the very least, their poor dietary choices. Lawyers have been entrenched here or there, going after this or that industry. People are actually suing restaurants like McDonalds for making them fat.
The basic problem here is what I have already alluded to...people looking for a scapegoat. Rather than facing the REAL issue, consumers are turning to a less painful path--that of blame. It's so easy to blame this or that. It's convenient to label people into easily identifiable demographic groups so as to squarely place blame here or there.
My problem with all of this is (or should be, at least) highly apparent: Where is the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in this entire argument? No one made the Average American eat an endless list of foods at a particular restaurant. No one told them to chow down thousands of grams of saturated fat every day. These people ACTUALLY CHOSE to take in the foods they ate. Their very own personal choices led to their historic weight gains.
Sure the advertising of various foods blitzes everyone day after day. The smells can be almost intoxicating. But the real issue here is still personal choice. Yet, the government, lawyers, and [a large] number of individuals are trying (and succeeding) to blame the fast food industry for the extraordinary weight problem besetting this country.
(A little soap boxing here) I've got news for everyone who falls in this category...YOU MADE THE CHOICES THAT LED TO YOUR WEIGHT! NO ONE ELSE ATE THAT FOOD FOR YOU! NO ONE DEMANDED YOU INGEST ALL THAT FAT, AND ALL THOSE CALORIES! YOU CHOSE TO PUT THESE THINGS IN YOUR BODY, SO STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR CHOICES!!!
Do you see my point? People are simply looking for excuses to justify the choices they made which led to the weight gain and subsequent health related issues. Personal accountability is completely lost. When we teach children as they grow, they learn the natural consequences of poor decisions. As adults, those same children are learning that they don't have to be held responsible for choosing things which are a detriment to themselves.
It's far easier to place blame and go after a monetary award than it is to take a good look at yourself and admit that you haven't made the best choices when it comes to food. Personally, I think its a very sad statement about us as individuals, that we are allowing others to pay (both literally and figuratively) for the choices we have been making all along; for allowing others to pay for our mistakes and poor judgement.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Pro Holdouts
Where, in this great land can you decide that you won't report to work; that you can tell your boss that you won't work unless he pays you more money; and that you will stay home until your demands are met?
I don't know about you, but I'd be out of a job really quick. Employers simply don't tolerate that sort of whining, insubordinate behavior from their employees. It's counterproductive, and is a tremendous detriment to the company.
There is however, one industry where this is not only allowed, but is nauseatingly common. I'm talking Professional Sports. In particular, Football. This is the one sport that outdoes all the others in a pathetic dance of money for play. Don't get me wrong here, I am all for athletes making money; but there are two things wrong here.
First, the exhorbitant salaries being paid out are ludicrous, at best. Second, these athletes (I say that as a general term only) seem only to care about money, and making more of it than the next guy.
Let's look at the first issue--salaries. Pro football players are in camp 1 month (plus a couple of weeks in the Spring), then play 16 regular season games over the course of about 4.5 months. So, they actually work about 7 months a year, aside from appearances, instructional camps (for which their usually paid), etc.
Now, say a player earns $5M (million) every year. That's a little over $700,000 per month for each month worked. That breaks down to $175,000 per week worked. That breaks down to $29,166 earned for every day of work.
Not a bad living (Duh!!!). Plus there are any endorsement deals, playoff monies, appearance fees, etc, etc, etc. Now, I know many of you will be screaming about revenue sharing, Union contracts, League advertising incomes, owner wealth, etc.
For me, what it comes down to, is a large number of pro players make more for a single day of work, than many hard-working Americans make in an entire year.
Which brings me to issue number 2...
...Athletes who demand more money.
Holdouts drive me crazy. These players want an ever increasing piece of the proverbial pie. They seem to be so caught up in their quest for money, that they forget a basic rule of working...you have to actually show up.
When a company contracts with another company for work to be performed, that company expects the second company to actually perform the work to the best results, and also expect them to fulfill the contract to its end.
With pro players, that same expectation is thrown out the window. With one, two, or even three years remaining on a contract that THEY AGREED TO, players will demand more money or they won't show up for work....And they get it!!! The owners generally cave in at some point because they want to field the best team possible which sells more seats, generates bigger ad revenues, etc.
Any parent who has endured whining from their kids will understand this point: Giving in to the whining of a child only teaches them that they will always get what they want if they whine loud enough, for long enough. Owners have a lot of whiners on their hands, and give into their cries way to much. They set this dangerous precedent years ago when free agency began to prosper. Now it's a common (and expected) practice on both sides.
I'm not saying that all professional athletes are this way. I've known a number of wonderful men who did indeed play out their contracts to the best of their abilities. They should be the ones we admire. They should be the role models for our children. But because they don't whine, or make a foolish spectacle of themselves, their incredible contributions are never mentioned or are overlooked at the very least. These are the players who should be the best rewarded, the most recognized when it comes time to sign or renew contracts.
After all, isn't a professional athletes' contract about 'play for pay?' When will the league owners collectively say "Enough!" and refuse to give into these athletes who think they deserve more money than the next guy? Let these whiners fulfill their contracts, then conduct some professional negotiations to increase their pay based on how they performed throught the duration of their contacts.
But, that is in an ideal world, where professional whiners don't really take advantage of their pushover employers and cry that they just aren't making enough money. Poor whining babies. I feel really sorry for them that they just can't make ends meet on $5M, $10M, or more a year.
I don't know about you, but I'd be out of a job really quick. Employers simply don't tolerate that sort of whining, insubordinate behavior from their employees. It's counterproductive, and is a tremendous detriment to the company.
There is however, one industry where this is not only allowed, but is nauseatingly common. I'm talking Professional Sports. In particular, Football. This is the one sport that outdoes all the others in a pathetic dance of money for play. Don't get me wrong here, I am all for athletes making money; but there are two things wrong here.
First, the exhorbitant salaries being paid out are ludicrous, at best. Second, these athletes (I say that as a general term only) seem only to care about money, and making more of it than the next guy.
Let's look at the first issue--salaries. Pro football players are in camp 1 month (plus a couple of weeks in the Spring), then play 16 regular season games over the course of about 4.5 months. So, they actually work about 7 months a year, aside from appearances, instructional camps (for which their usually paid), etc.
Now, say a player earns $5M (million) every year. That's a little over $700,000 per month for each month worked. That breaks down to $175,000 per week worked. That breaks down to $29,166 earned for every day of work.
Not a bad living (Duh!!!). Plus there are any endorsement deals, playoff monies, appearance fees, etc, etc, etc. Now, I know many of you will be screaming about revenue sharing, Union contracts, League advertising incomes, owner wealth, etc.
For me, what it comes down to, is a large number of pro players make more for a single day of work, than many hard-working Americans make in an entire year.
Which brings me to issue number 2...
...Athletes who demand more money.
Holdouts drive me crazy. These players want an ever increasing piece of the proverbial pie. They seem to be so caught up in their quest for money, that they forget a basic rule of working...you have to actually show up.
When a company contracts with another company for work to be performed, that company expects the second company to actually perform the work to the best results, and also expect them to fulfill the contract to its end.
With pro players, that same expectation is thrown out the window. With one, two, or even three years remaining on a contract that THEY AGREED TO, players will demand more money or they won't show up for work....And they get it!!! The owners generally cave in at some point because they want to field the best team possible which sells more seats, generates bigger ad revenues, etc.
Any parent who has endured whining from their kids will understand this point: Giving in to the whining of a child only teaches them that they will always get what they want if they whine loud enough, for long enough. Owners have a lot of whiners on their hands, and give into their cries way to much. They set this dangerous precedent years ago when free agency began to prosper. Now it's a common (and expected) practice on both sides.
I'm not saying that all professional athletes are this way. I've known a number of wonderful men who did indeed play out their contracts to the best of their abilities. They should be the ones we admire. They should be the role models for our children. But because they don't whine, or make a foolish spectacle of themselves, their incredible contributions are never mentioned or are overlooked at the very least. These are the players who should be the best rewarded, the most recognized when it comes time to sign or renew contracts.
After all, isn't a professional athletes' contract about 'play for pay?' When will the league owners collectively say "Enough!" and refuse to give into these athletes who think they deserve more money than the next guy? Let these whiners fulfill their contracts, then conduct some professional negotiations to increase their pay based on how they performed throught the duration of their contacts.
But, that is in an ideal world, where professional whiners don't really take advantage of their pushover employers and cry that they just aren't making enough money. Poor whining babies. I feel really sorry for them that they just can't make ends meet on $5M, $10M, or more a year.
...It's A Mystery...
This one absolutely baffles me. Over the past 4 years, the price of oil has multiplied 300+% for the same 44 gallons of product that were selling for $36-$40 previous to the current (and ongoing) speculative run-up.
Naturally, as oil has risen, the price per gallon of processed fuel has also risen. Along the way, we have all become familiar with the record profits being recorded by nearly every oil company quarter after fiscal quarter.
Now, along the current trajectory of the oil costs, there are fluctuations in the average price per barrel. Oil goes up, gas goes up. Oil goes down, gas stays up.
Did I get that right? Well, not exactly. The price of gasoline definitely rises exponentially every time a barrel of oil costs more. It's not uncommon for the American consumer to see a .05, .10, or even .15 cent overnight (or intraday) jump in a gallon of gas. However, once up, that same gallon of gas takes days or even weeks to retreat even a few cents; even when the barrel price has retreated by dollars.
Further, oil is traded 1 month ahead of the actual purchase (or order fill) window. For example, oil contracts traded today will come due in late August. That is, delivery from the supplier to the oil company happens approximately 30 days from the time the contract (xx number of barrels at $xx) was purchased.
So, when we see a run up in oil that won't even reach the pumps for at least 30-45 days, why are we (the consumer) being instantly strapped with huge, sometimes daily increases at the pump?
But the really baffling question for me, is, why does the price of gas jump when oil costs more, but the price of gasoline per gallon either stays the same, or takes literally months to decline, even after oil has fallen significantly? This makes no sense to me, and is an unjustifiable mystery.
I once heard a conversation on the radio about the oil costs vs gas costs, and the host was talking about how oil companies tell people they just don't understand the ecomonics of the whole thing. He (the radio host) told his audience "Minds infintely greater than mine might understand it [the whole oil thing], but this whole system just doesn't make sense." I completely agree with that viewpoint.
While the oil companies do have an obligation to their shareholders to perform well, run smoothly and efficiently, and return some money to their stockholders, why, in this era of 300+% energy inflation, do they charge what they do for a gallon of gas? They could charge $1 less, and STILL have huge profits.
The late, great columnist Jack Anderson wrote an article a short time before his death in which this subject was the topic. He quoted a long-time friend of his in the oil industry who stated that a gallon of gasoline costs no more to produce [at the time] than it did 25 years before...about .25 cents.
My question again...why does the price of gas stay at a higher level even after oil per barrel drops? It costs the refiners hardly anything to convert each gallon. The price jumps when oil rises, but it almost refuses to come down. Why? What incomprehensible ecomonics are in motion that is so tough to explain? Why can't the oil companys sprout a conscience and actually take less profit so the public isn't so hard-put to meet their food budgets, let alone any other type of budget?
I'm not going to call for some boycott because those just don't work. Everyone fills up either before or after the boycott. The only real damage inflicted is upon the station owners who lose pump and convenience store purchases.
Just think about this. Ask yourself what you might be able to do to help even a little bit. I certainly don't have the answers, but I'm sure that someone in the oil industry, with a mind infintely greater than mine, might be able (or at least attempt) to justify the actions of the companies holding every American household financially hostage.
Naturally, as oil has risen, the price per gallon of processed fuel has also risen. Along the way, we have all become familiar with the record profits being recorded by nearly every oil company quarter after fiscal quarter.
Now, along the current trajectory of the oil costs, there are fluctuations in the average price per barrel. Oil goes up, gas goes up. Oil goes down, gas stays up.
Did I get that right? Well, not exactly. The price of gasoline definitely rises exponentially every time a barrel of oil costs more. It's not uncommon for the American consumer to see a .05, .10, or even .15 cent overnight (or intraday) jump in a gallon of gas. However, once up, that same gallon of gas takes days or even weeks to retreat even a few cents; even when the barrel price has retreated by dollars.
Further, oil is traded 1 month ahead of the actual purchase (or order fill) window. For example, oil contracts traded today will come due in late August. That is, delivery from the supplier to the oil company happens approximately 30 days from the time the contract (xx number of barrels at $xx) was purchased.
So, when we see a run up in oil that won't even reach the pumps for at least 30-45 days, why are we (the consumer) being instantly strapped with huge, sometimes daily increases at the pump?
But the really baffling question for me, is, why does the price of gas jump when oil costs more, but the price of gasoline per gallon either stays the same, or takes literally months to decline, even after oil has fallen significantly? This makes no sense to me, and is an unjustifiable mystery.
I once heard a conversation on the radio about the oil costs vs gas costs, and the host was talking about how oil companies tell people they just don't understand the ecomonics of the whole thing. He (the radio host) told his audience "Minds infintely greater than mine might understand it [the whole oil thing], but this whole system just doesn't make sense." I completely agree with that viewpoint.
While the oil companies do have an obligation to their shareholders to perform well, run smoothly and efficiently, and return some money to their stockholders, why, in this era of 300+% energy inflation, do they charge what they do for a gallon of gas? They could charge $1 less, and STILL have huge profits.
The late, great columnist Jack Anderson wrote an article a short time before his death in which this subject was the topic. He quoted a long-time friend of his in the oil industry who stated that a gallon of gasoline costs no more to produce [at the time] than it did 25 years before...about .25 cents.
My question again...why does the price of gas stay at a higher level even after oil per barrel drops? It costs the refiners hardly anything to convert each gallon. The price jumps when oil rises, but it almost refuses to come down. Why? What incomprehensible ecomonics are in motion that is so tough to explain? Why can't the oil companys sprout a conscience and actually take less profit so the public isn't so hard-put to meet their food budgets, let alone any other type of budget?
I'm not going to call for some boycott because those just don't work. Everyone fills up either before or after the boycott. The only real damage inflicted is upon the station owners who lose pump and convenience store purchases.
Just think about this. Ask yourself what you might be able to do to help even a little bit. I certainly don't have the answers, but I'm sure that someone in the oil industry, with a mind infintely greater than mine, might be able (or at least attempt) to justify the actions of the companies holding every American household financially hostage.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
And the Winner Is...
Today, I read an asotonishing headline on MSN. It read, "Who'll win the NFL's most volatile division?"
What?!!! The teams are barely in training camp, and here's a sportswriter remunerating over the winners of the NFC North...for the 2008 season.
Excuse me? Have any teams played a single down? Has there been any win-loss records for the new season? I'm sorry...what was that? The season hasn't even started?
Any sports fan with half a brain knows that anything can happen over the course of a season. Nobody would have guessed that the up and coming Seattle Mariners would win a record-tying 116 games in 2001; or that the Red Sox would overcome a 3-0 deficit to advance to, and then go on to win the World Series.
My point here is that no one can predict who will win a division more than 6 months from now. There are too many variables such as injuries, the schedule, player enthusiasm (or extreme ego), weather, etc, etc.
This goes for any sport. A month or so before this years' baseball All-Star Game, I began to see who was in what position for the 'wild-card' spot in both leagues. Excuse me?!!
There were more than 82 games yet to play, and 4 more months to go. But the sportscasters, perhaps desperate to increase viewership, are talking about pennant winners in late May!! What's wrong with this picture?
How many times have we seen teams do the August bull-rush, and others do the September-swoon? Again...too many variables.
My personal approach is to just watch it all unfold. The excitement will naturally be there. In mid-September things are pretty much set--unless of course a swoon occurs...a make-it or break-it time for players and fans alike...and damned exciting, too!
I only wish the sportswriters and broadcasters would swoon, and all their hot-air predictions get carried away like the dreams of so many professional sports teams when they fail to live up to all the pre-season hype heaped upon them by the salf-same sports writers and broadcasters who months before predicted their teams' path to glory.
What?!!! The teams are barely in training camp, and here's a sportswriter remunerating over the winners of the NFC North...for the 2008 season.
Excuse me? Have any teams played a single down? Has there been any win-loss records for the new season? I'm sorry...what was that? The season hasn't even started?
Any sports fan with half a brain knows that anything can happen over the course of a season. Nobody would have guessed that the up and coming Seattle Mariners would win a record-tying 116 games in 2001; or that the Red Sox would overcome a 3-0 deficit to advance to, and then go on to win the World Series.
My point here is that no one can predict who will win a division more than 6 months from now. There are too many variables such as injuries, the schedule, player enthusiasm (or extreme ego), weather, etc, etc.
This goes for any sport. A month or so before this years' baseball All-Star Game, I began to see who was in what position for the 'wild-card' spot in both leagues. Excuse me?!!
There were more than 82 games yet to play, and 4 more months to go. But the sportscasters, perhaps desperate to increase viewership, are talking about pennant winners in late May!! What's wrong with this picture?
How many times have we seen teams do the August bull-rush, and others do the September-swoon? Again...too many variables.
My personal approach is to just watch it all unfold. The excitement will naturally be there. In mid-September things are pretty much set--unless of course a swoon occurs...a make-it or break-it time for players and fans alike...and damned exciting, too!
I only wish the sportswriters and broadcasters would swoon, and all their hot-air predictions get carried away like the dreams of so many professional sports teams when they fail to live up to all the pre-season hype heaped upon them by the salf-same sports writers and broadcasters who months before predicted their teams' path to glory.
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