Irony: It's a Bitch

I think I have finally figured out what is going to cause America to become a socialist society and it is not the election of the so called socialist, Barrack Obama, or the powerful lobbyists in Washington or even the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United - although those things will play a small part. It will be the fall of the two party system in America that will ultimately cause our capitalistic society to collapse. I know you are thinking I am crazy, but I think it is closer to a reality than any of us want it to be. And the best part is:

The Republican Party is going to be responsible for socialism in America.

In order to explain myself, I must start with a brief history lesson. I took a Russian history class in college and you can’t talk Russian history without understanding a little about Karl Marx. Marx was mainly a historian and I was struck by his theory on the changes that societies go through over time. He theorized that societies go through six stages, with the passing of each stage raising the standard of living of the masses. You may recognize some of these stages as our society has endured them on our way to being the greatest capitalistic society ever.

• Primitive Communism
• Slave Society
• Feudalism
• Capitalism
• Socialism
• Communism

After taking this class and learning a little about this theory, I have often wondered what trigger would bring about the rise of socialism in American society. Marx theorized that this would happen when the division between the “haves” and the “have nots” grew so wide that is caused the poor to rise up against the rich. The government would then need to step in and take over or regulate key areas of our society, and thus socialism is born in America (a very simplistic interpretation).

I didn’t think that I would live to see this uprising, but I am not so sure any more. I think we are on the brink of socialism and I think I have figured out what will trigger the uprising. And it is not the election of a centrist to the White House or the the near collapse of our economic system. Neither of those things could have the society altering affect needed to wake up the 98% of Americans who struggle everyday while our government does everything it can to ensure that the 2% continue to grow their wealth. The demise of capitalism in our society will be brought about by the collapse of our two party system. You may not realize it, but we are very close to eliminating one side of the two party fight we have been enduring for years.

How, you are wondering, would we ever lose the two party system. It seems like republicans and democrats will forever be arguing over something that is inconsequential to our everyday life while solving almost no problems in the country. Hell, many people think we are close to adding a third party into the fray with the emergence of the Tea Party. Well, I think we are close having only one party that is in power in this country – the Republican Party.

How is that possible? Well if you have been paying attention to the news, then you have noticed the debates going on in Wisconsin concerning unions. By the way, I think Wisconsin is a perfect example of what would happen in this country if Republicans had all the power. The governor there gave millions in tax breaks to business and then turned around and asked the public sector workers to pay for them by giving up their benefits. I am not saying he did this maliciously or out of greed, he did this because he honestly believes that this is the best way to grow the economy and what is best for his state.

First let me say that I am not a “union” guy. I worked for a union at the railroad for about 18 months and once I figured out that that I was rewarded based on time served and not my accomplishments, I knew the union life was not for me. I believe, as President Obama does, that we will all have to do our part in order to get out of our current situation – and that includes the unions. I don't believe they are to blame for where we are now, but neither am I and I pay a lot in taxes. They need to tighten their belt as well.

However, if the democrats allow the republicans to break the unions, they are ultimately spelling the doom of the Democratic Party. You see the democrats get their campaign contributions from two main places, the middle class and the unions, whereas the republicans get their money from the rich and big business. So you can see how breaking the unions would be really great for the Republican Party. If they are successful in their bid to break up the unions across America, then they will they will be in the majority at every level of government. And one thing I am sure of is that without a balancing party, the republicans will trickle us right into the poor house.

So let me see if I can sum this up for you.

1. Republican win elections by calling Barrack Obama a socialist and convincing Americans that Obama is trying to take over their lives.
2. Republicans use their majorities in the states to bust up the unions.
3. Republicans win more elections as democrats lose their main campaign contributors.
4. Republicans enact laws eliminating regulations on the financial industry, creating big tax breaks for rich and eliminating all social services.
5. The rich get even richer and the middle class disappears into a sea of poor.
6. Our economy shatters and the government is forced to take over failing industries.
7. America becomes a socialistic society.

The irony of it is by using rhetoric about socialism to win elections, the Republican Party will eventually cause socialism.

I am still not sure I will live to see this change. And honestly, I am not sure I want to. Things will get a lot worse in our country for most of us before our apathetic society decides they have had enough and demands change. It will likely be an apocalyptic story worse than in any movie. Who knows, maybe it will bring about “The Next Revolution.”

I wonder as we look back on our capitalistic time in America if the republicans will ever know the part they played in creating the next stage of our society.

Life's Basic Questions

Life really boils down to 2 questions...

1. Should I get a dog....?



OR...

2. Should I have children?



No matter what situations life throws at you....
No matter how long and treacherous your journey may seem..
Remember ~~ there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Five Least Popular Cities

I saw a list of the five least popular places to live in the country on the web today. These are all big cities that, despite the ability to get high paying jobs, people still are not willing to live in. The funny thing is as I clicked through and read about each city, I realized that I have lived or spent some significant time in all five and I completely agree that I would never move to any of them…EXCEPT for the number one least popular place to live. Here are the cities in reverse order:

5. Chicago – Yeah, no kidding. I lived there for 18 months and it was the longest 18 months of my life. People who took the survey said it was too cold – No Sh*t! They also complained it was not affordable. Affordable? They could give me a place there and I still wouldn’t live there. The winters are brutal and the summers are worse. It is a great place to visit, about three months out of the year.

4. New Orleans – I think this one really made the list because of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina has made the cities population shrink, the murder rate increase and caused tourism to suffer dramatically. But I have to tell you that I would not have lived there before the hurricane hit. Forget about the fact that I wont live anywhere where hurricanes hit on a semi-regular basis, the crime there is outrageous. During Mardi Gras tourists are warned not to go north of Bourbon St. as you might not come back. Living there would also require me to take a vacation every February as I don’t want to be around the city when the thousands of college kids show up to get drunk, throw up and pass out in the streets. And since I was there for Mardi Gras some years ago, I know what I am talking about.

3. Los Angeles – OK maybe it is because I am a “NCal Guy” which predisposes me to hate all that is SCal, but I would never live in LA. I lived in San Diego many years ago for about 12 months and absolutely loved it. However LA has not only encroached upon, but totally swallowed SD to the point where SD is nothing more than a suburb of LA these days. Who wants to live with the crowds, the traffic, and the smog. Not to mention that, if you have ever been in LA proper, you know it is a pit. I would not live there…not ever!

2. Detroit – LA’s reputation is fantastic in comparison to Detroit’s. The Mayor went to jail recently for lying in a sex scandal. Or is it laying…either way. I was there a few years ago and a local recommended a great Italian restaurant. The restaurant had been there forever, but the neighborhood it is in had disintegrated. The local told me not to worry about the neighborhood but to make sure I ate and left before it got dark. What a great city. Detroit’s reputation is that it is a dangerous city full of slums. And that was when the auto industry wasn’t about to fold up camp. What will become of that city when EVERYONE is out of work next year.

And the number on least popular city to live in…

1. New York City – Come on now! Are you kidding me? NYC is the best city in the world. Who wouldn’t want to live here, at least for a few years? Plenty of high paying jobs, Central Park, great public transportation and not to mention one of the best restaurant, bar, music and art scenes in the world. Sure you pay a lot to live in a shoebox, but we must all make sacrifices. Apparently most people think it is too expensive and there is too much crime. I don’t care, I would still live there - anytime.

Well that was the list. I guess getting 4 out 5 right isn’t bad. But they really missed the mark with NYC. There are a whole bunch of other cities I would never live in for sure. How about you? Would you live in any of these cities? Where wouldn’t you live?

Moved Again

That’s right I have moved again. This time I did not move across the country or even to Europe. I only moved about 15 miles north of my current address. Many of you have asked and here it is...the big news between The Rose and I is we decided to move in together. We made the decision a few weeks ago and have since moved all my personal things into her condo. Although I definitely believe my condo is in the better neighborhood, we decided to move into her place because it is bigger.

We have been living together full time for a few weeks now. I don’t care how long you date someone or how many days a week you spend together, living together is a whole new animal. So far things have gone well, but I am sure that I am not the only one having to adjust to this new living arrangement.

The short term plan is to rent my place -- furnished. We have had it up for rent for a few weeks but have only had a few calls. It is a bad time to try to rent a place, but hopefully we will find someone soon. I put up a web site about my place in case you know someone who might be interested.

Long term, who knows what we will do, but for right now life is good. So if you are looking for me, you can find me in North Bethesda.

Have a great holiday weekend.

Another Question Answered

All of us have questions that root around in our brain constantly. Questions that keep us awake at night and fill our daydreams. I am no different as I am constantly searching for the answers to the most important questions in my life. Well, one of these persistent questions has finally been answered for me.

Why are there so many damn toothpastes?

Come on, I know you have thought about it, albeit more likely while you are standing in the supermarket staring at the aisle filling choices that face you while trying to answer the supposedly simple question: “What toothpaste should I buy?”


And that is just from Colgate...picking a toothpaste is not an easy choice. It is not as though all you need to do is pick your favorite brand – Colgate or Crest? Get past the brand and then you are confronted with an array of some 20-plus varieties, including Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening with Tartar Control Brisk Mint Paste, Sparkling White Mint Zing, Herbal White, and SpongeBob SquarePants Bubble Fruit. And that is just on the Colgate end of the aisle. Over in Crest there is Vivid White, Rejuvenating Effects, Fresh Citrus Breeze, and Kids’ Spider-Man Super Action Liquid Gel.

Really do we need this many options in order to brush our teeth?

Well someone has finally answered this puzzler for me. You can read the entire article here if you would like, but here are some of the highlights.

...The toothpaste aisle is the purest example of what happens when something prosaic gets whipped up into something special through the magic of design…

...While segmentation is happening all over the store, it’s most extreme in the toothpaste aisle, where you’ve got a mature product category trying to act immature…

...Whitening. Tartar control. Fresh breath. Exotic flavor. Cartoon characters. Glamour. Day-Glo color. Tit for tat. More whitening. It is like nuclear proliferation: escalation without end…

...Another reason the toothpaste aisle looks the way it does is that, through the miracle of computerized manufacturing and design, it takes no time to create a new variety of just about anything…

...pure desperation. Neither company can stop the ramp-up in brand extensions because feverish permutation is the only way to hang on to market share...

What does it really come down to? This is the perfect example of capitalism on technology steroids. You see, there are only so many toothpaste buyers and therefore the market is finite. We basically have two large companies trying to maintain or grow their market share and the only way they can do it is by one-upping the other. This is capitalism at its finest – steal the other guy’s customers and drive them out of business. The problem is that technology has made it so fast and easy to roll out a “new” toothpaste. So as soon as Crest comes up with a new package or flavor, Colgate can copy them in weeks – as can every other manufacturer. So these companies find themselves in a never ending develop-something-new cycle and we end up with a “new” version of toothpaste on a regular 30 day cycle.

Now the question that will now haunt me in the minutes that fill my mind between awake and slumber is - When will it all end? Will toothpaste eventually need its own aisle in the supermarket? Will we need to have toothpaste boutiques to hold all the choices? Will the government need to step in and solve the toothpaste crisis? A national toothpaste? Oops…sorry socialism rearing its ugly head.

The problem with capitalism is that it preys on the natural stupidity of the masses. If you market something differently, then the public is dumb enough to believe that it is different no matter how mundane the product is. Toothpaste hasn't changed in decades. They just repackage their product and we try it because it is new. They come out with a new flavor and we try it because it is new. In the end, it is still just toothpaste. Hey, Joe the Consumer, try picking a toothpaste and sticking with it. It is a simple concept, stop buying what is “new” and they will stop making new things. Then maybe capitalism will work as it should and we can get rid of some of these toothpaste choices and eventually some toothpaste companies.

So, now that the toothpaste mystery has been solved, I guess I can focus on some of the other nagging question I have, like:

What was the best thing before sliced bread?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

It is going to take me a long time to fall asleep tonight. Have a nice weekend.

Don't Forget to Tip Your Bartender

I really love when my right wing friends send me emails about how liberals look at the world. I am not a liberal by any stretch of the imagination. In fact I tend to look at issues from all sides, which probably explains why I get a kick out of the one sided view of these emails.

This is one of my favorites as it explains our tax system. You have all probably seen this before, but here it is.

Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to 100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. He said, "Since you are all such good customers, I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80."

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men -- the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share"? They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay!

And so:

• The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
• The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
• The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
• The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
• The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
• The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, "but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man, "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up any more. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

There is only one problem with this scenario. They forgot about the bartender’s tip. The bartender wants a 15% tip on top of the bill. The bartender likes the tenth man best because, well, he can tip better than everyone else. So in order to help out the tenth man, the bartender decides to give him a break on his portion of the tip.

In order to do that, he would have to collect more from everyone else to make sure that the entire tip is accounted for. So he decides to charge a 25% tip to everyone and then refund 10% back afterwards. He knows that sixth and seventh man can’t afford to pay 25% tip, so he decides to give them a credit back on their tip as well. So he builds in the 25% tip for everyone and then applies his credits. It goes something like this:

• The sixth now pays $2.50. Being poor, this man gets a $.50 credit and pays nothing toward the tip (0% of the tip).
• The seventh now pays $6.25. This man can afford more, but still gets the $.50 credit and pays $.75 toward the tip (6% of the tip).
• The eighth now pays $11.25. This guy can afford his full share of the tip so he gets no credit and pays $2.25 toward the tip (18% of the tip).
• The ninth now paid $17.50. This guy also can afford the tip, so he gets no credit and pays $3.50 toward the tip (29% of the tip).
• The tenth now paid $61.25. Since this guy is the best tipper, the bartender kicks him back the largest amount ($6.75), and so he ends up paying only $5.50 toward the tip (45% of the tip).

Now many of you will say that the tenth man paid most of the tip, but if you look closely, you will notice that he originally paid 59% of the bill, but only 45% of the tip. Where as the ninth man paid 18% of the original bill and 29% of the tip…and so on.

In the end the bartender still gets his 15%, but it is mainly paid for by the eighth and ninth guy. Now, this is really how our tax system works. The poor pay very little, the rich pay a lot, but in turn get all the tax breaks and if you happen to be somewhere in the middle, well then, you get to pay for all of the tax breaks and credits that the bartender (Congress) come up with.

You see the first example was not really our tax system. It is an example of a flat tax system, which we do not use in this country. BUT WE SHOULD! Then everyone would pay their fair share and would receive their fair share of any surplus. It would also eliminate the need for us all to file taxes and then we wouldn't need an IRS group the size of a small country or a tax code the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica (and that really would reduce the size of government). There would be no tax breaks, credits or shelters and more importantly there would be no more politicking over who can cut our taxes the most, when neither of them can anyway.

Just Catching Up

So I haven’t written much lately. I am really not sure why, funny things happen to me all the time and I just don’t seem that motivated to write them down. Maybe I am just over blogging. Maybe it is because we have so many other quicker options for daily expression – Facebook, MySpace and Twitter come to mind. We really are a society built on convenience and it is so much simpler to just change your status on Facebook than it is to write a post on Blogger.

Overall life has been good – although my brother called me to let me know that my mom thought I sounded depressed on the phone the other day. Depressed? Moi? I am not sure I have ever truly been depressed, but I certainly have not been “blupressed” for a while. Don’t worry mom, my life is peachy. Most of the time I would say it has never been better. And my only real complaints are about work and the economy – like most people today.

Anyway, here are a few of my latest happenings and some thoughts of mine.

The Rose bought a newly used car. I like the new car, mainly because it is a convertible and I miss mine terribly. Unfortunately, we really won’t be able to enjoy the wind in our hair until spring. And yes I have hair, it is just really short. Speaking of her new car…

The Rose and I drove to Poughkeepsie last weekend for a wedding in her new ride. K’s brother got married and as I am an adopted part of their family, I scored an invitation. I would suggest that everyone who has Poughkeepsie on their list of places to see before they die, should really remove it. I think The Rose hit it on the head when she said that the town peaked in the 70’s. And although I applaud their recent efforts to bring it back, it really isn’t worth the trip. The drive up was very nice though as it is fall on the east coast and as a west coaster, I did not grow up with fall. On the west coast we tend to go straight from summer to why won’t is stop raining. It was nice to drive up through the mountains with all the fall colors. Oh, and the wedding was nice.

I also went north earlier this month for Sam’s first birthday. She is already getting big and the party was, well overdone, as I guess they should be. I am always amazed at the effort that parents put into the first birthday party since it is the one birthday the child is sure to never remember. Sam did seem to enjoy eating her birthday cake. Pictured below.


I am also looking forward to voting next week for a few reasons. First this is the first time I have lived in a state where my vote might actually mean something. I have always lived in a state where the winner was predetermined before the voting started. That always made presidential elections a little less exciting for me. I mean I lived in Texas when Bush was elected the first time. He was the Governor and although I knew he was an idiot, it wasn’t like he wasn’t going to carry Texas, so why vote? Now I live in one of the swing states and believe me, I long for the days of living with the predetermined. You have no idea how many ads and radio spots we have to endure in the swing states. It isn’t every day or every hour, it is every minute here. I am so over it. I mean really, are there people out there that are still undecided? What the hell are they waiting for? So the second reason I am happy to be voting next week, is that it will all be over.

I am also excited for my sister as she is starting a new business in January. This has been a long time coming and I truly hope that this works out for her.

There is also some exciting news about The Rose and me, but I will save that for my next post.

Fly USA

Warning: My socialistic tendencies will be showing themselves in this post.

I am seriously concerned about the state of the airline industry in this country. I flew to Key West over the Labor Day weekend and I experienced a delay on every flight. This included four flights over two different airlines. My flight never left on time nor did it ever arrive on time. And not one delay was due to weather, every delay was due to a technical malfunction with the plane. Doesn’t that make you feel comfortable when you are boarding a plane?

I was also reading in one of the airline magazines on the plane how the industry in general has formed a coalition to try and get the government to do something about the high price of gas. Apparently, 45% of your airline fare is just to cover the gas costs. This is up from 12% in 2001. Yeah, we really need to come up with an energy strategy in this country and I don’t think the answer is drilling for oil in Alaska or off shore. How about coming up with alternatives for electricity since fossil fuels are used to produce about 70% of the electricity used in the US. But I digress, that is a completely different rant.

Back to the airline industry. I don’t know how long many of you have been traveling, but I have been flying for a long time. And I can tell you that the airline industry has changed a lot over the years. I remember a time long ago when I missed a flight on American and they gave me a voucher on United to get home. That never happens today. There are fewer flights and much higher costs. United had only two flights all day on Monday from Miami to Dulles (Dulles is their hub for those of you not familiar). Two flights to a major hub all day. And both flights were oversold. So there weren’t even enough seats to accommodate all the passengers. Do you remember when there used to be open seats on a plane? Now airlines can’t afford to operate many flights so our travel schedule is at their mercy. Airlines are being killed by gas prices and competition amongst themselves.

Well, I have a solution. Why don’t we create a national airline? Why do we need so many airlines? Let’s have a single airline for the United States – many countries do this. It may seem a little counter intuitive, but fewer airlines could actually mean more flights. Think about it. There were 2 UA direct flights to DC from Miami on Monday, there were also 3 AA direct flights and those are just the ones I checked on. Who knows how many more there were. This is because each airline has to have a minimum number of flights to a location despite the demand. If there were just one airline, then they could manage the number of flights between locations based on demand. So the 12 total flights between Miami and DC could be reduced overall, but you could get on any of them. First benefit – fewer overall flights and more travel options for consumers.

They could also run the “USAirline” as a not for profit business. This is similar to how the government runs the commissary stores in the military. The stores are designed to break even. Therefore, they do not need to mark up their food as much as your typical grocery store. So a gallon of milk in the commissary is only $2.00 and not $4.00. The airline could operate in a similar manner. Make enough money to cover the cost of doing business and return anything over that as a surplus to the people. Next benefit – flights would be cheaper.

I believe there are certain industries that the government should manage as our society has gotten to a point where these industries might crumble under the pressure of capitalism. Transportation is definitely one of the industries that would benefit from a lack of competition and a little more regulation. You see, transportation is one area where we can’t afford to just let capitalism take its course and have airlines go out of business. We need to be able to travel across the US and not by horse and buggy.

If we can’t ensure that every American has health care in this country, can we at least make sure they can fly from Miami to Dulles on a holiday weekend?

Now I am sure that many of you immediately laughed at this idea. And I am sure you can come up with 100 reasons why we the government shouldn’t run the transportation industry in the US. But remember that you scoffed at this idea the next time your tax dollars are used to bail out an airline in bankruptcy. As a matter of fact, I would suggest that the next time an airline files bankruptcy, the government should step in and take over the company. Then they could systematically drive the other airlines out of business with lower prices, taking over each airline as they go. I don’t see how that would be anti-capitalistic…the US government would just become another competing airline…and maybe then the government would really care about the oil prices.

I am sure some of you are wondering how bad my travel was this weekend. Not to worry, my travel experience was not that harrowing. I missed a connecting flight in Miami and had to spend an extra day lounging on the beach at a Marriott Resort in South Beach while drinking pomegranate mojitos. I was also forced to have a really nice dinner at a Cuban restaurant. Yeah, I got it rough.

Just a couple of notes concerning this particular rant:

I have noticed over the years that whenever someone talks of concepts such as universal health care or national transportation, there are always a couple of reactions. First you will get people who will tell you why change is impossible. Don’t just let them tell you why we can’t change, ask them what they think we should do. Should we wait for the system to collapse on itself before we act? What can we do to fix the system today? Ask them to be solutions oriented and not just accept that change is impossible. I am not suggesting that a national airline would be perfect, but shouldn’t we develop a long term strategy before we can’t afford to fly anywhere.

And I would argue that for those people who can’t afford health care, universal health care WOULD be a perfect solution. Remember that just because the issue doesn’t affect you today, doesn’t mean it won’t someday. I mean I guess those of us that can afford health care are happy with the current system. That is until we get sick and can’t afford to pay our share of the medical bills and our health care gets cancelled. Then we may feel different about this issue.

Secondly, I would implore you to not fall prey to those people who use the media to spread fear about these issues. Don’t listen to those people who only want to tell you how your life will be ruined if we change. I can guarantee you that anyone who has the money to put together one of these campaigns of fear, does not have your best interest at heart. That is unless you are the CEO of a pharmaceutical or insurance company. I guess what I am really saying is do not let them condition you to automatically dismiss these ideas with their rhetoric. Changing these systems may be hard, but doing nothing will eventually be a lot worse. Maybe we can learn a lesson from the way we handled global warming. We stuck our head in the sand on that one and all we got was a sunburn on our ass.

Rant over.

Competitive Juices

“Real pressure in golf is playing for $10 when you’ve only got $5 in your pocket.” Lee Trevino

I was playing golf this weekend and not playing particularly well. When we finished the round, I found myself 11 over par, shooting an 82 on this particular course. For most golfers this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad day, but for me it really is.

As we were finishing up the round, one of the guys suggested we play 9 more holes for $20 a man. We all agreed. I don’t know if it was the pride factor, the $20 bet or the fact that I only had $16 in my wallet, but all of a sudden I started playing better. Not that the money was truly an issue as we are all friends and I am sure I could have slid on the $4.

I really haven’t played in many cash games since moving east. I used to play in games where hundreds of dollars could switch hands in a day, but out here most of the time no more than a few dollars ever switches hands.

Well, I guess it was the prospect of losing money I didn’t have or maybe it was just my competitive juices, but I played more to my potential that last nine. I shot two under par with two birdies and seven pars. One of the guys kept it close through the first six holes, feeding the competitive juices even more, but fell back during the last three. I won by five shots.

It is nice to get the competitive juices flowing occasionally. I am a very competitive person, but I learned a long time ago that the competition is actually with myself and not those I play against. This is particularly true with golf and other individual sports, but I also think it applies to all team sports. Whenever I compete in an activity, I don’t judge the outcome based on winning and losing. I base it on my individual performance. Did I play up to my ability…did I maintain my focus…did I do everything I could to make my team or myself successful. If I did those things, then the outcome is irrelevant to me. I think the hardest thing for most competitive people to understand is that it is possible to do everything right and still lose.

To bring this whole thing back to golf...I read in book by Bob Rotella, “You can hit the perfect putt and it still may not go in, so the success of a putt should not be based on whether the putt goes in or not. Rather it should be based on your preparation and execution.” I wish I understood that my entire life. Might have saved me a few putters.

So that is what they meant by, “it’s now whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” Who knew?

Something New Please

I wonder if Mr. T watches the new show Burn Notice. If so, does it ever occur to him that this new show is nothing more than a remake of the A-Team minus his character? I PITY THE FOOL!

Oh, and sorry Dirk Benedict, but I think Gabrielle Anwar is playing your character. Isn’t this twice you have been recast as a woman (for all you non sci-fi geeks, Starbuck on Battlestar Gallactia was also cast as a woman in the remake)? Dirk, is Hollywood trying to tell you something?

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Hollywood has run out of new ideas. All the new shows seem to just be a remake of an old show. And if it is not a direct remake, like Battlestar, then the concept is the same as a successful show from the past. Is it really so hard to come up with a new idea or is it just safer to use a “winning” formula. That would certainly explain all the reality shows on TV.

I would like to say that I am looking forward to the new TV season – especially after there being no real new shows this year, but to be honest, I am pretty sure it will be the same old shows. OK – I realize that I am exaggerating a bit...I think Lost and Heroes were fresh new ideas. And look how they have done. Are you listening Hollywood? We are tired of the same old shows with the same old scripts. Come up with some new ideas.

I Hate Always Being Right

Has anyone noticed that gas has almost reached $4.00 a gallon – and likely has in some parts of the country? Is my post from March 22 starting to resonate with you? Once we get used to $4.00 a gallon, then they will slowly raise the price to $5.00 a gallon. This is the same thing they did to get from $2.00 to $3.00 and now $4.00.

I would also like to point out something else that most of you might have missed. I saw the list for the fortune 500 companies and probably to no one’s surprise, Wal-Mart is number one. But guess what company was number two? Yep – Exxon-Mobile. But here is the rub of it. While Wal-Mart pulled in a little more in revenue for 2007 – $351B to Exxon’s $347B, guess which company was most profitable. Yeah, Exxon. They made $40B in profit in 2007. In case you missed that let me say it again –that is FORTY BILLION! Wal-Mart only made $11B in profit. I am not sure, but I think Exxon could afford to lower the prices of gas just a bit.

Oh and let’s not forget the other gas companies – Chevron is number 4 on the list and made $17B in profit. Conoco Philips (76 Stations) is number 5 on the list with $15B in profit. Even the little known Valero Energy was 16 on the list and made $5B in profit in 2007. Please don’t tell me that these petroleum companies need to make this much money in PROFIT every year. Don’t worry, I am sure that they use these profits for the good of all mankind. I am sure they will spend most of it on lobbyist and politicians to ensure that any clean air or alternate fuel legislation never gets enacted by Congress.

I am really starting to wonder why this is not regulated by the government. Talk about taking advantage of a situation. They really have us over the barrel.

Casual = Beach?

Maybe it is just me, but there is a very disturbing trend happening in my office right now. I have noticed that more and more people are taking the “casual” dress to a disturbing level. Don’t get me wrong, I am the first to wear a pair of jeans into the office. However, I usually wear a shirt with them, but the way things are going around here lately, I may be able to just throw on some cut off shorts and wear some Birkenstocks to work – not that I would be caught dead in Birkenstocks. I am just not sure when “casual” became beach wear.

I work for a web company, and I expect that the creative people here are going to be, well, a little kooky. And believe me, they are. But some people are taking the relaxed dress a bit too far. I thought it was strange that someone, during my day one orientation, was wearing flip flops. But that seems dressy in comparison these days. Maybe it is the fact that I have spent my career talking to customers and not stuck in my cubicle, but I don’t think that you should wear tank tops to work – men or women. I don’t think that mini skirts are appropriate – I know I can’t believe I am saying it either. I am really sure that you should not wear the $1.99 flip flops you got for buying three bags of groceries at Safeway. We are a large company and I really think there should be some standard of dress. I say bring back the shirt and tie era.

Wow, I am getting old.

MBA Final Exam

I have a scenario for all of you MBA types. Let’s see if that $50,000 in tuition was well spent or not.

Imagine you are a C-level executive at a petroleum company. Your company is and has been doing very well over the last few decades with the huge dependency that the US has on gasoline for our everyday lives. But a few years ago the price per barrel of oil started to go up and gasoline began to hit record high prices. Now most of the overindulgent American citizens didn’t pay much attention, but you did.

Then Al Gore got on his Global Warming soapbox and started to point out the negative effect we are having on the planet. Couple the rise in popularity of the global warming bandwagon with the ever increasing oil prices and all of a sudden the public decides that 20 MPG is not good enough.

Next thing you know the auto industry is developing more fuel efficient vehicles and the suddenly popular hybrid. There is even talk that the government will mandate that all vehicles get 40 MPG by the year 2012. So here is your final exam question. Which of the following do you think those C-level petroleum executives would do next?

1. Would they look at the revenue they currently generate, which is in the billions, and decide that, if ALL cars got 40 MPG instead of 20 MPG, it would be OK to generate half the revenue they generate today because it will be better for the country, the environment and the planet? Or…
2. Would they think they need to generate the same revenue once ALL cars get 40 MPG instead of 20 MPG and the only way to do that would be to DOUBLE the price of gas? Would they double the price of gas over night? Or would they gradually increase the price of gas over a span of years to make it more acceptable to the public?

Which one did you choose?

Mark my words…when all cars get better gas mileage, a gallon of gas will cost $6.00 to $8.00 a gallon. We live in a greedy, capitalistic society and there is no way that a large company looks into the future and thinks it will be OK to make half the money they do today. It is not as if this is unprecedented. If you have ever visited a country in Europe, you will notice that gas prices in Europe are much higher and, guess what, cars get 50 MPG. You probably just didn’t notice the price of gas because they charge by the liter – sneaky bastards!

As a recent hybrid owner, I wanted to acknowledge my part in causing the increasing gas prices in the US. It is people like me that have caused the petroleum companies to consider new revenue strategies. So for my part in the ridiculous gas prices, I apologize to you all.

I wonder if we all went out and bought monster trucks instead, would gas prices drop back to under a buck? Owning a monster truck would be fun and it sure would make traffic jams more interesting.

All Hail The Chair

I volunteered to join one of the committees that were formed in my condo association. This is actually a pretty big deal as I never volunteer for anything. I learned my lesson when I was young. I volunteered when I was 17 and the next thing I knew I was in the Navy for six years. I haven’t raised my hand since.

The condo board formed four committees - social, communications, facilities and budget. Guess which one I joined. No not the social committee, I don’t like people that much. I joined the communications committee. We are chartered with setting up a newsletter, web site and generally communications process for the building. We had our first meeting last night and although there is a lot of work involved, the group seems very sharp and we should have some fun. Oh, and they elected me as the Chair of the Communications committee.

The Rose and I are going to a vodka and caviar tasting tonight at Morton’s Steakhouse. Morton’s is having these tastings across the country in the month of March. I am not really sure what to expect, but since The Rose likes caviar and I like vodka, it seems like a good fit.

Speaking of The Rose, here is a photo of us in Myrtle a few weeks ago. I love it when the beach is deserted. No crowds, just the two of us, a few surfers and some birds…what could be better.

Myrtle Beach 2008

The picture used in this post was not doctored or altered in any way. She is that beautiful and I look that bad. What can I say, the generosity of some women never ceases to amaze me.

Tuesday Sucks

I don't feel well today. I woke up with a sore throat. I have also pretty much been dragging ass for the last few days. Problem is I have wall to wall meetings today so I am headed to the office. Hopefully I will feel better later.

Chances

I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard a song by Michael Tolcher called Sooner or Later. There is a line in the song that struck me.

“And playing in the rain is worth catching cold”

I think more of us need to adopt this attitude. It is an elegant way to say that taking chances and having fun are worth the outcome. At least that is what it means to me. The whole song is about people maturing and understanding the world around them.

As I listened to this song, I was thinking about the people in my family. I hope that they too would someday take some chances and understand their world better. I hope my sister follows through and opens her own business next year. Whether it fails or succeeds, the experience will be worth it. I hope my parents will retire to another part of the country. Sixty years in NCal is enough. Go enjoy your retirement…see some of the rest of the country. I hope that my brother will one day find a career he loves as much as he does his family. You know what you want to do, find a way to make it happen. And as for my little sister, I hope that one day she has the courage to work for the life that she wants and stop settling for what comes to her. Nothing worth while in life is ever accomplished without hard work.

I am not trying to be hard on my family. I know that they all have very difficult lives. But I am also confident that if they decide to change them, they will. Despite what they might think, I don’t think I am smarter or better than they are. I just took a chance and joined the Navy at a young age. It turned out to be a good decision. I got out in the world and expanded my horizons. I got an education that has helped me throughout my life. All of that happened because I took a chance. It’s your turn.

New Take on Your Sign

I found this very interesting as they don’t seem to sugar coat the bad characteristics of a sign. And because mine is still the best. Read to find out what is wrong with you.

CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter (Dec 22 - Jan 19)
Patient and wise. Practical and rigid. Ambitious. Good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be unfriendly at times. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get what they want.

AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart (Jan 20 - Feb 18)
Optimistic and honest. Sweet personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn but original and unique. Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric personality.

PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Don't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19)
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 - May 20)
Charming but aggressive. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard - passionate. Express themselves emotionally. Prone to ferocious temper tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous.

GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20)
Smart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable But needs to express themselves. Argumentative and outspoken. Like change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent. Beautiful physically and mentally.

CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22)
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome. Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic.

LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos. Attractive.

VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22)
Dominant In relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh. Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic.

LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, Generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.

SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Very energetic Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional.

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

Defying the Odds

No this isn't a craps table success story. I took some time while I was in Vegas this week to actually get off the strip. I know most of you think Vegas is confined to the two miles that make up Las Vegas Boulevard, but there really are things to do in Vegas outside of the casinos.

For example, a colleague and I drove 45 minutes and visited Hoover Dam one afternoon. We took the extended tour and I have to tell you that this is an engineering marvel. Did you know that the base of the dam is one 600 foot block of unreinforced concrete. One big block of concrete the size of two football fields. It took five years to build the dam (two years ahead of schedule by the way) and cost approximately 700 men their lives. They spent the first two years just cutting the tunnels needed to divert the Colorado river so they could build the dam. The truly amazing thing is that it was constructed in the 30's.  It is hard to imagine we could build this dam with the tools that were available back then.

The most amazing thing about the dam is that not one penny of the cost to build or manage the dam has ever cost the US taxpayers anything. The dam was built with money borrowed on a 50 year loan that was paid off in the 80's. The cost of the dam has always been offset by the revenue generated by the power plant.  Can you imagine if they tried to do something like this today. It would probably cost two billion dollars and all of it would be charged to us taxpayers. And to be honest, we probably wouldn't do it because the politicians couldn't agree on who was going to get the credit or the campaign contributions.

If you ever have a chance you should check it out. It is considered one of the 7 engineering wonders of the modern age.

My buddy and I remarked while we were walking through the tunnels of this marvel that it is unlikely that we as a society would ever take on such a huge challenge again. I can't imagine our society trying to do something that is so out of our technological ability. The last time he and I  could remember us taking on this kind of challenge was the race to the moon in the 60's. When Kennedy promised we would go to the moon by the end of the decade there were so many challenges involved that most of the insiders must have thought he was crazy.  Much the same as when Hoover proposed the Boulder Dam project. Are there other times that humanity has accepted a challenge that stretched our capabilities?

I am not sure that we have the tenacity to take on these types of challenges anymore. I mean we have one staring us in the face and we do everything we can to discredit it or downplay it's significance. I am of course talking about global warming. If there is one challenge that we as a people should step up and take, global warming is it. However I think until the answers to global warming lead to a gain in revenue for big business and not a loss, we will continue to not act. That is until it is to late.

I really wonder how long we will let our country be run by big business and special interests. Marx said that the end of a capitalistic society is preceded by an awakening of the have nots (I am paraphrasing a bit). I wonder if I will see this awakening in my lifetime. I wonder if we will have this awakening in time. I wonder what kind of world my grandchildren will live in.

It has been a long time since I had a good rant. Maybe it is the political season coming out in me, but it sure feels good. Get involved. Vote!

It’s More Than a David Bowie Song

pres·sure [presh-er] - a constraining or compelling force or influence

I have never really been someone who felt or was afraid of pressure. I have always been able to step up in key situations and deliver – hitting that first tee shot with everyone watching, batting with two outs and the bases loaded, making the hard decision at work, delivering a presentation in front of a large crowd – none of these things have ever bothered me. I never experience the fear of failure. I guess partly because I am usually very confident in my abilities. I have also been pretty successful in these life situations and I think that success breeds confidence. Confidence is what gives people the ability to perform when under pressure.

Lately pressure has been paralyzing my life. Pressure that is bred from doubt. Doubt that is causing anxiety. Anxiety that is creating fear. Fear that is creating more pressure. These are all completely foreign feelings for me. How do I fight doubt? How do I handle anxiety? How do I eliminate fear? How do I conquer pressure?

Whoever said life was supposed to be easier as you got older was probably very young. With age comes a whole different set of problems. It is a good thing that humans are living longer than ever so I will have time to figure out how to deal with all my new life issues. At least my life is never boring.

The King Has No Clothes

So someone told me this week that one of the main reasons the Prius is the most popular Hybrid is because when you drive it, people know you are driving a hybrid. It has become a status symbol. The car is so distinctive that everyone knows it is a hybrid. Can you imagine buying an ugly car just so you can show your friends that you have gone green? I guess it really is true what Bill Crystal always used to say, “It is better to look good than to feel good.” Or in this case, it is better to show you are green than to just be green.

I am not sure if you have noticed, but Honda is now combating marketing dilemma in their new commercials. There is one with a dad and his teenage daughter and she asks him to drop her off a few blocks from the school because all the other parents are driving hybrids. He points out that his Honda is a hybrid and then the girl is happy.

I guess I really shouldn’t be that surprised by our superficial society. I mean I have witnessed for years that people will wear, carry or own something that looks ridiculous just to show that they are hip or important. I mean look at all the people who carry around a Coach bag. That Coach pattern has to be the ugliest pattern I have ever seen and yet people still pay a fortune for THAT bag. And if you are wondering which pattern I mean, I mean all of them. It would really not surprise me that some marketing genius came up with the whole idea. You know if we make things distinctive, even if they are ugly, we can market them as rare or hip or have to have and every wanna be idiot out there will buy it.

I have never understood the need to be trendy. Don’t get me wrong, anyone who knows me will tell you that I will spend any amount of money on something I really want. I just don’t buy something because the rest of the world thinks it is cool. For this reason I am likely to buy the Honda hybrid. Mainly because the Prius is one ugly car and I don’t really care if people see me in my Honda and don’t know I have gone green. I am more interested in saving our environment, well and driving by more gas stations without having to stop.

So do me a favor and the next time you are out shopping and you see that hip trendy item that everyone has, really look at it. Please decide for yourself whether you want it and don’t let the opinion of the masses make your decision for you. I mean really, have the masses made that many great decisions lately? Make your own decisions and stop falling prey to the marketing machine that is American capitalism.