This Yahoo! Finance article from April 2011 references a study by The Atlantic that talks about the effects of high gas prices now and in the future. There can be no doubt that higher gas prices damage the US economy resulting in higher costs, fewer jobs, and lower government tax revenues.
"In the short term, both the consumer and the economy will suffer from higher gas prices. First, expensive gas hurts U.S. demand. When we import goods, we 'export' money to pay for them. When the price of an import increases, more money escapes the economy, reducing wealth and demand. Second, it can hurt U.S. production. All else equal, rising energy costs make it more difficult, or at least more expensive, to move things and people across the country, and this can show up in companies bottom lines."
This is the bottom line if you think about the long-term impact of gas prices.
"If we want to spend less on transportation, we have to focus instead on moving around less, moving around more efficiently, or moving around on something cheaper.
Gas shocks cause great pain today because people are stuck driving the same cars along the same commutes they had last month. But it's not hard to find urbanists who think higher gas prices will eventually move Americans away from fuel-inefficient vehicles and distant suburbs into public-transport/bike-friendly cities. The best way to insulate yourself from gas shocks is probably to not drive 40 minutes to and from work every weekday. For millions of families who have settled, or want to settle, in the suburbs, that answer won't do. Then again, that suburban envy was cultivated in a era of cheap gasoline. That era might be over. In the short term, prices can punish us. In the long term, they can shape us."
As the column concludes: "In the short term, prices can punish us. In the long term, they can shape us."
The Impact of Higher Gas Prices, Today and Tomorrow
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Colts' best choice is to play to win by Reggie Hayes
Reggie Hayes says "Integrity worth loss of pick." He is right in principle but I am betting most fans of the Colts are only going to be satisfied tomorrow with a loss.
Republican Voters' Choices by Thomas Sowell
It looks like Thomas Sowell is in the Newt Gingrich camp. I admire a lot of Sowell's writings and columns, but I haven't figured out yet who the best challenger is.
"No one seems to be really happy with this year's field of Republican candidates for that party's presidential nomination — except perhaps the Democrats."
"Not all voters want to be realistic, of course. Some voters, whether Democrats, Republicans or independents, treat elections as occasions to vent their emotions, rather than as a process to pick someone into whose hands to place the fate of the nation.
People who think this way tend to vote for someone they just happen to like, whether for personal or ideological reasons, and regardless of whether that candidate has any realistic chance of being elected.
The surprising support in the polls for Congressman Ron Paul seems to be of this sort. But does anyone seriously want to put the fate of this nation in the hands of a man who can casually brush aside the danger of nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran, the world's leading sponsor of international terrorism?"
"Romney's own talking point that he has been a successful businessman is no reason to put him into a political office, however much it may be a reason for him to become a successful businessman again."
"Even some of those who believe that Gingrich would devastate Obama in head-to-head debates on substantive issues nevertheless claim that all Obama has to do is come back with questions about Newt's work for failed mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac.
But, even at the personal, point-scoring level, Barack Obama can open up a can of worms by going that route, since Freddie Mac at least never planted bombs in public places, like some of Obama's political allies.
There are no guarantees, no matter whom the Republicans vote for in the primaries. Why not vote for the candidate who has shown the best track record of accomplishments, both in office and in the debates? That is Newt Gingrich. With all his shortcomings, his record shows that he knows how to get the job done in Washington."
Most importantly:
"Much depends on whether you think the voting public is going to be more interested in Newt Gingrich's personal past than in the country's future."
"No one seems to be really happy with this year's field of Republican candidates for that party's presidential nomination — except perhaps the Democrats."
"Not all voters want to be realistic, of course. Some voters, whether Democrats, Republicans or independents, treat elections as occasions to vent their emotions, rather than as a process to pick someone into whose hands to place the fate of the nation.
People who think this way tend to vote for someone they just happen to like, whether for personal or ideological reasons, and regardless of whether that candidate has any realistic chance of being elected.
The surprising support in the polls for Congressman Ron Paul seems to be of this sort. But does anyone seriously want to put the fate of this nation in the hands of a man who can casually brush aside the danger of nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran, the world's leading sponsor of international terrorism?"
"Romney's own talking point that he has been a successful businessman is no reason to put him into a political office, however much it may be a reason for him to become a successful businessman again."
"Even some of those who believe that Gingrich would devastate Obama in head-to-head debates on substantive issues nevertheless claim that all Obama has to do is come back with questions about Newt's work for failed mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac.
But, even at the personal, point-scoring level, Barack Obama can open up a can of worms by going that route, since Freddie Mac at least never planted bombs in public places, like some of Obama's political allies.
There are no guarantees, no matter whom the Republicans vote for in the primaries. Why not vote for the candidate who has shown the best track record of accomplishments, both in office and in the debates? That is Newt Gingrich. With all his shortcomings, his record shows that he knows how to get the job done in Washington."
Most importantly:
"Much depends on whether you think the voting public is going to be more interested in Newt Gingrich's personal past than in the country's future."
Thomas Sowell Random Thought
What do you call it when someone steals someone else's money secretly? Theft. What do you call it when someone takes someone else's money openly by force? Robbery. What do you call it when a politician takes someone else's money in taxes and gives it to someone who is more likely to vote for him? Social Justice.
Monday, December 26, 2011
We Need Reinforcing Relationships
“From the space program, we learn that tremendous power is needed to clear the pull of Earth's gravity. So it
is with breaking old habits. Breaking deeply embedded habits such as procrastinating, criticizing, overeating, or laziness involves more than a little wishing and willpower. Often our own resolve is not enough. We need reinforcing
relationships–people and programs that hold us accountable and responsible."
-Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Sunday, December 25, 2011
First Christmas Without Dad
Last year at Christmas time we visited Mom and Dad, both living with Alzheimer's Disease, at their memory care facility on December 23. Dad passed away on July 21, 2011 due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease so little did I know at the time that this photo would be the last Christmas photo I would take of my Dad.
Merry Christmas, Dad. I still miss you and love you, especially at times like this when I count all my blessings and realize all over again how much I owe you for making so much of that possible.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Big Ten No. 1, Summit League makes leap - ESPN
This story from ESPN.com showing the Summit League jumping from 16 to 12 in the ESPN Conference Power Rankings adds more credibility to the the Summit League that I blogged about Tuesday in Summit League is Rodney Dangerfield of NCAA.
Big Ten No. 1, Summit League makes leap - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN
Big Ten No. 1, Summit League makes leap - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Credit Unions Trounce Big Banks in Consumer Survey
None of this should surprise anybody. But if all this is true, then why do so many of our government policies favor the largest financial institutions?
Credit unions trounce big banks in consumer survey
Credit unions trounce big banks in consumer survey
Ugly Realities Of Socialized Medicine Are Not Going Away - Forbes
I sincerely hope this is not the future for us, for our kids, and for our grandkids.
"The British healthcare system may “guarantee” access to care — but that doesn’t mean patients actually receive it."
The Ugly Realities Of Socialized Medicine Are Not Going Away - Forbes
"The British healthcare system may “guarantee” access to care — but that doesn’t mean patients actually receive it."
The Ugly Realities Of Socialized Medicine Are Not Going Away - Forbes
Summit League is Rodney Dangerfield of NCAA
Ten years ago IPFW made the jump to NCAA Division I and joined the Summit League in 2007. Through the years I have watched the level of competition in the Summit League grow tougher and tougher. And I have also watched the Summit League get pretty much ignored by many who should know better. The Summit League, like Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect.
This year the Summit League has been ranked as high as 11 of 32 conferences in Conference RPI. As of today, the Summit League is 12th which places it ahead of well-regarded conferences like the Horizon League, the Mid-American Conference, the Colonial Athletic Conference (think George Mason University), and the Ohio Valley Conference. The Summit League fell from 11th to 12th after just being edged out by Conference USA.
To many basketball fans in the Fort Wayne area, if you aren't IU or Purdue or maybe Notre Dame, then you don't matter. But IPFW is Fort Wayne's Division I program and those who won't at least come out and check out the level of competition are cheating themselves.
The Summit League is a good conference as this chart shows. And with IPFW home games coming up in January and February against the likes of IUPUI, Oakland who has defeated Tennessee two years in a row, South Dakota State who just won at Washington, and perennial Summit League power Oral Roberts (for the last time) who just won at Xavier, there is a lot of good basketball to be played yet this season.
As the Summit League gets tougher and continues to build on its reputation, it is time for the NCAA to recognize that the Summit League deserves more than one bid to the NCAA Tournament. The days when you have to win the conference tournament to get an NCAA bid should be over if your season-long record is good enough to warrant an at-large bid.
From Men's Basketball Conference RPIs 12/20/11
This year the Summit League has been ranked as high as 11 of 32 conferences in Conference RPI. As of today, the Summit League is 12th which places it ahead of well-regarded conferences like the Horizon League, the Mid-American Conference, the Colonial Athletic Conference (think George Mason University), and the Ohio Valley Conference. The Summit League fell from 11th to 12th after just being edged out by Conference USA.
To many basketball fans in the Fort Wayne area, if you aren't IU or Purdue or maybe Notre Dame, then you don't matter. But IPFW is Fort Wayne's Division I program and those who won't at least come out and check out the level of competition are cheating themselves.
The Summit League is a good conference as this chart shows. And with IPFW home games coming up in January and February against the likes of IUPUI, Oakland who has defeated Tennessee two years in a row, South Dakota State who just won at Washington, and perennial Summit League power Oral Roberts (for the last time) who just won at Xavier, there is a lot of good basketball to be played yet this season.
As the Summit League gets tougher and continues to build on its reputation, it is time for the NCAA to recognize that the Summit League deserves more than one bid to the NCAA Tournament. The days when you have to win the conference tournament to get an NCAA bid should be over if your season-long record is good enough to warrant an at-large bid.
From Men's Basketball Conference RPIs 12/20/11
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Cats Gone Wild - on Twitter
I think this is a humorous story by Therese Poletti for Tech Tales on MarketWatch about our four-footed friends on Twitter and social media.
It appears that @SurlyCat has a ways to go before he catches up with the number of followers of @CatFoodBreath who also has a blog at Catfoodbreath: Furry. Feline. Fabulous.
Read the entire column at:
Cats gone wild — on Twitter - Therese Poletti's Tech Tales via MarketWatch
It appears that @SurlyCat has a ways to go before he catches up with the number of followers of @CatFoodBreath who also has a blog at Catfoodbreath: Furry. Feline. Fabulous.
Read the entire column at:
Cats gone wild — on Twitter - Therese Poletti's Tech Tales via MarketWatch
Monday, December 12, 2011
Long Faces in Durban
This article by Jack Kelly demonstrates why I remain skeptical of the climate change hysteria with a lot of the reasons focused on liberal politics and the resulting money train.
"Temperatures in the lower atmosphere this October were just one-tenth of one degree Celsius warmer than in 1979, according to data from weather satellites. Temperatures haven't risen in 13 years, according to measurements from ground stations. Data from tree rings and ice cores show no warming since 1940.
RealClearPolitics - Long Faces in Durban
"Temperatures in the lower atmosphere this October were just one-tenth of one degree Celsius warmer than in 1979, according to data from weather satellites. Temperatures haven't risen in 13 years, according to measurements from ground stations. Data from tree rings and ice cores show no warming since 1940.
Few journalists have reported these facts. That's why so many accepted for so long the preposterous assertions of the scammers. The most preposterous is that carbon dioxide -- which is to plants what oxygen is to us -- is a pollutant.
For some, the scam is about power. Politicians saw in the regulation of CO2 an opportunity to control people's lives."RealClearPolitics - Long Faces in Durban
Occupy Protesters Seek to Shut West Coast Ports via The News-Sentinel
Brilliant!
Yeah, let's shut down all the West Coast ports. That will help a lot. Sheesh!
President Obama Would Rather Extend Jobless Benefits Than Create Real Jobs - Investors.com
It is any wonder that our economy remains in the tank?
"In the president's view, extending the payroll tax cuts is more important than adding more people to the payrolls, unless they are making electric cars that catch fire or work for solar-panel makers that go bankrupt."
"When it comes to payroll tax cuts, unemployment benefits and food stamps, Democrats and liberals believe in the miracle of the loaves and fishes"
President Obama Would Rather Extend Jobless Benefits Than Create Real Jobs - Investors.com
"In the president's view, extending the payroll tax cuts is more important than adding more people to the payrolls, unless they are making electric cars that catch fire or work for solar-panel makers that go bankrupt."
"When it comes to payroll tax cuts, unemployment benefits and food stamps, Democrats and liberals believe in the miracle of the loaves and fishes"
President Obama Would Rather Extend Jobless Benefits Than Create Real Jobs - Investors.com
In times of change learners inherit the earth...
In times of change learners inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. - Eric Hoffer
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Kravitz: Is there a good reason for Manning to stay?
Last week Bob Kravitz documented in the Indy Star all the reasons that the Colts will not have both Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck on their roster in 2012.
Kravitz: Manning, Luck tandem cannot work for Colts
This week he addressed the question that has been on my mind as I observe the season-long train wreck that is the Indianapolis Colts. Why would Manning want to return to the Colts in 2012?
"Forget, for one second, the questions about whether the franchise wants him back. If you're No. 18, do you want to come back to this dysfunctional mess?
Even in a league where teams can rebuild in a hurry -- and the Colts will have the luxury of owning the top pick in every round of the draft -- it's hard to imagine them pulling this defense together quickly enough to make a Super Bowl run. That doesn't even begin to address the continuing issues along the offensive line and in special teams.
If the Polians are still running the show, don't expect there to be much movement in the way of free agents, especially if they spend a lot to keep wide receiver Reggie Wayne and other veterans.
Just as the Colts have to make some serious calculations, so does Manning.
Maybe, just maybe, he will decide he would rather go to Washington, where team owner Dan Snyder will back up a Wells Fargo truck to his house, or to Tennessee, or maybe to New York to play for the Jets.
Maybe Manning will take this decision completely out of the Colts' hands, telling them, 'Don't give me the $28 million. Let me go somewhere else. Or maybe I'll just stay home with my twins.'
It's not beyond the realm of comprehension."
Kravitz: Is there a good reason for Manning to stay?
Kravitz: Manning, Luck tandem cannot work for Colts
This week he addressed the question that has been on my mind as I observe the season-long train wreck that is the Indianapolis Colts. Why would Manning want to return to the Colts in 2012?
"Forget, for one second, the questions about whether the franchise wants him back. If you're No. 18, do you want to come back to this dysfunctional mess?
Even in a league where teams can rebuild in a hurry -- and the Colts will have the luxury of owning the top pick in every round of the draft -- it's hard to imagine them pulling this defense together quickly enough to make a Super Bowl run. That doesn't even begin to address the continuing issues along the offensive line and in special teams.
If the Polians are still running the show, don't expect there to be much movement in the way of free agents, especially if they spend a lot to keep wide receiver Reggie Wayne and other veterans.
Just as the Colts have to make some serious calculations, so does Manning.
Maybe, just maybe, he will decide he would rather go to Washington, where team owner Dan Snyder will back up a Wells Fargo truck to his house, or to Tennessee, or maybe to New York to play for the Jets.
Maybe Manning will take this decision completely out of the Colts' hands, telling them, 'Don't give me the $28 million. Let me go somewhere else. Or maybe I'll just stay home with my twins.'
It's not beyond the realm of comprehension."
Kravitz: Is there a good reason for Manning to stay?
Ron Paul, Spoiler? - The Washington Post
"At a minimum, a Paul candidacy would force the Republican nominee to spend time and money in places he otherwise might be able to economize both. And a Paul candidacy would make 2012 much easier for Obama than 2008 was."
So why would Ron Paul become an independent candidate if that would assure Obama a second term?
Ron Paul, spoiler? - Opinion by George Will in The Washington Post
So why would Ron Paul become an independent candidate if that would assure Obama a second term?
Ron Paul, spoiler? - Opinion by George Will in The Washington Post
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Mike Emrick Enters US Hockey Hall of Fame
"On Dec. 12, Emrick becomes the first media member inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame."
Dean of American hockey announcers enters U.S. Hall
It was 51 years ago Saturday night that his parents took Mike Emrick to his first hockey game to watch the Fort Wayne Komets take on the Muskegon Zephyrs at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. In June 2011 I blogged about Doc and his roots in Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana.
The Fort Wayne Roots of Mike "Doc" Emrick
Congratulations to Doc and thanks to him for helping me enjoy so many memorable hockey moments. It is a richly-deserved honor. I wonder if Bob Chase will be there for the induction ceremony.
Dean of American hockey announcers enters U.S. Hall
It was 51 years ago Saturday night that his parents took Mike Emrick to his first hockey game to watch the Fort Wayne Komets take on the Muskegon Zephyrs at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. In June 2011 I blogged about Doc and his roots in Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana.
The Fort Wayne Roots of Mike "Doc" Emrick
Congratulations to Doc and thanks to him for helping me enjoy so many memorable hockey moments. It is a richly-deserved honor. I wonder if Bob Chase will be there for the induction ceremony.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Gingrich Is Inspiring—and Disturbing - WSJ.com
Newt Gingrich has no many positives and so many negatives as a presidential candidate leading Peggy Noonan to note that Newt Gingrich is "The first potential president about whom there is too much information."
Gingrich Is Inspiring—and Disturbing - WSJ.com
Gingrich Is Inspiring—and Disturbing - WSJ.com
Obama’s Campaign for Class Resentment - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online
Obama cannot run on his record so he will demagogue the politics of class envy in his attempt to win another term. It will not be pretty. And with funding from people like George Soros, unions, trial lawyers, and every group of liberals and socialists, not to mention the unwavering campaigning on his behalf by the mainstream media, it will likely be the nastiest campaign in memory. I will be glad when it is over.
"Because, you see, he bears no responsibility for the current economic distress. It’s the rich. And, like Horatius at the bridge, Obama stands with the American masses against the soulless plutocrats.
He can’t run on stewardship. He can’t run on policy. His signature initiatives — the stimulus, Obamacare, and the failed cap-and-trade — will go unmentioned in his campaign ads. Indeed, they will be the stuff of Republican ads.
What’s left? Class resentment. Got a better idea?"
Obama’s Campaign for Class Resentment - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online
"Because, you see, he bears no responsibility for the current economic distress. It’s the rich. And, like Horatius at the bridge, Obama stands with the American masses against the soulless plutocrats.
This is populism so crude that it channels not Teddy Roosevelt so much as Hugo Chávez. But with high unemployment, economic stagnation, and unprecedented deficits, what else can Obama say?
He can’t run on stewardship. He can’t run on policy. His signature initiatives — the stimulus, Obamacare, and the failed cap-and-trade — will go unmentioned in his campaign ads. Indeed, they will be the stuff of Republican ads.
What’s left? Class resentment. Got a better idea?"
Obama’s Campaign for Class Resentment - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
That Infamous Date - NYPOST.com Editorial
"It was 70 years ago this morning that, as President Roosevelt put it the following day, “The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
That Infamous Date - NYPOST.com Editorial
"America understood and embraced its responsibilities. Despite occasional foot-dragging, it lived up to them — providing good example and necessary stability to the world in the process.
Whether the nation retains the will to look after its interests properly is an open question. There is cause for concern.
But on Dec. 7, 1941 — “a date which will live in infamy” — all doubts were dispelled.
History knocked.
America answered."
Today, the US spends less on defense...
Today, the US spends less on defense as a percentage of our economy than we did at any time since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For the world's only superpower, that is an invitation to very serious trouble.
- Steve Forbes
- Steve Forbes
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
American Companies That Give Back the Most
I received the link to this Forbes story from my friend, Chuck Walker. It gives an interesting look at those corporations that make a commitment to giving back to their communities. One list features those that gave back the most in 2010 as a percentage of 2009 pre-tax profits and a second list features those that gave away the most cash in 2010. Some corporations are on both lists.
American Companies That Give Back the Most
If you don't want to check out the links to both lists in the story, here are the lists. Thank you to Kroger for heading up the first list by giving away 10.9% of its $589 million in 2009 pre-tax profits amounting to $64 million.
If you don't want to check out the links to both lists in the story, here are the lists. Thank you to Kroger for heading up the first list by giving away 10.9% of its $589 million in 2009 pre-tax profits amounting to $64 million.
1. Kroger
2. Macy's
3. Safeway
4. Dow Chemical Company
5. Bank of America
6. Morgan Stanley
7. General Mills
8. Xerox Corporation
9. Target Corporation
10. Whole Foods Market
1. Wal-Mart Stores
2. Goldman Sachs Group
3. Wells Fargo & Company
4. Bank of America
5. Exxon Mobil
6. Halliburton Company
7. Chevron Corporation
8. JP Morgan Chase
9. General Electric Company
10. Target Corporation
Monday, December 5, 2011
Ending Income Inequality? by Walter Williams
Economist Walter Williams asks Paul Krugman of the New York Times and other liberals how they propose to stop people from becoming rich and from becoming part of the 1%. It is an interesting question. How can you keep people from giving their money to others who are providing a product or service that the masses of people wish to purchase? How can you prohibit that without taking away our economic freedom?
"Krugman laments in his Nov. 3 New York Times column 'Oligarchy, American Style,' 'We have a society in which money is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people, and in which that concentration of income and wealth threatens to make us a democracy in name only.' I’d ask Krugman this question: Who’s putting all the money in the hands of the few, and what do you think ought to be done to stop millions, perhaps billions, of people from using their money in ways that lead to high income and wealth concentration? In other words, I’d like Krugman to tell us what should be done to stop the millions of children who make Joanne Rowling rich, the millions who fork over their money to the benefit of LeBron James, and the hundreds of millions of people who shop at Wal-Mart."
Ending Income Inequality? by Walter Williams
"Krugman laments in his Nov. 3 New York Times column 'Oligarchy, American Style,' 'We have a society in which money is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people, and in which that concentration of income and wealth threatens to make us a democracy in name only.' I’d ask Krugman this question: Who’s putting all the money in the hands of the few, and what do you think ought to be done to stop millions, perhaps billions, of people from using their money in ways that lead to high income and wealth concentration? In other words, I’d like Krugman to tell us what should be done to stop the millions of children who make Joanne Rowling rich, the millions who fork over their money to the benefit of LeBron James, and the hundreds of millions of people who shop at Wal-Mart."
Ending Income Inequality? by Walter Williams
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Unpunished Parking from The Journal-Gazette
As a resident and taxpayer of the City of Fort Wayne, this story upsets me. Why are city officials whom we elect to best represent our interests allowing this outrage to continue for so long? That is particularly upsetting in times like this when budgets are being stretched thin just to meet some of the basic needs of our city.
Unpunished Parking from The Journal-Gazette
This seems to display an attitude far too common in government that does not exist in the business world. Government agencies so often fail to treat money as real money that matters but it really does matter. This is money that should be in the city treasury but nobody seems to care or attach any urgency to collecting it. A business with that attitude soon finds itself out of business.
How should this problem be solved? Well assuming that we aren't going to make downtown parking free and we aren't going to prohibit cars downtown, then parking fines have to be paid. If that means increasing fines exponentially with time due to failure to pay or turning fines over to a collection agency even if it affects the credit reports of offenders, then so be it.
Maybe there is another solution that some creative individual can come up with. But I am not concerned about how it affects those who ignore the parking regulations and refuse to pay the fines with impunity.
My belief is that city officials either enforce the payment of the fines or rescind the ordinances that mandate them. Allowing municipal laws and regulations to be ignored does nothing to foster respect for the law. Unfortunately the lack of such will on the part of city officials seems to be a growing problem.
Unpunished Parking from The Journal-Gazette
This seems to display an attitude far too common in government that does not exist in the business world. Government agencies so often fail to treat money as real money that matters but it really does matter. This is money that should be in the city treasury but nobody seems to care or attach any urgency to collecting it. A business with that attitude soon finds itself out of business.
How should this problem be solved? Well assuming that we aren't going to make downtown parking free and we aren't going to prohibit cars downtown, then parking fines have to be paid. If that means increasing fines exponentially with time due to failure to pay or turning fines over to a collection agency even if it affects the credit reports of offenders, then so be it.
Maybe there is another solution that some creative individual can come up with. But I am not concerned about how it affects those who ignore the parking regulations and refuse to pay the fines with impunity.
My belief is that city officials either enforce the payment of the fines or rescind the ordinances that mandate them. Allowing municipal laws and regulations to be ignored does nothing to foster respect for the law. Unfortunately the lack of such will on the part of city officials seems to be a growing problem.
Tim Tebow
I am not sure what to make of Tim Tebow. I marvel at what he has done in Denver but I am not a long-term believer either, at least not yet. However it is clear that his teammates believe in him and that is priceless.
To all the Tebow haters I offer this suggestion which is also helpful to those like me who are astonished at his NFL record as a starter and aren't sure what to make of it.
Keep in mind this famous quote:
“You are what your record says you are.” - Bill Parcells
A Jimmy V Story from ESPN Sports Reporters
This is a paraphrasing to the best of my memory of an entertaining story about Jimmy V related by host John Saunders on the ESPN Sports Reporters show on Sunday, December 4, 2011.
John's closing comments focused on Jimmy V since ESPN is promoting Jimmy V week to raise funds for cancer research. John mentioned the close friendship he had built with Jimmy V as they were often paired to cover NCAA basketball with John doing play-by-play and Jimmy V as his game analyst.
Saunders told the story of how John Calipari related to Jimmy V his disappointment at having to suspend his star player from playing in a critical game because the player was late for the team bus. John asked Jimmy V how he had handled such situations. Jimmy V replied that it had been his policy to wait until his best seven players were on the bus before deciding it was time for the bus to leave.
John's closing comments focused on Jimmy V since ESPN is promoting Jimmy V week to raise funds for cancer research. John mentioned the close friendship he had built with Jimmy V as they were often paired to cover NCAA basketball with John doing play-by-play and Jimmy V as his game analyst.
Saunders told the story of how John Calipari related to Jimmy V his disappointment at having to suspend his star player from playing in a critical game because the player was late for the team bus. John asked Jimmy V how he had handled such situations. Jimmy V replied that it had been his policy to wait until his best seven players were on the bus before deciding it was time for the bus to leave.
Belichick Takes Shot at Colts and Polian
This article asks, with tongue in cheek I think, why Bill would say this now. What do you think?
"Belichick then added that he was proud the Patriots won 11 games without Brady."
It sounds to me like Bill couldn't resist the chance to gloat about the Patriots winning 11 games in the season that Brady went down in Week 1 and the Colts are sitting at 0-11 without #18. I think that says volumes about who can put a total football team together and who can't and Bill wants everyone to know that.
Belichick proud the Patriots won 11 games without Brady
"Belichick then added that he was proud the Patriots won 11 games without Brady."
It sounds to me like Bill couldn't resist the chance to gloat about the Patriots winning 11 games in the season that Brady went down in Week 1 and the Colts are sitting at 0-11 without #18. I think that says volumes about who can put a total football team together and who can't and Bill wants everyone to know that.
Belichick proud the Patriots won 11 games without Brady
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Choking on Obamacare by George Will in The Washington Post
George Will cites the experience of just one corporation trying to circumvent all the barriers to success being placed in its way just by Obamacare alone. This is the way it works in the real world outside the faculty lounge. Obama and his supporters just don't get what this means to our struggling economy but even if they did I don't think they care.
"Puzder laughs about the liberal theory that businesses are not investing because they want to 'punish Obama.' Rising health-care costs are, he says, just one uncertainty inhibiting expansion. Others are government policies raising fuel costs, which infect everything from air conditioning to the cost (including deliveries) of supplies, and the threat that the National Labor Relations Board will use regulations to impose something like “card check” in place of secret-ballot unionization elections."
Obama and his supporters don't understand running a business and they really believe that they know what is best and is necessary for each one of us so they have to control every single element of our lives thus limiting our freedoms and choking our economy. And we are all worse off because of that.
"Barack Obama has written that during his very brief sojourn in the private sector he felt like 'a spy behind enemy lines.' Puzder knows what it feels like when gargantuan government is composed of multitudes of regulators who regard business as the enemy. And 22.9 million Americans who are unemployed, underemployed or too discouraged to look for employment know what it feels like to be collateral damage in the regulatory state’s war on business."
And so as always happens, those who are most dependent on a growing economy to provide for themselves and their families are the ones hurt most by those in Washington who claim to be the only ones that they can count on to help them.
"Puzder laughs about the liberal theory that businesses are not investing because they want to 'punish Obama.' Rising health-care costs are, he says, just one uncertainty inhibiting expansion. Others are government policies raising fuel costs, which infect everything from air conditioning to the cost (including deliveries) of supplies, and the threat that the National Labor Relations Board will use regulations to impose something like “card check” in place of secret-ballot unionization elections."
Obama and his supporters don't understand running a business and they really believe that they know what is best and is necessary for each one of us so they have to control every single element of our lives thus limiting our freedoms and choking our economy. And we are all worse off because of that.
"Barack Obama has written that during his very brief sojourn in the private sector he felt like 'a spy behind enemy lines.' Puzder knows what it feels like when gargantuan government is composed of multitudes of regulators who regard business as the enemy. And 22.9 million Americans who are unemployed, underemployed or too discouraged to look for employment know what it feels like to be collateral damage in the regulatory state’s war on business."
And so as always happens, those who are most dependent on a growing economy to provide for themselves and their families are the ones hurt most by those in Washington who claim to be the only ones that they can count on to help them.
Wartell In Top 2 To Lead U of New Orleans
IPFW Chancellor Michael Wartell might be forcibly retired by Purdue but he clearly isn't ready to retire so IPFW's loss might be the University of New Orleans' gain.
Nobody is irreplaceable but I sincerely hope that Purdue selects the right person to succeed Chancellor Wartell. He is leaving an incredible legacy at IPFW and I don't want IPFW and the greater Fort Wayne region to lose any momentum as a consequence of this transition.
Wartell in top 2 to direct university via The Journal Gazette
Nobody is irreplaceable but I sincerely hope that Purdue selects the right person to succeed Chancellor Wartell. He is leaving an incredible legacy at IPFW and I don't want IPFW and the greater Fort Wayne region to lose any momentum as a consequence of this transition.
Wartell in top 2 to direct university via The Journal Gazette
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