Torturing News

I am tired of the double speak from Nancy Pelosi.

She continues to claim that the Bush administration used illegal torture methods to get information from terrorists and that the CIA lied to her about it. She claims that she was never briefed (only informed) and would not have approved of such "torture" methods to get information. But others including CIA Director Panetta say she knew.

The policy of the Bush administration was to use water boarding to get information from terrorists. It is non-lethal and that does not damage them physically. The process was supervisor by medical to help insure that terrorists were not hurt.

Yet, liberals claim that this is inhuman. My junior high physical education classes were worse than that yet I still had to go through them!

When you get down to the facts, the truth is the Clinton administration did things far worse than the Bush administration. Several key members of the Obama administration were part of Clinton administration that approved capturing terrorists in foreign countries and sending them to other countries.

These countries used real torture methods that would maim or possibly kill the terrorists. If their were medical staff present, they were probably administering drugs to help the interrogation.

The Clinton administration knew exactly what was going to happen to them. (And the worst part is that we had to trust these countries that they gave us the correct intelligence.) They did not want to get their hands dirty by getting the intelligence themselves.

The current administration continues to treat those who disrespect the rights of other (i.e. terrorists and convicted felons) better than law-abiding citizens.

It puts good people at risk of really getting hurt.

Another Prius Please?

The liberal agenda continues to be shoved down the throats of Americans...

Washington is now pushing higher gas mileage standards on automobiles and cap and trade on emissions. From the initial sound bites on the evening news its sounds okay. But the real truth is a lot darker.

Automobile gasoline standards are being raised to levels that mean most people will have to drive a Prius (unless you are politician who gets a chauffeur!). Not only will automobiles cost more, it will lead to more highway deaths. It is common sense that smaller, lighter cars are not as safe as the current ones we drive. But who cares about the safety of people, we need to save that extra gallon of gas.

The concept of cap trade means putting limits on emissions and "selling" rights to exceed them. This is basically another tax at the end of the day.

For our economy, it means more inflation as companies pass these costs to consumers. It will also mean more jobs will be shipped overseas where standards will not as strict (or as expensive). The Heritage Foundation estimates that this will:

• raise electricity rates 90 percent after adjusting for inflation
• raise inflation-adjusted gasoline prices by 74 percent
• raise residential natural gas prices by 55 percent
• raise an average family's annual energy bill by $1,500
• increase inflation-adjusted federal debt by 26 percent, or $29,150 additional federal debt per person, again after adjusting for inflation.

I agree that we should not be sending money to middle eastern countries (and one South American) that do not like the U.S. is appalling but there are other ways to meet the energy needs of the U.S.:

• expand the drilling in the U.S. - There is plenty of oil in Alaska and offshore
• build more nuclear plants - it is a nearly limitless, clean source of electricity
• quite wasting gas from oil fields and dumps by simpling burning it - use it for energy. In Fort Pierce, the landfill has 4 or 5 gas exhaust stacks that are just burning it off
• use other innovative means like using the wind and tides to create electricity

At the end of the day, we will probably never be able to replace combustion engines. What could power airplanes or rockets leaving earth?

I also doubt that it will really help global warming (if you really beleive it...). Scientists are now saying that we are entering into a cooling period over the next several decades. So do we need to take such a radical approach?

The bottom line is that liberals are trying to control Americans and expand their own agendas.

Will The Real Marlins Please Show Up

It's a good thing Freddie Gonzalez was already bald otherwise he would be pulling his hair.

The Marlins started the season red-hot. 11 and 1 out of the gate. Yes, it included six games against the Nationals but also games against the Mets and Braves.

They then proceeded to loose the next seven straight. Win three, loose four, win one, loose three. They seem to playing well in Colorado (a place were they have not done well). The strange thing to me is that the starting pitchers went 20 games without a win. This is the strength of the team!

The loosing streak has seen blown saves, bad pitching, bad defense, and bad luck a couple times. (I do have the opponents credit. I saw Volquez shut down the Marlins for 8 inning with a great performance.)

The starting pitching will be fine as long as the core (Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Ricky Nolasco) remains healthy. The bullpen will be up and down because we do not have experienced late inning stoppers. This is one are were some more moves will be made through he season.

Jorge Cantu and Hanley Ramirez are carrying the offense. John Baker and Jeremy Hermida are fine for now with some timely hitting and good OBP. Dan Uggla and Cody Ross have a decent amount of RBIs for their averages but more is expected from both.

Cameron Maybin and Emilio Bonifacio look overwhelmed at times at the plate. Both are providing good defense but their bats are hurting. I do not understand why Gonzalez bats them where he does. They should bat 2nd and 7th to have some protection / pressure on the pitcher. If one of them bats second, put Ramirez at the top to get on in front of them. They will see more fastballs. In the 8th spot they will be pitched around some in front of the pitcher. You need someone more experienced and patient.

The front office made a move to bring Chris Coghlan (3B, corner OF) to get another bat in the lineup. He was drafted out a Mississippi program that has produced some good major league the last decade. In the

I still stand by my earlier prediction of a 2nd place finish in the NL East. This is young exciting team to watch. They will frustrate you at times but it will be fun seeing them grow up.

The Continuing De-Construction of Capitalism

On Monday, the Obama administration announced plans to change the tax code to (in their words) "close" international tax loopholes.

Part of it was closing done loopholes allowing individuals to create phony shell corporations in countries without income taxes. From a political sound bite perspective it sounds great and most people probably agree with it.

The second part was aimed at multi-national corporations who make profits overseas but do not repatriate the proceeds (bringing them back to the U.S.). This is the dangerous part that most people do not seem to understand.

As an example under the current tax law, let’s say you make a car in the U.S. for $15K and sell it in Brazil for $20K. You would charge the Brazilian subsidiary $15K for the car leaving $5K in profits in Brazil.

You would pay income tax on the $5K. If Brazil’s marginal tax rate was $10% that would be $500. If you re-patriot the profit (bring it back to the U.S.) you get a credit for the $500 paid to Brazil and pay the difference to the U.S. If the U.S. marginal rate is 35%, these means $1,750 in taxes less $500 credit for a net tax bill of $1,250 when you repatriate the profits.

In the global economy today, dealing with multiple tax jurisdictions is standard practice. Countries look at these transfer pricing agreements to make sure they are fair market value. I see this in my job as we deal with foreign taxing authorities. Some countries (including the U.S) require mark-ups on some of these transactions to insure that there will be some profit left in their country (and creating tax payments to the country).

Companies will leave profits in foreign countries for a number of legitimate reasons. The primary reason is to re-invest it and expand overseas operations. Sometimes they will leave it overseas at the lower tax rate and repatriate it during more favorable times (i.e. downturns when they might be operating at a loss).

The Obama administration sees it primarily as tax avoidance. Their message is that if you do not pay taxes on it you will not be able to deduct the expense to create the goods or services here in the U.S.

For service oriented companies, this will accelerate them move to offshore work. If tax conditions are not favorable they will move the work to more favorable locations. As a leader of a company, why would you allow a more costly scenario to continue to exist?

Manufacturing companies will not be able to react as quickly, but it will also drive jobs offshore over time as they setup new assembly plants overseas.

This administration continues to make moves that handcuff businesses and will continue to slow the economic recovery. Instead of making incentives for companies to create jobs, they continue to create rules they think will force companies to create jobs when in reality it will probably have the opposite effect. The bottom line it is another assault against capitalism.

Congress Debates College Football Playoffs

So what was Congress doing on Friday while the rest of worked (and others looked for work) in this tough economy? They debated the need for a college football playoff system.

You read that right!

While the large automakers are failing, global nuclear arms issues with North Korea and Iran, the Taliban running wild in Afghanistan, and pirates off the coast of Somalia, Congressional leaders questioned the fairness of the current bowl system.

I think there are a number of other things they could be working on. We are not talking about a Saturday afternoon session on their own time, but full blown hearings with testimony from NCAA, conference, and bowl officials.

Okay, some smaller conference schools are complaining about the current system. They feel that they do not get a fair shot at the title. It may very well be slanted towards the larger conferences. But they also need to play tougher non-conference schedules to gain validity for their records.

Of course the other major factor is money. (It usually finds its way into the equation some how…)

Schools want “their” share of the multi-millions spread around the bowl games. In these tough times, they are doing whatever they can to balance their budgets and support the programs they want.

I think the current system should stay in place. First, it is healthy (and fun) to debate who is actually the best. Secondly, we are pulling collegiate athletes out of class too much already. They are not professionals – they are in school to get an education.

I think I could have found a more productive way to spend my Friday…

Heat Lose Game Seven

The Heat lost a tough game today. The series went seven games but none of them were close. It was the anti-thesis of the Chicago Boston series.

So what went wrong for the Heat?

1. The offense runs through Wade. It is too predictable at times. When Wade is off or the opposition can slow him down, the Heat are in trouble. They need a couple other scoring threats who can create shots.
2. Their defense is not quick enough for some teams. The Hawks big men were just faster than the Heat. They were slow on their rotations which led to easy baskets.

The good news is that the Heat have three young promising players in Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, and Daequan Cook. All three have the potential to step up and become that other scoring option to create their own shots on a consistent basis. Beasley has the most upside with his size, speed, range, and creativity.

Look at the other teams in recent years that have made deep into the playoffs or won the championship. They are not single dimensional on offense. They have two or three consistent scoring options. This is something the Heat had in the past when they went deep in the playoffs (Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Jamal Mashburn) or won it all (Shaq, Dwayne Wade, and Antoine Walker)

The defensive scheme is another story. It is a difficult system that Riley developed and used by the Magic (with Stan Van Gundy) and the Heat (with Pat Spoelstra). With the right players (and opposition) it can be stifling to opponents. The Heat need big men who can rotate quicker. Beasley has the physical skills, he just needs to learn the system. Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O’Neil seem to struggle at times with the rotation assignments. Against a team like the Hawks (with quick bigmen like Josh Smith and Al Horford) it was a mismatch at times.

What Riley does not need to do is trade the young core away for another superstar to go with Wade. We probably have another superstar in the making with Beasley. There are rumors about trading him for Chris Bosh which I think would be a mistake.

We need to let the young guys play and bring in some quicker big men to help defensively. The league is becoming more speed oriented with point guards dominating play. The team needs to adapt and move that way as well.

Review of Dolphin's Draft

The draft is over and the pundits can now grade the picks (like I am doing).

So what do I think of the Dolphins draft? Here are my thoughts on the picks:

• Vontae Davis CB – Definitely a talented corner who is big and physical, but character questions are there. He was in the dog-house at times with his college coach. His brother Vernon Davis (TE SF) has had well publicized run-ins with coach Mike Singletary. If Sparano can get him to play to his potential, he will be a steal at #25. If not, it will be questioned because there were a lot of good CBs taken in the second round and the Dolphins could have a filled a need at WR or LB.
• Pat White QB – This is an interesting pick. Are they bringing him to run the “wildcat”? Or to compete with Henne? Or will they convert to a WR? He is very talented and very football smart. How he will be utilized will be the interesting story.
• Sean Smith CB – Another big physical corner. We need help with this position because of the teams in our division. He does not like to tackle but can cover and create turnovers.
• Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline WR – They are both tall, lanky possession receivers. They do not have great speed but have good hands. If they can contribute on special teams coverage, that will help their chances of making the team.

The late guys drafted (John Nalbone, Chris Clemons, Andrew Gardner, and J.D. Folsom) will have to show a lot in training camp and pre-season to stick on the roster. The Dolphins have several needs but it is still tough to make an NFL roster.

Overall I will give the team a grade of B-. We got help in the secondary, but not at LB or NT. The WRs are okay but not superstars. They could have gotten a WR with their first pick and still addressed the defensive needs with the two picks in the second round.

This draft class will probably be known for the OLB and WR positions. Both are needs for the Dolphins that they did not address.

Draft Day

Today is one of those days in the off season that NFL football fans can their fix - the draft!

The draft is important because this is the way successful franchises get talent. One of acronyms for the NFL is "Not For Long" because of the short careers players can have. It is the best way to add depth and fill holes.

The brain trust of Parcell, Ireland, and Sparano have done a good job so far. Parcells and Ireland have a history of picking the right players (when the ownership does not interfere).

The re-signings of Vernon Carey RT, Yeremiah Bell S, and Channing Crowder ILB keep some key positions filled with good talent. This help keeps the nucleus intact. The free agent signs of Jake Grove C, Gabriel Wilson S, and Eric Green CB and trading for Tony McDaniel DT help improve positions or provide depth. Free agents can address some needs but it is hard to build a championship this way.

Rounds one and two will be picked today with five more rounds on Sunday. The Dolphins hold the #25 pick in first round and #44 and #56 in the second round. These are the picks people expect to have an impact this season. So what do I think the Dolphins need this weekend:

• WR - This was the most glaring need last year and continues to be. We need another play maker to go with Ted Ginn. Greg Camarillo and Devone Bess are nice slot receivers, but not the game breakers. We need a big physical receiver who will go get the ball. This can be addressed in the first or second round. Percy Harvin, Kenny Britt, Brandon Tate, Hakeem Hicks, or Brian Robiskie could be picked today. Rumors have been thrown around about trading for Anquan Boldin of the Cardinals or Braylon Edwards of the Browns, but both have baggage, injury history. and big contracts which does not sit well with Parcells or Ireland. Harvin scares me because he never played a full season without injuries.
• CB - The AFC East is rich in WR talent (Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Wes Welker, Lee Evans) and teams need to have depth at CB to cover them. The Dolphins have one very solid corner but need more talent. Teams will take advantage of this. This position could be addressed in the first or second round. The class this is not elite but very solid. Michael Jenkins, Alphonso Smith, Coye Francies, and Cory Harris are possible picks.
• LB - This is not a glaring need, but the draft is stocked with high quality players. Joey Porter is getting up in years and faded late last season. Plus the 3-4 needs active OLBs. I could see the Dolphins taking Ray Maualugua (if he falls), Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Robert Ayers, or Larry English. I think one of these players will be the first round pick for the Dolphins.
• DL - The NT is the important piece in the 3-4. You need to solid 330lb+ body to occupy 2 (or 3) opposing lineman. Jason Ferguson fit perfectly but will turn 35 during the season. His replacement is probably not on the roster today. Look for the Dolphins to pick someone in the second or third round especially if somebody slips.

In the later rounds the Dolphins will look to add depth across the other positions and for special teams. Parcells values depth on the lines so I expect to see depth added the offensive line even though that is our best unit.

Next week I will give my thoughts on the picks. However, it takes time with drafted players. You may not see the full impact for a couple years.

Do South Florida Driver Know the Rules of the Road?

I wonder sometime if people really know the rules of the road or read traffic signs.

Over the last week I seen four incidents that have added to this.

Coming home from work last Tuesday evening, an ambulance was coming in the opposite direction. The light was red and there was only one car blocking the left hand turn lane. The driver of car was on his cell phone, not paying attention. The ambulance pulled behind him, honked their horn for him to move. The driver could not figure out what to do. All traffic was stopped in all directions. He needed to make his turn and get out of the way. But he sat there continuing to talk until the ambulance honked again. The driver next me and I looked at each shaking our heads.

Saturday morning I’m riding my bike on A1A headed south. As you approach Sunrise Boulevard, there is a sign for cars turning right to yield to cyclists. A car pulled up behind me, honked, and flipped his finger at me. I guess he did not read the sign or the state statues on cars and cyclists on the road.

Saturday night, I am out with friends eating off of A1A. On the way, we are stuck in traffic. A guy on a chopper is fed and decides to use the bicycle lane for his own. He cut back into traffic and nearly got side-swiped by another car making a legal lane change.

On Sunday, I was getting off I-95 when a funeral possession was going through the intersection. The light turned green, but they were still going through. The women behind me laid on her horn. She then whipped her car around me to be greeted by a sheriff’s car stopping traffic. She immediately proceeded to backup to where she should have been.

Examples like these cause me to wonder about drivers. Do they really know what to do? Are they paying attention? Do they realize they are breaking the law?

These are probably the same people who wonder why South Florida has a reputation of bad drivers.

Dichotomy of Treatment

Over the past week we have seen two very different postures of the current administration and how they deal with people.

Last Sunday night, we saw the conclusion of the hostage situation with freighter off of Somalia.

According to an email account I received and a couple other blogs that I read (all of which were second and third hand accounts – so fairly close to what happened), the commander of the Bainbridge asked for permission to take out the pirates at least twice and was denied. The President wanted a “peaceful” solution.

The commander took his own initiative during a request for “proof of life” with the pirates. When Captain Phillips was brought out, the Navy’s plan was put into action and he was safely rescued.

At the Summit of the America’s, we see Obama embrace dictator Hugo Chavez. We also hear about re-opening relations with the Castro brothers in Cuba. Both of these countries do not allow the freedoms we enjoy. They have suppressed their people through intimidation, imprisonment, and violence.

We then have Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano allowing the release of a paper that defines potential threats to our national security as coming from conservatives, NRA members, and military personnel returning home from overseas. The paper classified military personnel as potentially turning into Timothy McVeigh (from the Oklahoma City bombing), yet does not provide tangible evidence that this is a reality.

NRA members are pointed out because they own guns which are allowed to be legally owned under the Constitution. I guess my 70-year father is a double threat since he is ex-military and an NRA member! Yet they failed to address the criminals and terrorists who commit illegal acts and represent the true threat to us.

The CIA was also thrown under the bus by administration through the release of papers and memos on their interrogation tactics. This puts field agents and the military at risk because the terrorists now know how we operate.

If you read through the methods used, a lot of people might change their minds about these forms of so-called “torture”. Would you rather have a terrorist be uncomfortable for several hours or watch them carry out their plans?

Junior high school students are treated worse by PE coaches than the way the CIA treated these terrorists.

The dichotomy is that we are treating these different groups in the wrong ways. For those who have showed a pattern of violence and disrespect of other rights, the administration wants to protect and befriend them. For those who have done the right things or have a differing opinion as allowed under the Constitution are branded a problem.

This is where the liberal left is trying to take our nation. As Bill O’Reilly says it is “culture war” of turning wrong into right and right into wrong. This is not what the founding fathers of our nation intended. We need to continue to speak out against this.

Tax Day

It's April 15th - have you filed your taxes?

Taxes are due today if you did know. The government continues to demand more and more of money to feed their unending appetite to expand government programs.

All across America today, we saw citizens voice their opinion about the politicians in Washington through "tea parties". People are fed up with wasteful spending and handouts our government giving away. As a result, we are on a path of monumental debt levels and people are upset.

Personally, I attended the "tea party" in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There were probably a thousand or more people (and not one person from ACORN or MoveOn from what I saw).

Everyone was civilized, friendly, but definitely upset with our government. I have to admit that there were some pretty creative signs as well. The liberal mass media is painting a different picture or disparaging it such as MSNBC and CNN did today.

Politicians need to take notice. It is not a Democrat or republican thing. People are genuinely upset about where the government is headed. I am too the point to where I will campaign against both of the Congressional incumbents in my district.

President Obama commented on tax day. He recognized that the tax code is far too complicated and he vows to setup a committee to look into it. He also commented that people need to keep more of their income. So far his actions in his first 100+ days show no such signs.

Across the country we are seeing all forms of government (federal, state, and local) raise taxes to cover their massive spending programs they started during the height of the economic boom.

Speak up against continued spending and expansion. We cannot allow this to continue.

"Man is not free unless government is limited.... As government expands, liberty contracts." Ronald Reagan

Spring Is Here...

Spring is officially here. I tell by the smell of pine and rosin. (Does rosin actually have a scent??)Baseball has started the regular season!

The Florida Marlins are off to a good start at 5-1 already. There is hope on the horizon with a new stadium in downtown Miami and a commitment to build a contender through youth. Here is how I view the team:

• Starting Pitchers - They might have the one of the best overall rotations in baseball with Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, and Andrew Miller. They match up with any other rotation in the majors and will keep the Marlins competitive through the season. You cannot have too many good starters in an organization.
• Relief Pitchers - The part of team was completely re-worked. Matt Lindstrom is now the closer. He has the stuff but does he have the mental make-up? The rest of the cast looks promising but has been mediocre early on. This is probably the key to making the playoffs.
• Hitting - With Mike Jacobs and Josh Willingham gone you would think there would be a power shortage, but they still have 30 home run potential with Ramirez, Uggla, and Cantu. Team speed is greatly improved with Cameron Mayben and Emilio Bonifacio. Mayben has the potential to be a super star like Ramirez. Cody Ross and Jeremy Hermida are the outfield corners and are adequate.
• Fielding - The changes here will be noticeable. Cantu at first is an upgrade over Jacobs. Bonifacio will be better than Cantu at 3B even though he is out of position. Mayben can already play major league defense in center. Moving Hermida from right to left helps to hide him. John Baker and Ronny Paulino are serviceable behind the plate.

So where do I think they will finish? I think they will 86-88 wins, finish second to the Phillies, and be in contention to the end for the wild card spot. The Mets, Braves, and Nationals round out the NL East.

I cannot wait to get out to some games this summer.

Writer's Block

It is now two plus weeks since my last post. If you are wondering what has been going on, it is writer's block.

Yes, there are plenty of things to write about on the international and national fronts but I have not been inspired to write about them. I can probably blame it on work which has been busy or taking a short vacation (and not wanting to think about writing).

There are some topics that I have thought about that I will probably write on the the coming weeks:

• The Marlin's have opened the season 5-1 (yes, I know three games were against the Nationals.)
• The dolphin run (mahi-mahi for the non-natives) is starting. I hope to get out there this year if my buddy can get his boat in the water.
• The NFL draft is two weeks away - who will (should) the Dolphins get?

Maybe in the end I just needed a short break.

It Is Time For Term Limits

"A Man's Got to Know His Limitations"
Harry Callahan played by Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force

Apparently our Congressional leaders do not know their limits.

We need term limits - plan and simple.

Congress is just spending our money like it is growing on trees (maybe they think printing it from trees is ecologically okay if they pay carbon offsets). They continue to erode our Constitutional rights. We continue to read about absurd laws and bills (such as allowing the AIG bonuses). We hear about more abuses of their privileges (like flying cross country on private jets).

Have they lost site of what made our country great?

The Office of the President has term limits. Even before if was officially in writing it was understood to be just two terms. I think Congress should have the following limits:

• Representatives - 3 terms
• Senators - 2 terms
• Total time allowed in Congress - 12 years total

If you are there that long, I think anyone will start to be corrupted by the power at your fingertips. Lobbyists bend their ears to influence. The media even begins to twist your view of America.

It is not a red or blue issue. It is just not what our founding fathers intended. Government service (i.e. public office) was meant to be a temporary volunteer time to help your country. Not a career as some people have made it.

Here are some examples of people who have made a career out of politics:

• Christopher Dodd - U.S. House 1975 to 1981 and the U.S. Senate from 1981 to present - total of 34 years
• Ted Kennedy - U.S. Senate since 1962 - 46 years
• Orin Hatch - U.S. Senate since 1977 - 32 years
• Charles Rangle - U.S. House since 1971 - 37 years
• Henry Waxman - U.S. House since 1975 - 33 years
• Arlen Specter - U.S. Senate since 1981 - 27 years

I say in 2010 vote them out. Get rid of all of the incumbents and bring in people who understand what made this country great. People who will work for us (not vice versa as the current congress expects as they want more taxes from our wallets).

It is time for America to know her limits!

Just Nuke Them Baby!

No, I am not talk about what to do with terrorists. I am talking a way to help meet our needs for energy.

Nuclear is a clean and efficient way to create electricity. It supplies just 19% of the electricity in the U.S. We depend on coal, oil, and natural gas. Whereas France gets almost 80% of their electricity from nuclear.

If the administration is serious about breaking the dependency on oil and from hurting the environment (coal and oil burning is not exactly clean), we need to build more plants.

Yet the left says they are not the answer. So what is?

We do not allow feasible alternatives or use of our own oil reserves so we continue to become more dependent on foreign and send money to several countries who do not like (such as Chavez in Venezuela). We have a lot of oil reserves but we cannot drill for it because we are worried about some caribou?

We have heard about solar, wind, and bio-fuels for years but none of them have really developed into a cost effective way to generate power. Did you know if takes more energy to produce ethanol than it yields in the final product? Does that make sense?

We are people that are power hunger and the hunger will continue to grow as we continue to become more reliant on technology. (What do you think is powering the computer that you are reading this through?)

So I say just nuke them baby!

It's March Madness Baby!

It's that time of year when Dick Vitale goes crazy on ESPN. He seems to talk at a rate of 200 words a minute about the tournament. Fans are treated to a lot of quality basketball with varying styles and abilities. It seems like there are games on every night during March.

We have already seen some exciting games in the first two rounds of the men's tournament(Purdue and Washington, Florida State and Wisconsin, Texas and Duke, Oklahoma State and Tennessee, Michigan and Clemson) and some upsets (Cleveland State over Wake Forest and Arizona over Utah).

I will watch the tourney through the end because I am a fan. My schools may not be there this year, but I am still very interested. My final four for the men are North Carolina, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. For the women I am picking Connecticut, Auburn, Baylor, and Duke.

I am personally into my second weekend of basketball overload. Last weekend I was watching the conference tourneys. I was watching both men's and women's. Both of my alma maters are in the women's tournament (which I am watching right now) and the men's team from my graduate school is already into the 3rd round of the NIT.

College basketball in March beats the NBA in my opinion. You see athletes playing for the love of the game, not a paycheck. Teams that play as a team usually succeed over good athletes playing individually.

Finally - I am not a Duke fan but I agree with Coach K's comments to the President: Focus on the economy. Sure, basketball is an outlet for the country in troubling times, but he should focus on the economy. Former President Bush, an avid baseball fan, focused on world turmoil after 9-11 and not the baseball playoffs and World Series.

Stimulus plan to avoid waste?

"This plan cannot and will not be an excuse for waste and abuse,"
President Obama

Money is starting to flow the the states as part of the stimulus. However, they are being warned not to "waste" the money.

This is almost like an alcoholic father telling his grown child not to drink.

If you read through the details of the federal stimulus and the latest federal budget, you will find hundreds of earmarks and wasteful spending.

Before Washington (both the White House and Congress) tell the states how to manage themselves, they need to look in the mirror.

They are increasing the national debt by other 25% (the total debt, not just this year's budget deficit) through "stimulus spending. Is all of it really necessary? Will it really end the recession? I personally have my doubts. I think they are pushing their own agenda through these spending programs.

We are also being promised transparency that requests will be posted on the internet where special interest groups requests will be posted. It will be interesting to see who is really considered to be a "special interest". I doubt any of the special interest allies of this administration will show up on that list.

Feeling Distressed

I am feeling distressed.

I have talked to a couple banks recently about mortgages. Right now they are offering very favorable terms if I am "distressed".

I have always paid my mortgage (almost always on time), have equity in my home (meaning I owe less than its worth), make descent money (meaning I can afford my mortgage), and have a good employment record.

But banks are willing to offer below market rates if have not been able to do two or more of those recently. This means if I am a slacker who does not pay off debts, borrowed more than I should, or cannot keep a job, the bank will give me a favorable rate (plus I get a $1000 a year tax credit!).

One bank said I could get a 2% loan but since I was not distressed they would only offer me 5.125% to re-finance.

Now I recognize some people have lost their jobs because of the economy and others were misled by corrupt mortgage brokers. Those people should probably get a break.

But if my neighbor is a bum, who does not work or pay his bills, he gets a break while I have to pay in full. Judges have even been granted powers to reduce debts for these people. You even qualify for a tax credit.

That does not seem right to me. Why do they get a break for not doing the right thing? In the end the majority (95% of us) who are doing the right things will pay for them.

Because of this I am feeling distressed.

Lies and Deception

This is what I feel we have been given after 50 days.

We were promised much more during the campaign but we are receiving the usual from Washington. In the end it makes sick.

• We were promised that earmarks would be eliminated yet they are at record levels. The audacity to sign the bill knowing it was full of earmarks is shameful.
• Lobbyists were not supposed to be allowed into the administration but they are there and more are being added. It is business as usual.
• We were told that everyone would be heard on issues, but it has been the same closed system. There are no discussion about alternative or middle ground.
• Future tax burdens loom with with the record spending levels. How else are they going to be paid for?

During the State of Union address, we heard that universal health, education, and green energy are the ways out of the economic troubles we have.

This is deceptive because these are not the problem with the economy. It revolves around toxic loans and frozen credit. Yet we have not heard definitive plans to address these problems. Just rhetoric and bills to promote an agenda.

As citizens, we need to speak out and say that this is not right. During the mid-term congressional elections, we need to vote out the politicians that participated in this (regardless of their party).

I probably should not be sick over this, but probably mad instead.

Do They Understand?

I wonder if liberals really understand the economy and the driving forces that actually create wealth.

We continue to hear from Washington how the government feels they are the best avenue for fixing the ills of the economy and society. They continue to push their programs and spend our tax dollars. (A big chunk of it is wasteful spending in my opinion.)

Adam Smith, who is considered the father of capitalism (even through that term did not exist until after his death), wrote two major works on economic theory. His premises revolutionized thinking about what drives the economy and even society.

He successfully made the case that individuals in the their desire to make a profit is what creates wealth (and jobs). Through the centuries since then, we have seen the evidence from countries that have followed this premise grow into the super powers of the world. Those who did not embrace it became 2nd and 3rd tier countries in the world.

This administration continues to make policy moves away from Adam Smith's theories. As a result, they continue to handcuff business and the economy. Some of the continuing challenges with the economy include:

• The credit markets are still virtually frozen. This is preventing banks from loaning money for purchases and working capital. This hinders businesses from being able to operate in a normal fashion.
• Taxes, unnecessary regulation, and other costs are being considered by Washington to add more burdens to businesses. This will increase the cost to manufacture and will ultimately be passed along as a cost to the consumer.
• Increased tax burden is a deterrent to people investing. If you penalize people for investing in businesses, they will move their money (capital) to places where it will not be taxed as heavily.
• Increased government spending (at deficit levels) will create future tax burdens to pay for the debt and weakens the dollar against other currencies.
• The depressed stock market is a deterrent to new companies from making initial public offerings to raise capital. This is used to expand and growth (especially when you consider job creation).
• The decreased values in stocks and the reduction in dividends (due to decreased earnings and cash concerns) effects individuals and their spending.

The administration campaigned on a centrist platform for domestic and economic policies. All we have seen is the failed liberal ideals of years past. It is just tax and spend policy that handcuffs real growth. The only growth in this approach is in government bureaucracy.

Someone sent a video to me recently of President Obama trying to explain investing. It is from 2007 in the early days of his Presidential campaign. It is rather sad when you listen to it and think about his education and position (even as a Senator).

When will liberals understand? I am not sure. Conservatives need to continue to voice their opinions and concerns about the direction the liberal agenda is taking our country.

Welcome Mr. Seiler

An open letter to Mayor-Elect Jack Seiler:

Welcome Mr. Seiler,

We welcome you as the new mayor of Fort Lauderdale. There are definitely a lot of challenges that lie ahead for our city. Here are some of my suggestions on things that need to be addressed in our city.

• Fix The Lights - The lights on our major arteries need to be better synchronized. You cannot drive US1 or Broward without getting stopped after three or four lights. It does not matter what time of day either. This wastes people's time and money. (P.S. Bridges like Andrews, Third Avenue, and Davie should be locked during rush hour too...)
• Flatten the Lumps - Our roads our rough to ride on especially if you are on a bike. Third Avenue (north of Broward) and SE Sixth Street (between Federal and Andrews) have so many patches and pot-holes it is almost ridiculous. We need to demand better work from contractors who do the work. The pavers put in by the previous regime are also rough to ride over too. I would recommend removing them if that would not cost tax payers anything.
• Fine The Lawbreakers - Blatant law that are endangering others need to be dealt with especially on our roadways. I have been hit by cars twice while cycling (cars were at fault) and run off the road a couple more times in the last 4 years. We see too many people speeding and running lights.
• Forget The Levies - No, I am not talking about New Orleans' type levies. I am talking about tax levies. With the current economic mess, the government should try to avoid raising taxes. I know we have a short-fall, but we need to look at cutting back our spending. Hopefully you will carry through on your campaign promise to do that. Also, government needs to be like businesses and put away extra money from good times for downturns.
• Floridarize The Landscape - Okay, "Floridarize" is not really a word but I need something to keep the FTL theme going. We need to plant smarter landscaping that can handle the heat and drought times of South Florida. The city workers plant items (like St Augustine grass in medians) that require a lot of water and maintenance.
• Foreclose The Lots - Builders (i.e. corporations - not individual homeowners) have stopped projects mid-way through have left neighborhoods looking like a mess. Where I live there are a couple of these partial finished projects with debris piles and homes in various states of development. I have seen the same thing in other neighborhoods around the city. The builders need to be fined. If they cannot pay the fine and cleanup the lots, the city should foreclose on them. They should be auctioned to FTL residents (not back to builders). The previous regime let builders run wild in neighborhoods and destroyed the character of some. In these tough economic times individuals should be given some grace on finishing their home projects.

There are some others that I could put down, but I thinkthese are some more of the more important challenges we face. We look forward to the administration that will hopefully bring our city back on track.

The Meaning Behind It

People try to measure their words carefully especially in diplomacy and negotiations. It is important to convey the right meaning. But there are times that we do not think about the acronyms that names create.

I was reminded of that this morning when I reading Sherman's Lagoon cartoon strip.

Hawthorne the hermit crab was trying to impress some angelfish that he was really a good guy. He decided (in his scheming way) to setup a "charity" named Helping All Things Everywhere. Fillmore the sea turtle pointed out the Hawthorne that the acronym spelled HATE.

I have seen other real life examples like this. Several years ago at the company I work at, a VP in technology was promoting a new custom application. After I saw the presentation, I pointed out that the acronym of his proposed application was PMS! Fortunately he decided to change the name (and the project was approved).

I heard about another company that was looking to get rid of unused equipment (and get them off their books). They setup a group named the "Fixed Asset Retirement Team". How would you like to be an employee assigned to work on "FART"!

In the Seattle area, the decided to name a trolley the the South Lake Union Trolley. That's right, SLUT! I bet those government officials were embarrassed when they realized what they did!

Hugo Chavez, our favorite South American leader (hardly) calls his intelligence agency the Directorate of Military Intelligence. The Spanish acronym for it is "DIM". I wonder how intelligent they really are...

With the bank bailout, I wonder if Former Treasury Secretary Paulson really thought about the bank bailout name - TARP. Years from now we might look at it as a cover-up for the bad policy decisions made by the government (i.e. ending Glass-Steagall, lowering loan qualification requirements at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).

All of this of this points to the importance of thinking about what you are saying and naming things. We can probably never prevent people from making up names from real things (i.e. Navy - Never Again Volunteer Yourself) but we definitely need to think about the meanings. This is probably why marketing guys argue that they are worth their fees...

Take Your Medicine Taxpayers

We the taxpayer need to question what is going on in Washington. We are being told that we need to take the stimulus package for our own good.

President Obama said that "If we agree on 90% of the stuff and we're spending all our time on television arguing about 1, 2, 3% of the spending in this thing, and somehow it's being characterized in broad brush as wasteful spending, that starts sounding more like politics."

Mr. President, we do have a right to question the bill that Congress voted on without fully reading it. The simple math is that 10% of the stimulus package is $78 billion. I think that is material and taxpayers should be able to question it. This is larger than Florida's state budget for 2009.

It is our right to question what Washington is doing. Otherwise it is taxation without representation. (Ironic that liberals cried for this when they were not in control but now they do not want to allow it.)

Washington is also putting together a 10 year budget ("spending") plan. They are already concerned that "their plan" may not work. As a result, we will be stuck with these bloated programs for decades and will be paying more in taxes to get out of this mess.

Note: The stock markets showed what they thought of the plans. They quickly reversed course from modest gains to being sharply lower to reach 11 year lows.

I never intended my blog to be so political from a national perspective but this is what we are facing today. We need to write our congressmen and senators and tell them what we think our how the government is spending (wasting) our tax dollars. They work for us, we do not work for them.

The Changing Lexicon of Liberals

Liberals continue to change the lexicon of politics and society. They are attempting to force their views and attempt to change the mind set of society. However this is a dangerous path because it is grossly misleading. Here are some examples that I see today:

Acceptance replaces Tolerance - The left is now demanding that we accept all fringe groups that are out there almost regardless of what they might believe or stand for. This is far different from tolerance where you recognize another group but still have the right to disagree. For example, Jews are now asked to accept Islam despite radical fringes that seek to destroy Israel.
Politician replaces Statesman - In the past, elected officials at the national level were referred to as Statesmen. Men of honor who would do what is best for the country. They have been replaced by Politicians who look out for their own interests to often. On top of that, politics has become a career whereas in the past public office was a service where someone gave up part of the career for the good of the people.
Entitlements replace Charity - We continue to see the shift from churches and social organizations (a.k.a. Red Cross) providing help to those in need towards government sponsored programs. This shift started during the Great Depression and has continued to be pushed by liberals. President Obama has left the faith based initiatives of President Bush in place for now but this needs to be watched.
Tax Breaks replaces Entitlements - The current tax code adjustments are now giving tax refunds to people who do not pay taxes. This is anything but a tax break. It is simply government welfare disguised as a tax code change.
Rights and Privileges are interchangeable - These terms have been swapped around as deemed necessary by liberals. Welfare has become a right despite no constitutional basis. Whereas items such as free speech are being infringed upon and described as privileges.
Mistake replaces Felony - We have seen several cabinet appointees admit that they failed to pay their income taxes in the past. This includes Treasury Secretary Geithner. He should have known that he was liable for U.S. income taxes when he worked overseas. I guess he did not use Turbo Tax...
Fear replaces Hope - During the election, we continued to hear a message of hope. There were good things in store for America. Now the message has to turned to fear as the economy continues to struggle. We are asked to do whatever the administration asks to avoid further damage to our nation.

There are several others that I could have put in this list.

Listen carefully to the language that comes out of our elected officials. We need to hold them accountable for what they say and do. Regardless of their political affiliation be watchful of what they say and suggest.

Is Conservatism Really A Genetic Defect?

"The reason a person is a conservative republican is because something is wrong with them. Again, that’s science – that’s neuroscience. You cannot be well adjusted, open-minded, pluralistic, enlightened and be a republican. It’s counter-intuitive. And they revel in their anti-intellectualism. They revel in their cruelty.

I don’t know if you heard me talking to Jenny a while ago, but I was saying that first you have to be an asshole and then comes the conservatism. You gotta be a dick to cleave onto their ideology."

Janeane Garofalo's view of conservatives

So according to Garofalo, conservative values are either a medical problem or plan ignorance.

Interesting idea, but where did she get her advanced degree in medicine or psychology?

Personally, I take offense to her crazy ideas. I do not think it is a genetic problem as she points out. I have a graduate degree (with honors) from a top 50 university. I also was not molded into my conservative values by my parents. (They were middle of the road when I was growing up.)

I become a conservative on my own choosing. I have compared different political ideologies and decided that conservatism is the best approach.

If I apply her logic, I guess most of the founding fathers of our nation were also defective in their thinking too. I guess I suffer from the same disorder as people like Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and Madison.

This is how liberals view those of differing opinions. The opposition has something wrong with them and they should not be allowed to exist. Their push for reviving the Fairness Doctrine is proof that they think people are dumb.

Personally, I think celebrities like Garofalo need to think before they speak. I am not going to stoop to her levels and start the name calling or make degrading statements. She has a right to her own opinion. But if the general public read this they would be disenfranchised with her.

However, I am sure that I will not watch any of her movies, television shows, or stand-up comedy act. I am probably not smart of enough to comprehend her act anyways...

Miami Heat Improve Their Lineup

The Miami Heat made a big trade yesterday to bolster their lineup for the playoff stretch. Essentially they traded Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal.

O'Neal is a 6'11" center / power forward who can play in the low block or face the basket. He has been a proven scorer, rebounder, and defender. His weakness has been his health (specifically his knees) and being able to stay in the lineup.

I like Marion's game but his offensive skills were not a good fit in Miami. He needs to be in an up-tempo offense where he can get the ball in space and in transition. His defense and rebounding really helped the Heat to have a good first half of the season. Plus he was playing a similar role as Beasley plays.

This trade may not be a repeat of the last O'Neal trade (remember Shaq) to bring a championship to Miami, but it does help the team in many ways:

• Low Post Scoring - Haslem is a great role player, but he is not the low post scoring option needed to run an effective half court offensive. O'Neal can play with his back to the basket and be a threat that other teams must respect. The Heat need this in the playoffs. O'Neal has proven to be a legitimate scorer through his career, but he will not be asked to carry the offense in Miami.
• Beasley can move into the starting lineup - He is better fit in the offense than Marion and can provide that secondary scoring threat behind Wade. This will allow him more opportunities to show why he was the second overall pick in the draft.
• Salary Cap Space in 2010 - O'Neal's contract expires after the 09-10 season and the Heat could have over $30M in cap space available. This will be important in re-signing Wade and possibly attracting one of the potential big name free agents that could be available.
• More Big Men off of the Bench - Magloire, Blount, and Anthony will now be coming off the bench to provide defense and rebounding. It also means that the Heat has 20 fouls to give against all-star caliber centers like Dwight Howard.

Overall, I really like the trade for the Heat. I am glad they did not trade for Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix. That would have cost them Marion, Beasley and something else. This should allow the Heat to grab the #4 seed and to be a threat deep into the playoffs.

Can We Have A Kosher Government?

My friends know that I really like BBQ pork. I have my own smoker and think that I make the best BBQ in town. I like trying pork BBQ at different restaurants.

However, I do not like to see pork in politics. I want a kosher government that is free of pork.

Washington is voting on the largest spending program in history. The House has passed it and the Senate will vote on it over the weekend. And we are being told that it is needed and important. We are also told that if we do not support this things could get even worse.

However, this package has a lot of "extras" (a.k.a. pork) that are questionable on whether they will really stimulate the economy.

Some of the pork in the stimulus package including the following items:

• $100 million for the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
• $200 million to the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program
• $300 million for "Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs"
• $900 million for the IRS for the "Limitation on Administrative Expenses"
• $1 million for the Railroad Retirement Board for administrative costs
• $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Act
• $50 million for Health and Human Services to carry out injury prevention programs
• $1.1 billion for studies on the effectiveness of different medical treatments
• $200 million to upgrade labs and facilities for the Department of Agriculture "to improve workplace safety and mission-area efficiencies"
• $10 million for urban canal inspection
• $16 billion to pay for student financial aid
• $1 billion to pay for the U.S. Census
• $600 million to pay for a fuel-efficient federal auto fleet
• $650 million for the Digital Converter Box Program to help the constantly delayed transition from analog television
• $485 million to the Forest Service for "hazardous fuels reduction and hazard mitigation activities in areas at high risk of catastrophic wildfire"
• Up to $1 billion for "summer activities" for youths as old as 24-- $40 million for the occupational research agenda
• $3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control wellness programs and vaccinations
• $410 million for Indian health facilities
• $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstrations
• $2 billion for neighborhood stablization funds to be distributed through Acorn and other liberal organizations.

Some of these thing might be needed and important, but they should be in their own bills and not part of the stimulus package. The bill is 1075 pages in length. Who knows what else is in there. I doubt anyone in Congress really knows what is there.

The bottom line is that the government we elected has let us down. They instead are taking advantage of us to spend our tax dollars as they fit. We are seeing an expansion of government and a large increase in our national debt. Something that will straddle generations to come with debt. Our children and grandchildren will be paying taxes to cover this.

Now I agree that something needs to be done. We need to do something to stem the credit crunch that handcuffs businesses, provide tax breaks to individuals to increase dispoable income, and provide better transparency on financial instruments. These are things that will help everyone.

We do not need the hands-off approach of Hoover or the big government of Roosevelt. We need limited interaction that will make a difference to stimulate the economy. Instead, it looks more like the big government solutions of Roosevelt.

The "porkonomics" needs to end. We were promised something better with the new administration but instead it is more of the same of tax and spend Keynesian politics. The political paybacks need to end.

We need better from our government. We need to send a message to Washington in the mid-term elections that this is not what we wanted.

No More Hangers

I made a new resolution last year - I am not going to buy anymore clothes hangers.

It might sound strange initially, but the reality is that I have a closet full clothes. Yet I continue to receive new clothes as gifts or occasionally buy them.

The truth is I have more dress shirts and bike jerseys than I really need. Now I am not a fashion king but I do want to look nice.

So I decided that I will not buy anymore hangers. Instead, if I get a new piece of clothing I need to retire something. And that does not mean throwing things away. Instead I give the descent items that could still be worn to the Salvation Army or other charitable groups.

When my church was collecting dress clothes for a homeless shelter for people with job interviews, I gave away some shirts and a suit that no longer fit me.

I have been blessed many ways. So I found another way to share some of my excess to those who have needs.

Not Always Social...

Some days I am just not very social.

Yesterday was one of those days. I have been fighting off a sinus cold and dealing with eye infection (which a friend said I should blame myself since I didn't change out my contacts frequently enough). As a result, I was tired and not feeling a hundred percent.

So after a couple cups of coffee I headed out to run some errands and do some shopping. I went to Publix (where shopping is a pleasure) to buy some groceries. The cashier was overly friendly and asked me 20 questions from how I liked some of the items to what I was going to fix with them.

I proceeded to minimally answer her questions with one syllable answers. I just was not in the mood for conversation. I just wanted to get me groceries and go. Is that so wrong?

Family and friends who have known me for years know that when I am tired (or pre-coffee in the morning) I am not very talkative. My parents know not to ask me any hard questions until my 2nd cup of coffee.

I know that I should be courteous (and not a grouch) but some days it is hard. I need to show Christian love and kindness to others around me when I am out. On days I can't be that way maybe I should just stay home.

Depression Era Values

On Monday the Sun Sentinel carried a national wire article titled "Depression generation's lessons have value today". It is relevant topic with the economic troubles but I was surprised that they put out the ideas as being new things.

If my grandparents read the article they would laugh. They lived through the great depression and still remind me how fortunate they were to have food to eat.

The six lessons in article are things that I was taught growing up by my parents and grandparents. They are timeless and should be taught to youngsters today. Unfortunately we see too many examples of people not living by these examples and getting into financial trouble.

The principles are:

• Frugality - Live within in your means and do no spend money on things you do not need.
• Recycle - The original green concept of re-using discarded items. My father still watches for old bed frames (at the dismay of my mother) to use the steel for welding projects.
• Help - Giving to others in need. When God has blessed you share it others around you who need help.
• Work Hard - Earn your pay on the job. If you want more, work harder. When I was in high school, my parents did not just give me whatever I asked for. When I wanted a car, I had to work for it. Today people have a since of entitlement that they have a right to a car, television, cell phone, and the list goes on.
• Shun Debt - This comes back to frugality and living in your means. Do not spend money you do not have. A mortgage for home is okay but you should be afford to afford the mortgage payments. (What ever happened to the rule of thumb that no more than 40% of your income can go to debt payments, insurance, and property taxes?)
• Save - Put away a portion of what you earn. You will need money for a rainy day (a.k.a. the day your car breaks down) and retirement. (Are you really relying on social security?)

If more people lived by these principles the U.S. would be better off. We instead seek after instant gratification and pleasure which Proverbs describes as the path to destruction. Why are those principles so hard?

Fort Lauderdale Elections

Elections are coming up for the City of Fort Lauderdale. If you are like me, you are tied of the flyers on your door and commercials on cable for for the candidates.

Elections for the city are odd. They are held off-cycle after the national election. This creates less voting interest and lower turn-out. Just as bad is the fact that it costs tax payers extra money. (Will any of the candidates support moving them to November? That would be one of my campaign promises if I ever ran.)

Second odd thing is that they are non-partisan. In the city I lived in before, mayor candidates declared their party. Here they are allowed mask their true political beliefs to a certain extent.

The Sun Sentinel voiced their opinion this morning on the candidates. They supported two incumbents for city commission and two with developer ties. For mayor they supported a candidate who has been in state politics for a long time.

Here are my thoughts:

• Mayor - It is a toss up for me between Rossi and Seiler. Both have sound ideas but neither really excite me. I also do not know where they stand on some issues. Most of the candidates talk about being fiscal conservatives but who really knows. The issue of free passes for developers is one of things that concerns me. Seiler had to move into Fort Lauderdale (from Wilton Manors) to be eligible to run. Rossi's primary campaigning method seems to be bus benches for his law firm. The third leading candidate is a former military officer who did not state that he was retired in campaign literature (which is supposed to do).

• Commission District 4 - Romney Rogers - He is probably the most like my personal views and does not appear to be connected with developers. One opponent sent a flyer stating he would encourage the right kind of development yet a meet the candidate party was co-sponsored by one of the "McMansion" builders in Rio Vista. The third candidate sent a flyer stating that he was capping his personal funding of his campaign at $10K for a $4K position - that does not add up. What is his motivation? It is probably not in our best interest.

It is important to get out and exercise our right to vote. In these tough times we need good representatives to help manage the government through these tough times.

Super Bowl XLIII Prediction

Tonight is the single most watched sports event - the Super Bowl!

I will be at a party tonight enjoying the game and the fun associated with it. Most of probably do not care about either team unless you were originally from those cities. Some will probably care about the local guys from high schools and colleges in FL.

So how do I see the game turning out?

Pittsburgh comes in with the tougher and in some ways more talented team on paper. The have a hard hitting defense that can stop most teams. Their linebackers really make the defense because they can rush the quarterback, stand up to the run, or play in space.

QB Ben Roethlisberger is a good leading their offense but he has not been special in the playoffs. He will not win a lot of games with his arm but he can cost them game with interceptions. The Pittsburgh running game is the power run behind a big offensive line.

Arizona is led by QB Kurt Warner and the dynamic duo at WR of Larry Fitzgerald (who is one of my favorite fantasy players) and Anquin Boldin. Edgerrin James has looked revitalized in the playoffs after a lackluster season.

Most people cannot name two starters on the Arizona defense. They have their own hard hitters in the secondary led by Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle. The secondary is also good at picking off opponents passes. If the front seven can slow the run and force Pittsburgh to throw, the secondary might come up with a big play or two.

So can Arizona win the game? Yes they can. They are on a roll in the playoffs beating Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Carolina.

The key is spreading out the Pittsburgh defense. This is what Indianapolis has done to beat Pittsburgh in recent. If Arizona watches those game films, uses that offensive philosophy, and keeps Warner's jersey clean, they can beat Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh offense is not designed to score a lot of points.

My prediction: Arizona 31 Pittsburgh 20

What do you think?

Global Warming? Tell That To The People Shoveling Snow

Al Gore was at it again this week.

On Wednesday he was testifying before Congress about how we are destroying our climate and the earth will become un-inhabitable.

He is calling drastic changes in the U.S. once again on everything from automobiles to power creation. He wants the U.S. to take a leading role in global climate change.

In typical liberal fashion, Gore is a hypocrite to what he preaches. We should listen and do what he says and not how he acts.

He lives in a 20 room mansion in Tennessee that has to use a lot of energy. He flies around on private jets. He is chauffeured around in limos. How is that really helping the environment?

Part of his solution is "carbon offsets". Basically buying the right to pollute. Call it whatever you want - a tax, fine, or permission.

Carbon credits are like mulligans in golf or permission to cheat on your wife. You are just buying your way out.

What good are carbon credits to the environment? You are really just giving money to a government to make yourself feel better at the end of the day.

I am not someone who is looking to destroy the environment and abuse this wonderful creation we call "earth". But its resources should be available for our consumption whether that is oil for fuel, animals for food, or trees for shelter. We need to be smart about using the resources but they do replenish themselves.

John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, wrote a rebuttal this week to the climate change fanatics basically saying there is no real scientific basis.

More scientists are now stepping up and saying similar things. Global warming has become a "new religion" according Ivar Giaever who won the Nobel Prize Winner for Physics. Additional scientists are saying that we are entering a cooling cycle in the earth's climate.

Another thing that bothers me is that liberals are so intent on changing America, but they dare not speak against emerging nations such as China, India, and Mexico. They are some of the worst pollution offenders.

Politicians have created an agenda to change things to the way they feel it should be - not based on public opinion or actual facts.

In the current economic environment, this could have drastic effects. The recent bill to increase auto mileage efficiency might be some of the last nails in the coffin for the Detroit auto-makers. The limits on domestic oil drilling means that we will continue to send billions of dollars to the Middle East and Venezuela (some of whom do not like the U.S.).

We do not need politicians making knee jerk reactions on major issues that have such wide sweeping effects. Secondly, Washington politicians should focus on more important matters such as the economic mess they created.

Time will ultimately judge President Bush

It is almost a week after the inauguration of President Obama and the liberal political pundits are still bashing President Bush.

It seems like every day since the inauguration the Sun Sentinel has run an editorial or article (really a discussed editorial) on how Bush may have been the worst President in history.

In my opinion, columnist Robert Watson went over the edge on Sunday. He talks about history judging Bush and then practically names him the worst President ever. He even gave the results of a recent History Channel poll of historians where 107 out of 109 said that Bush was a failure.

The truth is we will not fully understand the impact of Bush for probably 20 years.

Did Bush do some good things? Yes. Did he do some bad things? Yes. He will probably not be revered like Reagan for turning the economy around and ending the cold war. As we look back at Reagan we can really appreciate how he helped our country prosper.

On the other hand, he was not Nixon who committed crimes and was impeached. (Watson surprisingly moves Nixon out of the failure category because of his China diplomacy - I am not sure that is enough given his crimes and the bad economy during that time.)

Bush did what was needed on the international front to protect our country after the tragedy of 9/11. Pundits say that the world did not like us - so what. We have allies like Great Britain, Australia, and Japan who believe we need to keep the world safe from terrorism.

When you were in grade school, did everyone like the class bully? Probably very few did. (Most of the ones who did like the bully probably lied...) The bullies of the world are countries like Iran, Korea, and Venzuela and terrorist organizations like Hamas and al-Qaida. Who really cares if they like us.

Bush probably did fall short on the economy by allowing continued government expansion and increased spending but Congress should also take some blame for that. But he did protect individual rights (as best as possible while fighting terrorism) by supporting the rights of the unborn, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and the freedom of religion.

Time will ultimately be the judge for the Bush Presidency.

Years from now we will see what the long term effects are in the war on terrorism. We will also see how bad and long the economy suffers. That is what will define the Bush Presidency, not a poll from the History Channel.

Just like the name of the liberal organization pushing the left's agenda, it is time to "Move On". We need to come together as a nation and address the economic challenges in front of us.

The Liberal Assault on Rights Begins

The liberal agenda made advances on Thursday through Presidential orders to close Guantanamo, end selected interrogation techniques, and provide federal funding for abortions outside the U.S.

On the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, federal funds will once again be used to support for non-governmental organizations working outside the U.S. that offer abortions or abortion counseling. The rights of the unborn were once again undermined by liberals.

Note: The Friday print edition of the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel made no mention of this order.

As a Christian, I cannot support the killing of unborn babies just because they are unwanted. I understand there are medical reasons for some abortions where the life of the mother is in jeopardy, but not for convenience.

Pro-life rallies were held across the U.S. including a march down Pennsylvania Avenue by thousands to call attention to the millions of innocent unborn babies that are killed through abortion.

The closing of Guantanamo is almost as controversial. We hear about the "rights" of the detainees, but the majority are captured terrorists. They include terrorists such as Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammad who was waiting a military trial for his deeds.

Now we have to wonder if justice will ever be served for the victims of these terrorists. It is the government's responsibility to punish those who violate the law and the rights of others.

Interestingly, 70 of the detainees were to be let go by the prior administration but no country wanted to take them. (I wonder why...)

The order yesterday also struck down current non-lethal interrogation techniques currently used by the military and intelligence agencies. They now must follow the Army Field Manual techniques which most terrorists are trained to withstand (meaning they are ineffective).

These people are military combatants who have declared war on the U.S., not street criminals. They should be treated differently than someone who is arrested for stealing a car for instance.

It is a bit ironic that the popular television show 24 uses the very techniques now deemed unacceptable to coerce information from the bad guys. Jack Bauer would probably be fired for what he does.

Now we have to wonder how the military and intelligence organizations will be able to effectively protect the U.S. from terrorism.

The bottom line is that liberals are shifting rights away from innocent law abiding citizen and extending more of them to people who should be loosing them because of their actions.

We need to speak out and let the President know where we stand on these issues. We must also be watchful as the liberal agenda tries to advance their cause with further erosion of rights on free speech, the right to bear arms, and freedom of religion.

A Review of the Dolphins Performance

I am still disappointed how the season ended for the Dolphins. They had a terrific season overall after a miserable 1-15. I do take some solace in the fact that the Ravens beat up the #1 seed Titans.

For Dolfans, it is time to enjoy the playoffs and start thinking about next season. Here are my grades and analysis of the team by unit:

QB (A-) Pennington, Henne, and Beck are the three for next season. The question is how to get playing time for Henne to develop and eventually take over. Pennington probably has one more season left so you have to get Henne prepared to take over. (Note: I only gave QB an A- because of Pennington's inability to throw the deep ball.)
RB (A) We should be set with Brown, Williams, and Cobbs. This is really the strength of the team. The three of them are the reason that the "wildcat" formation worked. It allowed the Dolphins to involve all three simultaneously. FB Polite did a good job in short yardage situations and was adequate as a lead blocker. No changes are needed unless somebody retires again...
WR (C+) This was one of the major weaknesses on the on the team. When you see your 3rd string RB Cobbs (who is a good player) lined up at WR you know there are problems. Ginn, Bess, and Camarillo are keepers, but there is no big physical WR to make plays. Wilford was supposed to fill that role but he was a bust as a free agent signing. I expect this position to be addressed in the draft. There are some impact WRs in the draft this year.
TE (B+) Fasano was a steal from the Cowboys and Martin showed why the previous regime brought him in to replace McMichael. They were the downfield passing threats on the team. The only change might be upgrading the 3rd TE to help in blocking situations.
OL (B+) This unit was as responsible for the turn around as Pennington. They provided good running lanes and kept the QB standing up most of the time. However depth is a big concern as well as resigning Carey. The depth problems showed as Smiley and Thomas were lost to injuries. Jake Long was as advertised and should be an anchor at LT for years to come. I expect the team to draft one or two players for this unit.
DL (B) The rookies Langford and Merling played well at times. They should be solid contributers in the future. The veterans played as expected. Future replacements for Ferguson and Holliday need to be brought and developed. I am not sure they are on the roster today.
LB (B-) This unit is a mixed bag and needs to be addressed. Porter showed why he is a fearsome pass rusher, but he will be 32 next season. Crowder is a free agent and might be let go. His numbers looked good but he did not make plays. Adodele was a nice pick up from the Cowboys. Roth should probably go back to DE because he is a liability trying to cover TEs. Torbor, Anderson, and Moses added depth and helped on special teams. This is the unit most likely to be addressed through free agency with several good players becoming available.
DB (B) This unit really improved during the season but needs to addressed. Will Allen and Goodman did a good job but both are past 30 now. Jason Allen still looks lost on the field at times and probably will never live up to being a #1 pick. Bell and Hill are good at S, but we could use someone who is either more physical and/or creates more turnovers. Most of the key players are late 20s and early 30s and several are free agents. I believe the draft is the best way to infuse some new youthful talent. I expect this unit to have the most changes in the offseason.
ST (D) The kickers were good. The returners were okay. The blocking on returns cost us field position (and at least one TD) because of penalties on multiple occasions. The coverage at times was scary allowing too many big returns. Continuing to bring in young players through he draft will help with kick coverage. Bess, Cobbs, and Ginn should be fine for returners. The draft might bring in a CB/KR to add depth and skills.

In terms of priority, the Dolphins need to address the DB and WR positions first followed by LB and then OL. I expect most of this to be addressed through the draft. Parcells places an emphasis on the line of scrimmage so I expect the team to rate those needs higher.

The leadership will not mortgage the future through free agent signings. Free agency was okay overall with Pennington and Smiley being key contributors, but otherwise they did not have significant impact. Some more trades like Fasano / Adoleye could also add some depth. But those are hard to do in the NFL with the salary cap and the emphasis on youth.

More rookie free agents like Bess and Thomas will also be brought in to try and find more diamonds in the rough. Ireland is good talent evaluator and will probably find another player or two this way.

Parcells, Ireland, and Sprano have this team headed in the right direction. Next season will be tougher since they won 11 games this years, but we can look forward to another year of contending for the playoffs.

One Week Away

Change - 1 a: to make different in some particular : alter b: to make radically different b: transform c: to give a different position, course, or direction to 2 a: to replace with another b: to make a shift from one to another : switch

We are only one week away from the inauguration of President-elect Obama. The message we continue to hear about change. But what does that really mean? What will really change this country?

I think everyone agrees that our nation faces several challenges with the economy, social injustice (i.e. crime, racism, lack of family structure), terrorism, and individual rights.

So what are the answers? How do we make our nation the place that everyone else in the world is envious of?

The new leadership in Washington would have us believe that the government can legislate and mandate change.

I disagree.

From an economic perspective, it is individual businesses that drive change. Especially small businesses. As they develop new goods and services, they also create jobs. This is model that spurred growth over the last two centuries and made America what it is. We have seen our economy change and adapt through the decades from a manufacturing focus to service oriented to technology based. But Washington wants to tell business what they need to do and how they should work.

Note: As Christian I realize that the Bible does not tell us what form of economic policy (capitalism vs. socialism) is right, but looking at the history of our nation I realize that capitalism is what made us great.

From the social perspective, it starts with the family at home. It is about raising the next generation with values such as commitment, honor, perseverance, honesty, and generosity. It seems we have lost our direction in teaching these values.

The government has come in and said let them teach values to the next generation - this is mistake that has not worked for several decades now. We see the results with crime statistics, pregnancy and divorce rates, and addictions to drugs and pornography.

Note: The government has a role is provide law and order in society but they should not be expected to provide the moral backbone of our communities.

The change we need only happens within the family unit. I would also argue that it also driven by teaching a faith based value system. Jesus gives this through the gospel message. True change only comes this way.

The End of Teenagers

Newt Gingrich recently wrote a column for Business Week calling for an end of adolescence. He calls for them to take on more responsibilities as young adults instead of prolonging childhood. When I first read it, I thought that is nice idea. I was not sure how you would really implement such an idea.

However I started thinking about it some more shortly after when I went to the FTL boat parade. There was a family sitting near me with a teenage daughter. She was wearing expensive designer jeans, a "hoodie" from another jeans company (whose name is a bit offensive in my opinion), sun glasses (and remember this started at 8pm), and more bling jewelry than her mom. She sat there apparently bored out of her mind through the whole parade while her mother repeatedly chased her other two very young children around.

At some point, people have to take on responsibilities. The adolescence model seems to have delayed that and extended childhood. As a result, they are not prepared for life on their own once they leave home. This is a change from the past when you were either a child or young adult. You were given roles and responsibilities.

This is not a call for teenagers to drop of school or skip college to go into the work force. It is a call for them to be responsible for what they do. If they mess up, they need to pay the consequences. If they want something, they should earn it. They need to learn about responsibility.

Growing up my parents did not give me whatever I wanted. I worked part time and summers to earn money to help pay for a car and computer. I was fortunate that they were able to help with college but I also worked hard at academics to get over half the costs covered with scholarships. I also had chores around the house. Those increased through my teenage years.

To paraphrase Gingrich we need to engage the youth to challenge to take on real roles and responsibilities. One example he proposes are college scholarships for high schoolers who finish early.

Unfortunately I am afraid that many parents today do not see this as a problem. They also do not seem to instill the same values as when I was young. They continue to treat them as children. Teenagers look at Hollywood (and advertising) on how they should behave and what they should expect out of life instead of getting this from their parents. As a result, we see generations of young adults moving into society (a.k.a. real life) ill prepared.

As young adults, they need to learn life skills while they are still at home from work responsibilities to relationship skills to money management. Without this, they fill their time with other things that include paths to destruction and misery. I have heard Bob Barnes of Sheridan House say this for several years, but now I am starting to understand why. I am seeing more of the results around me everyday.

This change will only start with families at home. This is not something that the government, a school or a church can enforce. It has to come from the parents. Otherwise someone else is instilling values in them. Is that what we really want?