Being adaptable

Less than 1 1/2 hours to the big countdown tonight here in the central USA, and got to say a few non consequential comments.

Having a multi generational New Years Eve is always fun. The grandkids are trying to stay awake with all the excitment, there is an army of teen age girls hanging out with our youngest, and I am of the opinion the generation under me is a bunch of wimps. Walking around the facility we are staying there are way too many half drunk cups laying around on railings, the floor, heck even in the elevator. Kids just don't know the value of a good drink anymore. Of course I am picking them up and throwing them away as I go along. Too many years of picking up after my own kids has done this to me. Ha ha ha.

Anyway drinking the tequila out of coffee cups since we left the shot glasses somewhere else. We got the keys locked up, no one is going anywhere tonight and we are walking distance to the big Dallas celebration at Victory center by the AAC.

I hope you have a healthy, prosperous, safe and happy New Year.

Everyone is back inside from a reconnaissance walk so time to go. Salud and Cheers

NFL MVP??????

I think the MVP is the offensive line for the Cowboys. I have always supported Romo, but it is the line that has made the difference this year.

When you watch games where Romo has five seconds plus to throw and your running back just set a franchise record it is the offensive line that deserves all the credit.

Santa Claus is real

Well a belated Merry Christmas. I have been trying to sit down and right this post for three days, but have been busy. It is the Christmas season so I still feel this post is appropriate and timely.

Do you remember the year your childhood was shattered and someone told you Santa Claus wasn’t real? I was 7 and the kid my parents told me not to play with was the one that broke the bubble on the Santa Claus myth. To this day I still doubt him. This post though is not about Santa Claus in red suits or even St. Nicholas. This is about the real Santa Claus.

Christmas has become an interesting season. Nowadays even people who don’t believe in Jesus celebrate Christmas. People get caught up in the excitement of shopping, hosting parties, going out, seeing friends and family, decorating, and everything else that makes this season stressful. It amazes me to hear people talk about how they celebrate or what they do. I hear so many people brag about what they have done for Christmas such as having their shopping done by October, decorations up before Thanksgiving, shoot I heard one person brag on how they had their decorations and Christmas put up by three that afternoon. Seriously, ???? To me Christmas celebration is a season, not half a day. We spend so much time on preparing for the materialism of Christmas we forget about how Christmas came about, however, this post is not about “the reason for the season”.

This is about Santa Claus or what Santa Claus represents. Since Christmas is about Joy, what then is Santa Claus? Does Santa Claus represent the spirit of giving? To many, that seems to be the answer, yet it is not the complete answer. Just like Christmas Santa Claus is not one day. To find Santa you have to look beyond Christmas.

Our society is consumed not just by materialism, but a lack of honest joy. We do not know the why of what we do, yet we pursue tirelessly some quest to measure ourselves against what others have and what others have achieved. There is always a cost to something. And you hear people say exactly what I just said over and over. No matter how many times we criticize ourselves we fall into the same trap. It seems we cannot stop our obsession with the perception of how we compare. And for this reason we rarely see Santa Claus, yet Santa Claus is real.

Santa Claus is real and is real every day of the year. Santa Claus does represent the spirit of giving, but not the pretty wrapped presents we see under a tree or the TV shows or advertisements or department stores.

You see Santa when you see a person’s eyes filled with unadulterated joy; the complete awe of receiving a gift from someone that was given from the heart. A gift truly from the heart, it can be a material gift, a gift of time, a gift of help, or it may take other forms, but it is a gift that is truly unexpected and was given completely unselfishly. Unfortunately these gifts seem to be few and far between nowadays. They exist though, so then does Santa Claus. Just like a child who has not had the Santa Claus bubble popped and they have that wide eyed wonder when they go from store to store, event to event, and see all the excitement of the season and their days are filled with the innocent joy of childhood you see Santa Claus in their eyes, you can also see that in people throughout the year when they are caught totally off guard by someone who has done something for them for the sheer sake of giving them what they needed without any strings attached etc. Again this is rare nowadays, but when you run across these moments cherish them.

So stop what you are doing, put down the to do list, and think to yourself when was the last time you saw Santa Claus. And if you cannot remember it is time you went out to find him again. And if you put your mind to it, it will not be that hard to find him. Santa Claus is always there each and every day of the year. It is up to you to keep your eyes open. I hope you find him and when you do, please never lose him again. Just like Christmas, Santa Claus is joy. The complete joy of giving or receiving something entirely based on love.




I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas. I hope you have a happy and prosperous new year. And by the way the Charlie Brown Christmas special is still the best Christmas show ever produced. Think about it, will you?

Third party perceptions

I was reading an article talking about the GOP going libertarian. Apparently Thaddeus McCotter feels that is the direction the GOP is headed. At the bottom of the article there were many comments about what is libertarian, who might be a true libertarian, and is this truly the direction the GOP is headed. I don’t know if the author or Mr. McCotter truly understand some of what they were referring to since the title refers to this transition to libertarianism as a new world order for the GOP. Some of the comments even discussed how off this comparison was to what is more commonly referred to as the new world order. Overall I wasn’t over whelmed by the article or the expectations for change in the GOP.

I think the GOP is going through some changes with the tea party and I think that will still have more of an impact than libertarianism in the near future. I see many people still viewing the Republican Party as a mainstream party even with the somewhat extreme right wing behavior of the tea party. And that leads us to a problem in creating change in our political system.
I feel people are skeptical of the idea of a third party. Historically third parties have tended to be extreme or fringe parties to the two major parties. Occasionally a movement or individual knocks on the door of coming close to being considered a potential mainstream party or candidacy. Probably the best recent example was Ross Perot. Many people thought he was a bit of an eccentric, but he did garnish more support than any of the current third party choices such as the Libertarian Party or Green Party. The Green Party had a name candidate in Ralph Nader, but even with him on board they could not move the needle on main stream acceptance.
Frequently I mention the Progressive Party of 1912. This has been the most successful party to attract mainstream attention outside of the whole Republican/Democrat history of our country’s politics. Mr. Roosevelt definitely had a major part in that acceptance, however, William Jennings Bryant had been working on developing this alternative for awhile. The fact that President Roosevelt had been somewhat of a maverick anyway helped the populace to accept him making the change to the new party. The other factor that helped the party have some success is people viewed their platform as they would the Democrat or Republican platform, one that was workable and had definitive ideas that they could relate or support.

Generally third parties have been the communist party, the socialist party, hard core right wing parties, and other fringe elements that tend to alienate mainstream Americans. This viewpoint carries forward and even makes it hard for the Libertarians or Green Party to attract widespread support. Some of this maybe because their platforms still carry a bit of perception of fringe policies. For example, the Green Party’s platform is strongly alternative energy which is slowly garnishing more support, but they tend to be very liberal in their social policies. This super liberalism could be alienating moderate Democrats or moderate independent liberals that might support the alternative energy development ideas of the Green Party. The Libertarians shoot themselves in the foot by combining a less government/conservative ideology with a very liberal social policy stance. Mainstream or moderate conservatives to even hard core conservatives are not able to accept this dichotomy to their traditional conservative viewpoints.

The trick then becomes how a third party creates a mainstream following. The obvious answer is to create a mainstream platform. And last year I did make an attempt of a full fledged platform that fulfills mainstream thinking, but moves us past the faults of the current Democrat and Republican Party platforms. Well at least my views of what are their faults. And this is beyond my usual criticisms of both parties having failed us by becoming self serving only. Both parties have come to give lip service only to general ideas, but cannot actually create policy they can enact that actually helps the people the supposedly represent.
The difficulty is having the general populace realize there can be a party that does offer mainstream alternatives to the two current major parties. How would a new party or movement be able to attract attention basically by being bland? And yes I purposefully chose the word bland. Fringe and extremism are exciting, attract attention (even attention that isn’t productive), and cause reactions. Convincing people you are a realistic alternative to the two major parties means you cannot espouse extreme views, but somehow must be viewed as a radical departure from the Democrats and Republicans. Your “noise” has to excite without alienating or scaring off potential voters. You must create new adrenalin in the body politic, yet your message has to resonate as rational, practical, and competitive to the current messages. And most important people have to believe the new party has a chance of being successful. People do not want to support something that others feel isn’t going to work. We do follow the herd.

Based on cursory readings of blogs, posts on political articles, and even some editorials you would think this country is ripe for a party of this nature to take off. And still we continue to support two parties that have lost touch with the country, but somehow carry off the perception they are truly representing us. The perception that only these two parties can be mainstream have allowed them to continue to survive even though any practical evaluation of what they have done for the middle class would suggest they should be long gone.

To me the Republicans survive more recently because of the dynamics of the change the tea party is demanding. This is creating some new press and offers an alternative to a large minority in this country to become involved in politics again. Sooner or later (hopefully) the extremism and bullying they offer will be recognized and more moderate conservatives will either take over the Republican Party again or create a new party. This would then move the tea party more to the fringe in the general public’s eye. The hope would be the moderates would also throw out the current self serving leadership and look for new people to bring about policies that truly support the middle class, smaller government, and less reliance on the Federal government to solve all our problems.
The Democrats have always had the tendency to be a combination of various interest groups that come together every four years to try and find someone who will answer all the issues that meet the needs of the various subgroups within the party. This has become even more pronounced as time goes on. Right now you have groups dominated by single issues which range from the Unions to social issues like gay marriage. This makes it very hard to have a workable platform that addresses just a few problems our country is facing or creates policy that benefits the whole of our country. Obama tried with his health care initiative. Unfortunately this was doomed from the beginning because of heavy lobby involvement from the insurance companies and the intense hatred of Obama himself. And now the policy itself is so convoluted no one understands it, but accept it because it is going to become the way healthcare in our country is administered. One trend to watch is profits for the large insurance companies going forward. If they make good money we are going to be stuck with reform that actually made things worse. It will be much harder for a dynamic third party to replace the Democrat party because of all the competing interests within the current party. I do not see a trimmed down liberal agenda exciting all the subgroups within the party and probably either cause large scale apathy in politics or the splintering of the Democrats into a variety of parties, but none meeting the needs of becoming a competing liberal party. This leads me to believe the Democratic Party is still here to stay for awhile, no matter how self serving their leaders remain. And what frightens me the most is they are all smug about their chances, that they see all their individual visions as some righteous condemnation of the right without realizing they do not truly offer a cohesive policy that can actually help this country.

We need new parties for a variety of reasons. And I hope some of what I have outlined in this post and some of my previous rants on how self serving our two “mainstream” parties have become will inspire others to think. My favorite question right now is: is the middle class better off than they were four decades ago? And if you can see that it isn’t, then why haven’t you looked for alternatives? As I mentioned I once posted a series of posts that have a platform, mostly philosophical, some general practical policy ideas that meet the needs of a more moderate practical view point than what we are hearing today. If I can type up something just as an idea, I feel there is much more to be explored by the people and a viable third party becoming a true mainstream party. The question becomes what would generate the opening of minds to realize that taking a step away from the current mainstream parties would be the most mainstream action this country could take.

A bit of food for thought from an independent conservative fighting the pervasive inaction of my fellow independents, liberal or conservative, on a cool and crisp December evening here in North Texas.

We can respect

I have an appointment this morning and while driving here was listening to the Herd on ESPN. The President was coming on this morning so they were talking about sports and politics, being conservative or liberal and that it didn't matter either way, that if you get a chance to have the President, you have the President on. Collin said he would have any President etc.

I didn't get to hear the President because of my appointment time, but it did get me to thinking. (yes I know thinking is foolish)

I rail pretty hard on our leaders and I think deservedly so. And it is okay as long as it is for their agendas and actions as leaders. I forget sometimes and I feel our society has really forgotten there needs to be a separation of politics from the person. Personally I think Bush and Obama have made huge policy mistakes as President, but if given the opportunity to have lunch with either I hope I could participate in a respectful manner. We take things so personally nowadays and I think it does our country a disservice.

I don't like giving my age away, however I am old enough to have lived through the Nixon era. I was young and all about how tyrannical the government was and we were all in trouble etc..., but I did get the opportunity to travel to D.C a couple of times then and at times I would feel the awe of being in our Nation's capital. Sometimes you have to let our history and who we are as a country come before our individual gripes with a certain politician's opinions etc. So if House Speaker Boehner wants to invite me to lunch I will be glad to go. I might try to respectfully pick his brain so to speak, but still it would be an honor.

This is not a new topic, but I realize how much we have denigrated in the way we talk about our leaders. Maybe if one were to go out and defecate on a National monument then they might deserve a public outcry on them as a person, but otherwise we have lost much civility.

Another thought that is not unique, but applied is we spend so much of our time trying to look good, yet how much time do we spend doing good. The difference here is what separates people that have value and add value from those who are destroying our society from within, but we damn we look good while screwing up.

Granted I will continue to bash leaders from both parties till they start actually representing the people of this country or we get new leaders who do. I hope though, I remember what I have said here and apply my criticisms appropriately.

In the end, are we judged on how we appear or what we did. I hope I strive for the latter.

Have a great weekend.



First we prepare our hearts, then we celebrate our joy.

spending bill

First of anything that Boehner and Reid agree on must be the biggest piece of self serving bs there is right now.

And more proof positive Congress is full of it: yeah let the bank lobbyists write in what they want. Yep folks the whole country is so well served by that..oh yeah...yeah us....does anyone in Congress have conscious at all.


There is more, but I am on the train and I am trying not go into a major fit here in public or have my brain ooze out of my ears from a meltdown. Not in a position to be removed from the train in a strait jacket screaming and babbking nonsense about how screwed we are. The family does need my paycheck, but the insanity of how inept and self serving Congress can be is just becoming too impossible to comprehend.

Constitution...... Cowboys...its all good

First: The National Constitution Center is pushing out some stories right now about the bill of rights. Today they talk about James Madison and what he wanted to add. Overall they have good information to read. Check it out when you have a chance.


Second: All the local press is discussing how the Cowboys can beat the Eagles etc... What's it gonna take to win.... I haven't read anything yet, but about to get in car so I'm sure I will turn on talk radio to hear somethings. My thoughts are, it is going to take an act of God to help the Cowboys, like maybe a large snowstorm that slows Philly's offense. Then maybe Dallas' original plan of large doses of Murray might work. I always hope for the best for the'boys, but something is going to have to change to give the Cowboys a chance. I still like the Murray idea, if and only if the Eagles are hampered by bad weather, then we have the advantage. I haven't checked the weather yet, but I am praying.

Third: And speaking of defense... Go Mavs, lets hope they can start developing a team defense mentality themselves tonight.

Fourth: no matter what you do, things don't seem to change. Moved this past weekend and last night our water heater broke dow. It is being replaced, but really. Oh well life goes on.

Have a great evening.

We over conform

I think everyone, but a bat would agree the Republican party survives through conformity. Some people might be shocked to hear though so does the Democratic party. Both parties require a blind obedience to certain principles that benefit the parties, but not necessarily the individuals that support the party.

The evidence is that neither party has improved the lot of the middle class over the last fifty years. Both parties will throw out all sorts of rhetoric saying what they have done, but where are the results. Remember when we were asked are you better off now than you were four years ago. Well okay, are you better off now than you were forty years ago. Well the "1 percent" are, however, looking at true spending power, income growth,ability to save etc...even adjusted for time and inflation most of the middle class is weaker than before. If people realize this, then they might be more open to change.

As long as we conform to what others want from us, we will only get what they want, not what we want or need. It takes new ideas, innovations, stepping outside the box to bring about change, and done right positive change. And the goal can be just the simple switch to making the middle class better. You improve the way of life for the majority then everything else falls in line. If your two major parties wanted this, our middle class would be in great shape. Are we? So why do we conform? What do you want?




And as a prime example of what we can do when we innovate:

CONGRATULATIONS NASA on your launch today.

I don't know how we keep NASA going, but thank you to all who do. It is these endeavors that show why the USA can still be great.

quick Mavs thoughts

Seems like a few people are not happy with Parsons, time to chill.

I hate to speak for a coach, but I think there is some long term planning going on. Carlisle has a very deep bench so he can take his time with incorporating Parson's into the offense.The defense is still a work in progress. I am surprised Crowder isn't out there more. I hope that is because Aminu is coming along and Carlisle can add Crowder as the season develops. Carlisle has one if the few problems a coach can have that they love. How to distribute minutes, a luxury not all coaches get.

I think Carlisle is taking his time developing and being fortunate by winning with what is working now. And as a Mavs fan I am loving it. If this team gets better throughout the year....wow ... they may really surprise and tick off all the haters.



On a secondary note Black Friday sales were down, sounds like everyone took my advice and stayed home. (ha ha ha)

Seems like there is way too much going on in this world for this trivia stuff, but I do enjoy my teams. Lets all hope that one day we can all find Peace.

You have to prepare before you can celebrate.

Black Friday night

And now it is Saturday morning...... and haven't been to the mall (yet)


Through a strange series of events la Senora y yo had hi-ball-litas con Crown Royal and watched the two benefit concerts John Lennon and George Harrison did in the early seventies.


It was always a shame that John never toured and especially a loss overall with him. I hate to say this, but John's show needed more rehearsal.

And for the concert for Bangladesh how ironic you have George, Ringo, Eric Clapton, etc, but no Rolling Stones, yet they were indirectly involved by the Hollyword Horns (their horn section when they toured featuring Jim Horn) and Leon Russell jamming Jumoin Jack Flash. What a way to get recognized without doing anything.

And more "how many people must die, before there are too many dead" an iconic line for this concert from a great song. Did Mr. Zimmerman pick this song with this line in mind?

Anyway it was fun to watch both shows,lots of memories

and great songs.

And I forgot to mention , how many people must die, hunger is still killing millions and we do have the resources and capabilities to fight. Too many are dying still

11/27/2014

Happy Thanksgiving

Many of us gather around a large feast to give thanks to our blessings. A few people will have everyone share what they are thankful for (some begrudgingly lol) , and for way too many families people will go about their their own ways right afterwards. The good news not all families run from the dinner table.Either way I would like to ask each family to do even more together than they normally would this weekend and throughout the coming holidays.

A culture is defined by its' values. Lets put ourselves first again. There are many great attributes to our country and who we are and have been. Yet we are losing our identity because we don't preserve it. We are a nation of immigrants ( why this holiday came about), we bring many wonderful traditions to this country, but we all share one common goal. Everyone comes here to find a better life. Lets not forget.

Lets take time to give thanks today like the Pilgrims did, but let us also rededicate ourselves to striving to make this country wonderful. This post isn't about immigration (there are some changes that need to be made and nothing on the table from either side is the answer), but rather about all the shared cultures, the longing for something better, the drive to succeed, and the great country all of us has built.

Please spend time with your loved ones cherishing the history of your family, the dreams your ancestors had when they came here, and enjoy what we have done. Give thanks to yourself and remember though what we have is special. Enjoy the whole weekend with your family,build relationships, mend fences, and dream together.

Have a great Thanksgiving, help those who need help not just today, and remember where you came from....someone made an effort for you.


Happy Thanksgiving

a variety of comments

Typing while walking home from grocery store and bus stop. A beautiful fall evening here in North Texas, but please don't hang me on the spelling or editing and,this street needs more lights.


To me it seems strange they are making the Ferguson announcement at night. I would like to know the reasoning. Seems more practical to announce in morning. Too many people who just want to cause trouble might be the only peop out at that time.. I think more peaceful protests would be done in the day and rational thinking would be more inclined.


Walmart is still "the borg".


Please stay home with your familt Thursday. The so calked bargains Thursday night aren't that great. Go this weekend if you want and I a.m betting many of us are still on budgets so shop, spend your money wisely and get quality gifts for the people you love. Five a break to our minimum wage worker friends.

There is a relative good arricle on Slate.com.about the Republicans and the EPA.

The Mavs have got to win in games like the debacle in Houston the other night if they truly want to become contenders.

And I have been holding back getting excited about the Cowboys till we see December. Looks like we are here and in good shape. Can they overcome this month and themselves and really get to the playoffs? That being said, does this become the most important THANKSGIVING GAME in franchise history? Definitely not the most important game, just Thanksgiving game and if so for at least three reasons: 1. To start the process of over coming December meltdown 2. It is for ths conference lead 3. 3. It validates,Sunday's comeback 4. I am forgetting a reason I thought of early today, but I am sure true Coaboye fans can think of a few others anyway. I said start of last year ae needed a better O line. This game/ month coming could prove this has been the missing,link all along if they play well. Thursday is going to be fun for many reasons

Have a great evening and pray for those in Ferguson that a good decision is,made and those in Buffalo the weather doesn't tear them up too much.

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day

Too bad this cold front came through and put a damper on some parades and ceremonies in some parts of the country.


Thanks to all who served.

Don't let the media fool you

Just because the media doesn't say there are choices beyond Democrats and Republicans, doesn't mean they don't exist. They do.

Go vote. Show the Reps and Dems they aren't representing the people anymore by voting independent. If you don't vote you are essentially telling them its okay to ignore us.


The future of our country depends on us taking action. Be strong








And on a completely different note, Romo should rest again this week. Better to let Weedon try to manage the game than risk losing Romo for the rest of the season

Romo's back

Romo should sit out for the next few weeks. After hearing the new info on his back, it would be much better for him to sit and heal than worry about winning tomorrow and screwing up the rest of the season.
It would be better to go 1-2 now so we have a chance to go 3-2 to finish season. That would be 10-6 for year and might be a chance to make playoffs. Playing now probably will kill any chance as he gets worse as the season wears on



The Mavericks have an interesting game tonight since New Orleans is suppose to be an up and coming team with talent. The Mavs need to show them selves they are who most of us think they are. Good test of pysche and veterans early on.

apathy is to acquiesce

I hope I phrased the title correctly.

And they say you catch more flies with honey rather than vinegar, but I don't know how to sugar coat this plea.

Elections are next week and if you are planning not to vote because you are angry at Congress, don't care, don't know who to vote for, like me and don't want to vote major party, or for whatever reason you are not going to vote; you NEED to go vote independent or third party and as much across the board as possible. Do not be swayed by people saying you are wasting your vote. In fact it is now quite the opposite.

We cannot sit back and let the dems and reps have carte blanche on our government any more. No one in our government or in the major parties is truly supporting the middle class. They will tell you they do, but if they did things would be much different. You have to look past their words and truly look at their actions.

You may say there isn't a party to vote for that does represent the middle class or are unprepared to govern. Yes, you are right. Right now there isn't one party ready to actually work for the middle class, but if you do vote you are telling everyone you are ready for change. If no one feels there jobs are secure they might actually think and do what it takes to keep their job. Or others may step in to fill the void. Now we have to pay attention to make sure we put the right people, yet this effort is needed.

So please vote. If you don't know who to vote for, then if liberal vote Green Party or if conservative vote libertarian. Neither party is perfect, but at least you can vote your political leanings with one of the parties.

So again, if you are not planning on voting, this country really needs you to vote to show those in charge, they aren't in charge. And all this money be damned, vote independent.

Have a great evening

Voter ID quick comment

It appears some members of the Supreme Court think they are running in a Republican primary. How else do you explain the recent decision upholding voter ID laws? I know we do not want fraudulent elections, (some of the so called reasoning behind the laws) but it seems they are in the guilty until proven innocent camp with this law. And I know that this can come back to the Supreme Court since this was a ruling affecting the last minute change in voter laws, however, I want to comment on the some of the bigger issues when this comes back (hopefully)

There are many people who feel that voting is a right so this decision affects their rights. I do feel it is a right, but I also belong to the voting is a responsibility camp. It is bad enough we do not exercise our right to vote enough in this country, but to have the one body whose sole job is to protect the constitution support inhibiting people from following through on one of the few responsibilities we have as citizens of a democracy is beyond me.

There is a reason the Supreme Court Justices are appointed to serve and not have to run for office. It is so they can be protected in their role to make the difficult or unpopular decision that protects our constitution. This is to help them not be swayed by popular opinion which at times may not have the best interests of the constitution at hand. Too many of their recent decisions seem to be more impacted by certain political or popular ideas than truly protecting our constitution. I haven’t read Justice Ginsburg’s dissent which I hear is pretty hard on the decision so if I am being redundant to her position then just count this as someone who cares also.

It is bad enough that many times voter turn-out is low, but to allow the government to control who can or cannot vote is an abomination to our constitution. Even if it is just the slightest impediment, it is a door that should not be opened. It goes back to so much misreading of the constitution by the right wing of this country. The actual amendment says innocent till proven guilty in case modern politics has you confused.

A democracy is healthy when all participate. And participate we must.

VOTE PEOPLE, and as the joke says vote often (just once each election)

And in case you haven’t read earlier posts of mine, there is a difference between right wing and conservative. Sometimes a very drastic difference.


And on a completely different note, I think Talking Heads Remain in Light is an under rated/appreciated album.

More Random Comments

Cowboys 30 Seahawks 23—-Wonderous disbelief



I have mentioned this before, but it has come back to haunt us at home. Congress needs to quit screwing around and truly work on elder care reform in this country. Their ineptitude is going to cost this country so much in the long run it is unreal. It is more than social security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare etc, there is so much that needs to be addressed and all they do is bicker with each other. The amount of time wasted on trying to repeal Obamacare is crazy. Yes, it is not a good program, MAKE IT BETTER, instead of wasting my tax dollars grandstanding.

Sunday 3:45PM my Mother in law passed. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She lived through at least five years of dementia/Alzheimer, botched surgery, stroke, and paralysis. Strong woman who had a terrible end of life. The individuals who cared for her in many cases were outstanding, the system and what we are left with, is insane.

And by the way, some of the individuals who are caring for our parents and grandparents are getting paid squat. You can add them to the list of the underpaid/underappreciated people in our society such as police, fire fighters, teachers, and nurses.

Mid term elections are coming up and nothing will change, no matter how much we hate our Congress. Another sad state of affairs. I had mentioned in an earlier post the challenge of voting independent and asking to confront your Congress person to see if you can get a real answer to an issue. Unfortunately due to my Mother in law passing I haven’t had a chance to follow through on my end of the challenge, but there is still two weeks. The part about voting independent will definitely be done. Proud to say it has been since 1980 that I voted for a Democrat or Republican in a major election and rarely in local elections. (and that is very local, I vote independent on the state level)

Random comments

If you can't drive a large vehicle, please don't buy one.

Dear media, a sports rivalry is built up over years usually because of the intensity of the players and fans and not because two executives on the teams get into a tic for tac media outburst. College football has great rivalries, the NFC East has some good rivalries, and there are other NFL rivalries, and there are great college basketball rivalries,but Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets aren't a rivalry just because the media is bored.

Shaving, haircuts, and cutting your finger and toenails are the most unnecessary necessities.

A rivalry is when your team is given a fourteen point spread and you still believe they have a chance. Go Longhorns!

You know fan is the shortened version of fanatic when you start to believe the hyperbole of an owner even though you know better. Go Cowboys

Why is it the meek will inherit the earth, but nice guys finish last?


And finally rain and cooler temperatures here in North Texas. I still want to go to the beach, but it is a very welcome change in the weather.

Two challanges and a bit more

These are for the mid term elections.

You are never quite sure what you hear. Sometimes you can hear a story or about an event and you have no confirmation or all you hear is empirical evidence so you do not know what to make of it. Recently I heard something where I have trust in the source so I thought we should check it out.

I would like you to try to discuss with your Congressman an opposing thought on an issue. And since they will all be in their districts for the election I ask you try to do this face to face with your Representative or at the least with their staff or campaign staff.

And try bringing up the opposite view your Representative is espousing even if you agree with their platform 100% and plan on voting for them.

I heard that people were not given opportunity to discuss or staff members would even berate the person for trying to bring up issues or an opposing view. You have to wonder if this is true since approval rating for Congress has been so low. A healthy dialogue is important for democracy.

And since the approval rating is so low I have a second challenge for you if you do not want to vote for the incumbent. I have posted this thought before, however, now I would like to make it a direct challenge. And this goes double for people who don’t want to vote for any Republican or Democrat and feel any other vote would be a waste.

If you aren’t happy with Congress you need to vote. Vote independent, vote third party but vote. We will never get change unless people let the powers that be know we need change. As best as possible find a candidate close to your beliefs. For example if you are conservative vote libertarian and if you are liberal vote green party or see who is on the ballet and make your best decision based on who is available.

And you will not be wasting your vote. If non major party numbers show up it will do one of two things. It might spur more people to get involved if they see others are as tired as they are with Congress and not being represented. And maybe get lazy _______ people like me to work a little harder and try to create a new party that does speak for the middle class. Or it might be a wake up call to the two major parties that people really do want better representation and they actually respond to what the people of this country need. It will take votes though. So the challenge is don’t be complacent and go vote.


Some Dallas stuff.

It has been great fall weather here in North Texas. And that means you should head over to the Great State Fair of Texas. Yep you can eat more fried food in one day than you should eat in a lifetime. Seriously though, the Fair is a great time, come enjoy.
The Ebola news is crazy. The diseases is horrible, but we are getting so burnt out by it. People are complaining about hearing about it all the time, yet I bet if it wasn’t on the news people would be pissed they weren’t hearing about it. Either way I can’t believe we are the first place to have it land in the United States.

Can the Cowboys show any consistency today? It would be nice to see back to back good games.


And finally a media comment. I don’t know if it is me, my ego, or what, but there is some much news out there and so many news sites that really aren’t saying anything. It drives me crazy, but it seems I read so much material from paid journalists and writers that seem more amateurish than my stuff. Too much flash is on the web and not enough content people, please produce something better. This just may be one of the many reasons we have a disconnect with our government.

Ego vs. Fan

A person can always make a prediction based on their interpretation of the facts at hand. Last year I predicted the Indiana Pacers would win the NBA East. They didn’t and so I had to placate my ego by saying if they hadn’t imploded I probably was going to be right looking at how badly Miami did against San Antonio. I know the Pacers aren’t the Spurs, but I think Indiana was overall potentially a better team than Miami. And since I am not a Pacer fan it didn’t matter to me except for a bit of a bruised ego that my prediction didn’t come to fruition.

It can be extremely different though if you make a prediction of a team you are a fan. And if you are a mega fan of the team the prediction can weigh heavily on you every day. And usually fans will make overly optimistic predictions. This year though I didn’t have much faith in my beloved Cowboys and am predicting they will go 5-11.

Now though they are 2-1 and our superstar owner is telling the whole world to “give the Boys a glance”. Yep the wonderful Mr. Jones is on his overly optimistic horse and wants the whole world to focus in on him, oops I mean the Cowboys. So am I riding that horse with him?

Lets take a look at the situation.

THE EGO INSIDE ME:

When I said the Cowboys were going to go 5-11 I counted the two wins they have right now towards my prediction of 5 total wins. And in some ways they were lucky to get the second win. I felt all three teams in the East were better and their out of division schedule was tough. I felt like they were going to be in some games, but unless there was improvement on defense they would lose close games in the end therefore only end up with about five victories. I said if they were going to have any chance at all the offensive line and running game were going to be a big part, but for the line to be good for the whole year it would be a huge step forward for them to gel this year. I felt the line has a chance to become a really good in the next couple of years if they are kept together.
I was worried about how good the defense was going to be. And even though they have made some plays I still think they have a ways to go to become consistently good.
The Washington New York game suggests Washington may have some problems so the Cowboys might pick up a win I wasn’t expecting. And even though they are 2-1 I haven’t seen hard evidence they will have a drastically better record than 5-11. I might be a bit off and they may end up with 6 or 7 wins, but I don’t see any drastic upswing at this time. I feel good about my prediction.

THE FAN INSIDE ME:

Can you believe these Cowboys? They are already 2-1 and wow wasn’t that a great comeback last week. Our offensive line is turning out better than expected. And our defense is making plays when they need to. Romo hasn’t looked great, but he is getting better each week.
So with our running game doing well, Romo getting better, and a better than expected defense the Cowboys have a legitimate chance of doing something this year. Maybe Mr. Jones is right and we should give the Cowboys a bit more of a glance.

THE TRUTH:

The truth can be very elusive, but we might get a good glance at it in a few hours. The Saints Cowboys game may actually tell us something.
If the Saints hand it to the Cowboys tonight then I feel good about my pre season prediction. The Cowboys may have their moments this year, but overall it is going to be a struggle.
If the Cowboys lose a very close game and especially if it is low scoring because the defense plays well then that might bode well for an 8-8 or 9-7 season and my ego will have to eat a little crow.
And if the Cowboys win tonight then the fan inside me is going to be impossible to live with tomorrow morning.

I will step up to the plate and take my swings, I am still worried about the outcome tonight and the overall season. I want to be wrong, I fear I am not. And that is the problem with making any prediction for anything you have an emotional attachment. It only works when you are overly optimistic and the team performs better than expected. That is a rare day.



#300

A news/media point

I love going to Yahoo since it pulls stories from many different sources. There are times when you can see completely contradictory headlines on the same story or topic.

This just shows me why our politics are so screwed up, how badly we need to teach critical thinking in public schools, and too many so called news sites pander to their audience instead of actually reporting news or investigating issues. Friggin amazing. Yet even when its obvious we still don't get it. If you only read one news source time to reevaluate what you know.

There is too much..... and some NBA comments

There is too many cameras going in our society. I saw the article with the video of the Atlanta Falcons game where this girl reaches down and apparently grabs the crotch of the man beside her. There is a head of the fan in front of them blocking the exact activity, but the article alludes to something amiss going on.
First of all, there are tens of thousands of fans at this game. Are there this many cameras going that all activity can be seen? Or is there too much time on someone’s hands who can watch tons of video just to find something this inconsequential and try to make a story to post online. Either way pretty scary,
So it begs the question, who is the real big brother? Is it the government, corporations, the media, or social media? Personally I think the corporations are going to win in the long run, but if someone ever gets to the point where the can manipulate all four we are going to have a big brother on steroids like nothing George Orwell could ever imagine.
Again pretty scary that for whatever reason someone found this 10 seconds of activity on video and managed to convince their boss this was something relevant to post on a prominent website. It is pretty sad that we can no longer have a bit of fun without being demonized for the whole world. And worse someone got paid to be this juvenile. Us paranoidists are already sure big brother is around the corner, but it is sure manifesting itself in strange ways.


I worry a bit that the players in the NBA aren’t sure what they want anymore. This past offseason was a bit weird. Everyone was trying to be in the hip town on the superstar (like Heat)team, but nothing ever came of it. Yes Cleveland may have come close, but overall most “Stars” stayed put. No one could figure out which town and team was going to be the next “Heat”.
The Heat gave everyone a notion that if you threw a bunch of stars together you were guaranteed a championship. The Heat were talented and lucky. The East is weak and San Antonio threw one series away. They beat OKC because basically their stars were better than Durant and company. Coaching or team play were not the dominant factors in that series.
Anyway now all the players are looking to be on the next team. The next victim to fall for this misconception is Eric Bledsoe. Too bad for Phoenix, they were looking like a team on the rise.
And another sad note is the LA Clippers might have become a super megastar team if they could have done something in the off season. The Sterling fiasco really hurt that team. And for the rest of the West it could have been a disaster. Doc Rivers is a much better coach than Miami’s coach and so the Clippers could have truly dominated the league for awhile. They are still a good team and Doc a good coach, but now they are competing for second seed unless SA takes a step back. Imagine if they got Gasol or Melo, the balance of power would have definitely shifted.
So hopefully team play will become important again for the future and players will once again try to become stars by trying to win with their team. And maybe Minnesota will get to develop all the talent they may put together with draft picks and prove this point. Lets hope they emulate players like Russell, Havlicek, Reed, Frazier, Bird, Magic, now Duncan, and Dirk. Stars in their own right, but also stars for what they did with their teams. This definitely makes for a better NBA.


If you look up fans in the dictionary one synonym should be overreaction. I was reading the reader’s posts about Tyson Chandler’s comments about what Phil Jackson may have said about him.

Knicks fans were mostly complaining how he was no good, didn’t contribute etc and Maverick fans were treating his return well as the second coming of Chandler. As always there is a truth. I don’t want to comment on the Knicks fans because I don’t follow them too close. For the Mavericks’ fans though a bit of a reality check. It is great to have Tyson back, but remember he his older, had a few injuries, and for all his great defense in 2011 he had help and that help as moved on. Shawn Marion was just as valuable to the team as Tyson. The Mavericks can be better, maybe much better than last year with him, but we still need to fill a couple of roles before talking Championship. If things go well maybe Crowder will fill one of those roles, but we are on a wait and see for that.
And actually I am one of those fans that have to temper my expectations for this year, they can be better, just help my find my reality glasses before the year starts. Ha ha ha ha

Two wildly different topics

Well just hung out with my youngest at the Truckyard. Way too much of a flashback moment. Outside of the big screen TV could have been the 70’s. Okay some of the way people were dressed wasn’t the 70’s, but then again others…

We watched the Longhorns almost upset the Bruins. Don’t know why the Longhorns were still in the hurry up offense with 3 minutes left and the lead. Then again not a good idea to give up a 45 yard punt return either. Fun to watch them almost pull it off. They are definitely going to need to upgrade both offense and defensive line going forward. Overall UCLA was pushing them around on both sides of the ball.


There is going to be a documentary on the Roosevelts this week on PBS. I think a seven part series or something. And if you read my blog regularly you may have gleaned that I am a big fan of Teddy Roosevelt. I don’t always say it, but if you read between the lines on some of my posts you may have picked up on it. Anyway somewhat excited about watching it if I get the chance. FDR is okay and for historical purposes probably going to be good, but looking forward to what they say about the bullmoose.

Wonderful early fall evening here in North Texas. Great evening to spend a few hours downing a couple of cold ones and a philly cheese steak sandwich in what was once called a beer garden type environment while watching football on the big screen. Salud!

I said that???

If patience is a virtue, then married men are very virtuous people. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Oh man my better half is going to kill me.



And I am glad I was wrong, (at least temporarily) and gas prices didn't go up for Labor day weekend. Surprised me.

Is it really all about Romo?

It is the start of football season and of course, the Cowboys are all the buzz, why, well who knows. Yet Jones, Romo etc have been in the news and the title of this blog was inspired by an article about Romo that was well written that I found in Yahoo sports and there apparently is a video story about Mr. Jones, but for today….

And so is it really all about Romo? Does the success of this year fall on his shoulders? I think not. There is so much more at play than what Romo can do. Is it all about Garrett? Nope, do both of them have any responsibility in what happens? Well yes, but what hopes does a Cowboy fan have?

Well if you are still one of the two or three people left on this planet that thinks Jerry Jones can make a positive impact on the Cowboy football world then this blog post might be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back of your optimism or belief.

Let’s go back a few years to see why yours truly doesn’t hold out much hope.

At one point Mr. Jones hired one Jimmy Johnson and Mr. Johnson spent about three years putting the foundation together for a great football team. It didn’t happen right away, but lo and behold the Cowboys won and won again. The team he put together was so good that even after he left it still managed to win and compete well for another five years. Remember Jerry Jones said that any one of five hundred people could coach the Cowboys to a championship once he let Mr. Johnson go. Yep well for two years one Coach Switzer kept our little dreams alive. I have nothing against Barry, but Jerry was right and anybody could coach that much talent to victory.

Time took its toll. Whenever something is not maintained well sooner or later things fall apart. And guess who was in charge those wonderful post Johnson years, yep one Jerry Jones.

The decline happened gradually, but by the early 2000’s and a few coaching changes later (so don’t blame the coaches) the team racked up three 5-11 seasons in a row. The one constant from the end of the Johnson era to then was Jerry Jones. He wanted to run the show and he certainly ran it into the ground.

Then Cowboy fans got a visit from the tooth fairy and Mr. Jones had a lucid moment and hired Bill Parcells. It took about three years and lo and behold the Cowboys were winning football games again. Then the tooth fairy disappeared Mr. Jones forced Terrell Owens on Mr. Parcells. Mr. Parcells saw the writing on the wall that Mr. Jones would never give up the ghost of his ego and decided to move on. Mr. Parcells was in the process of getting the Cowboys back on track and even for a few years after he left the remnants of what he started ended up winning the only playoff game the Cowboys had won in a decade. Yet he left and the decline began again.

Now we have watched three 8-8 seasons in a row, and couldn’t win the proud East in its most mediocre years since the 1960’s. Could Romo have won us the East at this point? Yes quite possibly, he did make some bonehead plays a couple of times, but overall the team was not up to the overall task. This is not just because of the quality of players or coaches. No this goes back to the attitude of the owner. The whole party is nothing but a party, no real discipline, no accountability, especially on the owner by the owner.

And what next? Unfortunately myself and some national sports writers see another 5-11 season on the horizon. Why, well Mr. Jones has been left in charge again for years and the demise has just kept building. Could the Cowboys do better this year? Maybe, the one lucid moment Mr. Jones had since Bill Parcells was drafting offensive line instead of Johnny Football this year. From stories told though it sounds like there may have been other hands involved. And this offensive line the Cowboys have somehow managed to obtain is there best foot going forward. The potential is there, hopefully they can keep them together and develop them, but almost sounds like too much to ask from a man who prefers image over substance. Maybe just maybe though this line can keep the offensive on the field for forty minutes a game, the defense makes the other team punt once in the game and the Cowboys win some games by one score. We can dream.

And speaking of image over substance, the whole Jerry Jones/Cowboys thing in some ways show why we have so many problems in our country. How can a man who is basically responsible for the decline in value and quality of a product that was once highly touted be rewarded with increased value in his company? How is it the Cowboys keep growing in value making Mr. Jones richer every passing year, yet he is responsible for the product that is diminishing in quality as he grows richer. It is all marketing and hype. I would say no substance, but that would be grossly unfair to the many players such as Witten, Ware, even Romo and more who do go out day in and day to win football games, but aren’t given the tools to be successful such as an owner that holds himself accountable to the product he puts on the field.

There is no accountability, no discipline, no drive, or the Cowboys should have won the East the last few years even with Romo making a mistake every now and then. It is not just him, but a team not having win at all cost driven into their heads day in and day out; A GM that knows football and how to find the right players; a head coach that can be a head coach, makes decisions and lives and dies by them; and an owner that knows nothing about football except how to spell it staying out of the way. Yep that would be great, but instead Mr. Jones is rewarded year in and year out with increased value making him think he does actually know something and we, the fans, are left holding onto dying dreams.

Go Cowboys, I will say it now because it looks like it is going to be a long year.


And that image/substance thing, well the problems for our country are found right up the street from DC’s football team where Congress is more concerned with its image (especially at the individual level) than doing anything of substance.

And next up on the hit parade of blogs, a little bit about our man of action one Mr. Rick Perry. Image/substance?? Well maybe, maybe something more

Gas prices and little ado about little

I am sure by now you are aware gas prices will be going up in the next day or so since Labor Day weekend is coming up. And they just came back down from the last unnecessary spike ten days or so ago. It is way too predictable. The only guess is will it be Tuesday or Wednesday when they spike. I am hedging my bets on Wednesday.

Some personal drivel:

First off though, my better half posted on her facebook page something pretty compassionate. I don’t have facebook so I have to get her to forward it to me so I can copy it to my blog. Hopefully she will.

The Cowboys’ defense still sucks.

If you are in a long line at a store or fast food place and when you get up to the counter you still have to decide on what you want, please get out of line. Seriously folks, how about some consideration for those behind you. If you are standing there doing nothing and you cannot be prepared when it is your turn that is sad.

Things aren’t always broke. Sometimes you just did push the wrong damn button. What sucks is when it takes you ten minutes to figure that out. Technology is not my best friend.

Finally got around to going to the bookstore. Still haven’t decided on what to get and I have two gift cards. In the interim I read some great quotes about thinking. One of these days I will actually buy something, post some of those quotes, and maybe even work on part II of my ideas on thinking. Hmmmm, yeah I do procrastinate. Don’t tell the better half I just admitted that.

Spent three hours doing yard work on Saturday, had a whole bunch of ideas while working, and by the time I was done in the yard all the ideas seemed to have gotten all bagged and thrown away along with the grass. Moral of story, don’t think it will only frustrate you. (above paragraph included)

There are times, rare, but times when David Letterman can be very poignant. I am going to miss him. Oh yeah, he is funny occasionally too…….

As you go through life you accumulate friends, then they end up on your wife’s facebook.

Kids are wonderful until they become teenagers, then they grow up, get married and give you grandchildren and they become wonderful again. Hey they even go back to listening to you. Well okay, sometimes. This isn’t an epiphany, I think I have heard this by all sorts of grandparents for years.


Don’t ever let the better half become a grandmother. That is the real reason men don’t/can’t retire.

Remember the old joke: guy goes to doctor and says, Doc it hurts when I do this, Doc says, well then don’t do that. As you get older it just begins to be common sense. Or at least it seems that way.

There is too much TV, however, the Big Bang Theory still rocks.

I hope you have a great and safe Labor Day weekend. Too bad much of the country will have to work. We forget what is important. We spend so much time trying to be more or better than who we are, that we don’t spend enough time doing the things that actually make us who we are or better. Family and friends are much more important than corporate greed. We will all spend money on Tuesday or next weekend or sometime, no need to force it down our throats every day of the year.

Doing what is best, can be most difficult

We all know the horror that is going in in the area of Syria and Iraq. I don’t want to call anyone out by name because I don’t want to give them any, well I was going to say credence or recognition etc., but I just don’t want to give them any.

First let’s step back a few years. I was one of the people who said we should have captured Bid Laden alive. I do have reasons for that and I will get to that in a minute.

A few days ago I was reading through some articles and read the one basically titled “Foley’s death isn’t changing views in Congress” And the comments were mostly filled with we need to kill them all statements, nothing is good for them etc…. I use to comment on the stories; however, I have cut back because it is either a hate fest on the topic or lambasting of someone politically. There is rarely a real discussion of the issue so I have cut back, yet this time I felt compelled and wrote:

The hate begets hate problem. How do we eradicate these monsters without succumbing to their hatred? We must stay rational in our endeavors. If we get caught up in hate also, they begin to win. We need to win, but we need to show the world we are out for justice and for people, not revenge.

Anyway I got a few down votes and some comments basically saying how much they hate them. Point not taken I guess.

Not only did they not get we need to rise above theory, I don’t think people understand how important it is how the world views how we handle this situation. The US is still a major, if not the major player, in the world. How others perceive us can help us down the road with other crisis and catastrophes. I think many of my fellow countrymen seem to miss that point. Our success or our success in building a coalition to rid the planet of these monsters can help us in the present and future. For example, how much more help would we get in supporting Ukraine if people felt what we were doing was the right thing, not just because another country was invading them, but other’s perception of us was in high regard. Putin gains ground or has gained ground because we have lost sight of doing the right thing. Russian can protect Russia’s interests and Putin has a right to protect his country, but how does the world view our interests towards Ukraine. Right now to some people it is tainted. If we show up regularly doing the right thing then in areas where it is more gray than black and white we can still garner support for which we consider right or at least make a case for one side and people will listen. And this is just one example, how about China and Vietnam and South China Sea. There will be many international events going forward. We are still a conflict driven planet, if we want to exert influence on events we need to have credibility by handling crisis in Iraq and Syria well.

So where does all this lead us. We just cannot go over there, kill the bad guys come home and be happy. This goes back to why we should have captured Bid Laden. If we kill them it only emboldens the next megalomaniac. They thrive on their philosophy and it includes high regard for being a “martyr”. And we will probably go through a few more horror stories before we really start to make a shift in terrorism, especially the terrorism fueled by the jihadist insanity. Bid laden being captured and put to trial would have made him a failure in their eyes. We may have the current craziness, but their ammunition in recruiting would be weakened if they have less people to show their world as martyrs. And this will have to go on a few times before the overall momentum they have is weakened. So we need to capture the current leadership and bring them to trail for war crimes. The world and especially their world need to see them fail. Killing them will only embolden the next psychopath who wants to be a jihadist hero. Whether any of them actually believe they get all this wonder if they die in combat is unimportant, they espouse this to gather more people to their cause. Take away their mantra and you can slowly take away others from rallying to their cause.

And yes capturing, holding them, putting them on trial is a logistics nightmare, but it must be done. If we take the easy way out (which won’t be easy, it is a tough fight) and just kill the current leadership or take back territory we will continue to have a growing problem. We must do the very difficult task of taking back their territory, capture their leaders, put them on trial for the world’s benefit, and then deal with the aftermath of probably another person trying to be the next leader in the jihadist world. And the cycle of capturing him etc. would need to happen again. We will need to do this until we can create a shift in the dynamic so the young guys who feel the insane calling starts to die down and these leaders then have no traction to begin. Eventually the momentum changes and we start to see a real decline in terrorism and a safer world.

And yes I know all of the above falls under the category easier said than done. Yet to really achieve success in the war on terror we need to remove the motivations. One is to remove the glory in their eyes. Another is to work on building a world where people see hope in their future rather than a need to die fruitlessly. And this second reason is a topic for another day. There are other tasks needed to combat this war, but we have to start somewhere. Their leaders must fail. And if needed, again and again. Killing them because we hate them is not going to solve the problem. If we hate, they begin to win

Economic prejudice

Yahoo Finance had an article the other day basically saying the rich are greedier than ever. And that is news to just about nobody. If, for any reason, you don’t understand this, it is time for you to take the stone off your cave and come into the sunlight.

Yet, what does this mean? Another article/point was the economy is stumbling because the rich don’t spend or invest their money. The article did state that wage growth has been stagnant. The real truth according to some reports I have read over the years is wage growth compared to inflation has been flat to lagging behind for decades. And the article goes on to state it won’t be until wages grow that consumers will begin to spend. Now consumer spending will help the economy, but realistically the people with money need to invest in the country, their workers, and new development. Of course the uber rich argument is we need to control costs to afford to invest. Well that just hasn’t happened and is one of the points as to proof the rich are greedier and greedier as time goes by.

So where does all this leave us folks in the middle? Can we actually do something about all their greed? Funny thing is, yes. One way is to build up the political will to change who we have in Congress. And no, this doesn’t mean becoming a socialist nation. I have expressed ideas before about only giving tax breaks to companies that actually invest, create jobs, and invest in their people. This is not socialism; this is doing what our government should do to help the country. The government’s role is to protect the people and create an environment for all of us to thrive. And the above is just one idea.

Another way is to change the way we think about the rich or people that have more money than us. We think people with money are better than us. And yes we do. Don’t deny it. It is engrained into our society now. Maybe for many of you it is subconscious, but it is true. And we need to stop thinking this way.

We think, act, live, breath, believe etc. people with money are better than us. This is manifested in so many ways. Most of it can be seen in our consumer society. We keep trying to be as good as the next person by having the same goods they have or trying to buy something better so we can consider our self-better as a person. And you may say to yourself, not me, but I challenge you to really think deep about it. Who do you consider better? And why? And don’t lie, especially to yourself.

There are three basic ways people get rich. And this is simplistic and multiple factors can overlap, but overall the three ways are: a person works hard, makes good decisions saves and invests, probably in their own company and through perseverance becomes successful; they have a silver spoon in their mouth, and sometimes they do enough to continue to grow their wealth; and sometimes events transpire to allow them to get lucky, be in the right place at the right time, find that one product or idea, have a certain talent they exploit, and receive or even earn a windfall. None of these factors make any one person better than another though.

We can admire the hard worker, we can empathize with the trust baby, we can bless the luck of the windfall, but they are not better than us, nor are they less of a person because they got lucky or have money. We have to learn to distinguish the difference between what has happened to a person, what a person has done and whether or not they have any money. Again we can admire people. There is nothing wrong with recognizing people have done something special. It does not make them fundamentally better than us. We are all people. Yet we treat those that have money as being above us. We are creating our own caste system and there is no need. Our constitution says we shouldn’t, but over and over we keep adding accolades to people just because they have more money than us. It is becoming engrained into us as a culture.

This needs to change for us to solve many of our economic and social problems.

And as Americans we love to point the blame. So is it because of the infamous line in the movie from the 80’s “greed is good”? No, because we had already started to believe that money is might. The movie was just a reflection of society, not a precursor. Is it because of the 70’s and the me generation? No. Can we blame Disney? Heck they were one of the first to institute; if you pay more you get to go to the head of the line. Are we teaching our children that money buys privileges? And that we do, but it isn’t all. The problem is there is no blame. This is something that humanity has dealt with since the dawn of time. It will not be until we learn to recognize we do this so we can change our attitudes that we can overcome our self-created disadvantage. Now recently, in our country we are taking this to an extreme and our uber rich are taking advantage of us. And this is our fault, not because Congress doesn’t enact laws to punish the rich, but because we continue to let ourselves be sold this attitude by the people who benefit from it.

Anyone wonder why education is so important?

The rich do not want us to become self-aware. This is dangerous. An educated society is going to demand better. Society will demand, not necessarily economic equality, but equal recognition of the value of all people. Our constitution gave us the framework to achieve this goal however, we fail in not striving to reach our Founding Fathers’ visions. Once we can separate the person from the environment we will achieve much more than we ever have before as a society. There is nothing wrong with being rich. And you can strive to be economically successful along with being successful as a person. The goal is for all of us to strive to be the best person we can, not to be better than another person, but to be better. Yet until we can stop falsely elevating people above us in stature for superficial reasons we will continue to hurt ourselves and our society.

The choice is yours and mine. We can let greed consume us and our country or we can realize no one is better than us for any reason other than we let them be better than us. We prejudice ourselves.

And has this been said before? Well, probably also since the dawn of time. Now I ask you again, who is better than you? Think about it before you answer. Now, go look in the mirror, can you answer? This is our world, let’s make it all ours.

I hate to say this...

But….

Jerry Jones has just about finally destroyed my heart as a Cowboy fan. I am still holding on, but after years and years of what he has done to this team, it is taking its toll.

I have been a Cowboy fan for 54 years (ago I was a toddler back then, but still a fan). I have lived through the late 60’s when the boo birds came out against Meredith (still my favorite Cowboy), the can’t win the big one era, the mid to late 80’s, the who is Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson shock, and even the 5-11 seasons of the early 2000’s. I still was a fan through thick and thin. I felt hope with Bill Parcels, but after Mr. Jones chased him off it has become harder and harder to get excited about a new Cowboys season.

I still try to be a fan and keep them my number one team. Even this year Mr. Jones shocked me and did the right thing and drafted a lineman in the first round. It was hard for me to believe that he didn’t move heaven and earth to get Johnny Football, but at least for now our offensive line looks like we might be developing a future.
And yet right now I am more excited about the Mavericks season in November than I am the Cowboys season in September. And it is not just the Cowboys aren’t going to win the Super Bowl this year, it is just the whole attitude. Usually I can wait for basketball till January, but quite frankly the Mavericks are just the better organization right now and they are winning my heart. I have always been a fan, but the Cowboys were always first. I don’t know if it is Dirk and his class act , the whole organization, Cariisle as the coach, or what, but right now the Mavericks have the best chance to win a championship of any Dallas team over the next two years and yes that is exciting, but even during all the 2000s when the Mavericks were making the playoffs year after year and the Cowboys weren’t I was still a Cowboys fan first. Now, I don’t know. In the past I would still wait till January to start really watching the Mavericks.

I shouldn’t complain though. Cleveland is probably more ready than any city to win a championship and someday I hope they do. I just don’t think it is going to be now.

First Johnny Football is going to be a bust . It is inevitable. He may have a few moments or even a year or two, but the NFL will take its toll on him like it did Tim Tebow and Vince Young. The college game is not the pro game and especially for quarterbacks. I think most people know this, but year after year we see people in the “business” have great expectations for college quarterbacks who just aren’t NFL quarterbacks. And for the Browns sake I hope I a wrong, but I am glad Mr. Jones didn’t go get him.

And now for Cleveland’s best chance. Yes, Lebron coming home and getting strong supporting case along with two other potential all stars you would think Cleveland has a great chance to win a NBA championship. I don’t know. They maybe the best team in the East , if not definitely one of the potential two best, but a championship may still allude them. I am not sure this win now with Lebron mentality is the best answer for Cleveland. They had a chance to build a team that could have been a strong contender for 5-10 years easy. And if Lebron really wanted to come home I am sure they could have worked something out for him to stay through at least five of those years and a possible couple of rings. There is a reason Mavericks fans love Dirk. He has been here and is willing to ty to do whatever on and off the court to win. Can Lebron say that? At least for now? I hope for Cleveland’s sake he stays, but he should have let the team build around him. Tim Duncan stayed, shoot even Kobe stuck with LA, yes he got the money, but he stayed year after year. Sometimes it takes the superstar committing to the team for the team to win a championship. It just gives the rest of the team that confidence to make the extra effort. Don’t believe me, well then you haven’t seen San Antonio play.

And I know it is hard for me to understand what it might be like to be a Cleveland fan right now. With every major Dallas Sports team having at least played for a championship in the last twenty years, if not won one I cannot imagine going fifty years. I just hate being that dose of reality, but unless something changes with the Cavaliers even with Love etc… Cleveland may just win the East once in the next two years. I know many are saying they have the right people in place, but their coach still has much NBA basketball to learn and some of the pieces are a bit iffy for an 82 game season and long playoff runs. I would have stayed young and worked through the learning curve for a couple of years to become dominant starting in three years for many years. The “win now” theory is a dangerous theory for the future if it doesn’t happen. You end up starting all over again. The fans of Cleveland definitely deserve to have a championship caliber team in their city. They are close, but I fear it is going to be not close enough.

A few thoughts

I can be a bit of an oxymoron. I am a conservative environmentalist. (okay maybe not the best use of the term oxymoron, but it applies in a strange way). And of course the root word for conservative is to conserve.

A few posts ago I mentioned that maybe using graywater technology should be part of municipalities building codes going forward. And the use, especially in government buildings really comes together for me as a conservative environmentalist. It achieves two goals. It can save on tax dollars and it can save on water.

This would work for school districts, city parks, and other facilities that have large amounts of land associated with a building.

And for cities there are many productive uses such as all the large skyscrapers in central business districts could adapt the technology and send back the water for use in other areas. The benefit is twofold; the businesses could receive tax credits, water bill credits, actual income from the water, or some combination. You have to think there is much water coming out of the buildings that could be recycled. The water district or utility district now has non potable water that it can use to sell to department of transportation for highway landscaping or other similar ideas such as developing or maintaining green belts within city limits.

And these are just some examples off the top of my head. Over time many applications of the technology could be applied to help save on water more than just my original idea of new houses being built with it to help with landscaping and water conservation. It is beneficial for neighborhoods to have greenery etc. This helps to create much healthier environment for everyone to have trees, grass etc. to balance out all the cement. Yes, you could have landscaping that doesn’t use water and that helps reduce use of water, however, you lose much in the big picture when it comes to balance.



I was reading on a website called Daily Caller I think (read it the other day) about an interview with President Obama. Part of the discussion was about immigration and the importance of diversity; the other part was the President saying conservatives were the problem in our country. I think it mentioned the original interview came from the New York Times.

First of all, Mr. President there is a big difference between a conservative and the current right wing monologue dominating our political landscape. Please understand there are many conservatives that do not associate with the current tea party or establishment Republicans. Please learn that conservatism in this country is much more than a few slogans and obstructionists.

Second, if you want to have your diversity, then many Democratic policies are going to be a problem. Our country is so large that you cannot create a one size solution for all the problems facing our country. The federal government cannot even begin to solve all the problems each community may face and most definitely should not try. The government can create policy frameworks each community can adapt to their situation, but to solve problems at the local level is a pipe dream.

This reliance or idea of the Democratic Party that all problems are fixable by the Federal government is dangerous and unrealistic. This is one of the reasons why our government is so cumbersome. There are too many federal agencies spread all over the place accomplishing nothing. Yes there are national problems our government needs to address such as the highway/interstate system. And yes there are some obstructionists that do not realize the importance of this infrastructure, but the federal government needs to stick to the issues that affect the whole nation.

Again the Federal government can lay out policy ideas, resources, invest in research etc. so our states and communities have the tools they need, but much of the actual work and legislation needs to be done at the local level where the problems exist. We are a very large and diverse nation, which is one reason we are a great nation, but to continue to be great the best answers will come from the people, not bureaucrats far removed from the situation.


I like to mention another comment around diversity and balance. We need both liberals and conservatives. There are times when certain policies are better than others. Yes there can be times when the government does need to increase spending such as to help lead us out of a recession if the spending is well executed and targeted to the needs of the day it can be beneficial. Yet government spending to solve all our problems will only create a bloated federal budget in the long run.

The other side of the coin for example: it is better during times of prosperity for the government to cut back on spending to keep inflation down, to save surpluses, to enact policies that encourage saving among the populace, tax cuts for working class to upper middle class, add back into the social security trust, (which is actually a democratic program that would benefit from some savings applications), and to keep the budget balanced to be prepared for future economic downturns.

Overall we need a government that can adapt to problems, not add layers of government on top of layers to solve problems.

And no matter what though, we need an education system that helps our children understand the true meaning of democracy and how blessed all of us are to live in this country. And for some strange and inexplicable reason our current crop of Democrats and Republicans on the hill just don’t seem to understand education is paramount to a successful democracy. Then again our current crop of Democrats and Republicans aren’t liberals or conservatives, they are just politicians and self-serving ones in the worst way.

Finally tonight, who let the gates of you know where wide open? The barbarous behavior going on in the Middle East has no rational solution in a civilized world. And how is a civilized world supposed to respond? It does us no good to resort to their level to eradicate them. The purpose of becoming civilized is for us, as humanity, to grow and evolve for the benefit of all humankind. Yet we are faced with a monstrous dilemma that should never have surfaced in the 21st century.

Yet we need to do something so we don’t go backwards. And it would help if some of the parties in the Middle East step up to the plate and bring their people into the 21st century and also help find a solution to the current crisis.

We are not who we think we are and nowhere near who we can be as humans on this planet. Until we truly understand how valuable and precious the gift of life is and live and teach this value, we are destined to destroy ourselves. And you may not want to hear it, but no one’s history is perfect.


Interesting side note, the US/west could potentially fight the Russians in the Ukraine and according to press rumors flying side by side in Iraq. We, as humans, are the strangest lot sometimes.

Couple more quick hits

Reading through the internet and saw an ad for the Kansas City election board for up to four supervisors ..two democrats and two republicans. WHAT ABOUT INDEPENDENTS? No wonder we can't get change in this country. Yes just a small example, but nothing can happen till we realize how blind we are to the status quo.


How can people use their phone in the restroom? Seriously folks, it is not efficient or productive or whatever. It is disgusting. Can't imagine how I would feel if I was talking to someone and heard the toilet flush. I would never want to shake their hand again. Put the phone up and wash your hands. I don't want your crap all over the place.

Seems back to school advertising is starting to rival Christmas time. Even at my age the idea of summer ending is slightly depressing Quit rubbing it in with all this incessant advertising.

A variety of quick posts

Whatever we do about immigration reform should include serious policy and punishment for human trafficking. Seems odd to say we don't want people to have a better life, yet do nothing about people whose life has been taken away.

Democrats are still way to smug about the tea party. It seems they think the tea party is only ignorant white racists and facists. The reality is many of the underlying themes of their message resonates with many people. Too many democrats by dismissing the vocal leadership and wackos in the tea party are ignoring the concerns of a much larger audience than they seen to realize exists. Don't believe me, ask the establishment Republicans. The tea party is not going away. The goal is for pragmatic conservatives to put together a viable alternative to keep too many people from drinking too much sweet tea and infecting the country with their diabetic nonsense.

At the risk of sounding like a prude, but if you are a.young lady please think about what you wear to work. It is really annoying to sit next to someone or work next to someone that is always tugging and pulling on their clothes to keep half their body covered. It it belongs in a night club, wear it there, not to work.

There are times when my smart phone is an idiot and then times where it is smarter than me.


I don't care how much of a Cowboys fan you are; don't drink Mr. Jones' kool aid. The Cowboys have much to do to have anything close to a decent season.

And I am a Cowboys fan, but have you noticed no matter how much they or the Lakers suck they still get way too much press.

This race business????

I am not the boldest person alive and really don't like stirring the pot, but a couple of things have happened and I just have a couple of questions banging around in my head that I just have to put out there.

First I am an old white male, just so you know.

I mentioned in a previous post that local politics is about to get very interesting. One of Dallas County's commissioners was arrested by FBI for a variety of charges. And this gentleman has been a very strong activist for African Americans and even to the point of being polarizing in some people's eyes. Many in our local African American community feel he was targeted because he is very vocal.

He has been involved in local politics for decades and has been very vocal and even flamboyant the whole time too. Many people respect what he has done for his community. And his arrest leaves many in the African American community upset and who knows, they may be rightfully upset. As a constitutionalist I have to advocate for him innocent until proven guilty. So for now my question is hypothetical, but assumes some things. And of course this is where my point can get lost in all the hyperbole of addressing is this a true race issue or is it something else.


So, hypothetically lets presume there is some merit to the FBI's charges and our friend may face real jail time. How is this handled by the African American community. Will they continue to support him at all costs? Or can they separate the good he did from the mistakes he may have made and basically ignore the race card and address the issue of the person. Can all the good he did for the community be emphasized so young people can emulate that and the community also recognize the mistakes and teach young people the difference so they can even further his work in the right direction? I think my point is it is 2014, when can we start trying to find a reasonable balance in what we do and our expectations of people as a person without any other issues hindering what is the reality. I am treading water here to hopefully walk a line to open honest discussion without inflaming the problem of the race issue.

And he is innocent until proven,guilty. He is so well known here that I am using his story as an example of how we all might could move forward innocent or guilty.

Some version of this next story occurred.

Say you are walking through a store and as you turn the aisle you see a woman/Mother hit her child two or three times and say I am going to beat your @$$.

Now this is hard enough to address even if you were to know the person, much less a complete stranger. Yet something should be done, you just can't let a child get hit, even if not hard enough to cause bruising etc.. All of us have an obligation to protect the innocent. (innocent in the general sense, for all I know the child could have called Mom a nasty name etc..) And this possible incident was witnessed by multiple people of a diverse group, but no one seemed to know what to do. In,many cases I have approached store mgt. to alert them of a possible problem. And I have worked in environments where I would and did address these types of issues, but what happens when an old white male addresses concern when he sees a young black female slap her ten year old child. How is that perceived? Do I look like I am helping the child? Or do I look like someone being critical of a different race?

And this question so bothered me that I almost went up to a semi young black male and asked him what he would have thought. I know he thinks I am crazy because I just stopped and stared at him for a second trying resolve in my head how crazy he would think I am. Yet he was in the vicinity so the thought did strike me to ask what should we do.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. How does the world view the villager when he isn't the same?"


Some crazy thoughts in this mixed up world where a little reason would help us all.

Some more of those quick hits

As a follow up to my Ukraine worst case scenario, my advice: put savings in local banks and credit unions. Even if I am completely wrong (hope I am) putting money in smaller institutions will help your local environment so hopefully a reasonable idea.

As a conservative I don't like too much government interference in our lives, but somethings are more important. Water is something that needs its own set of rules and we especially need to keep it from becoming a commodity. Absence of a national policy for now, a quick idea would be graywater systems should be a requirement in local building codes going forward. Not real impactive in the huge picture, but right now every little bit can help.


I am curious. Just read Bloomberg article about Paul Ryan's new budget proposal. Feeling a bit emboldened here, some of the philosophical reasoning for the changes match up with some of my ideas from the platform I wrote first of the year. It is tactically different, but similar in ideas and reasoning.

And things are about to get really hot here in North Texas and I am not talking about the weather. John Wiley Price,, a local County commissioner was arrested for a variety of indiscretions and abuse of office along with some others in cohorts with him. This could get real interesting if some of the fall out starts to bring in business interests alluded to are involved. This is round two of this story, but the FBI is involved and this time there could be much more. This will make county elections going forward real fun . More to come.

The paranoid posts/Ukraine plus

Good evening everyone,

I usually try to keep my thoughts/posts etc inline with rational thinking, occasionally I do get a bit snide. There are times though when the world gets the better of me, (okay a bunch of times). And lately I have been swimming hard to stay out of the deep end, but my brain just won't stop so I am going to quit fighting the current and float around here on the edge for a few moments.

I do try to avoid certain conversations though. I am not a big conspiracy buff. Or am I obsessed with trying to match up Biblical quotes and verses to what is currently happening in the world. I have a client where I work who I get along with socially who was going down this path the other day. It amazes me that people get so wrapped up in this thinking. Anyway I wanted to preface my insanity by saying I believe more that it is more important in what we do than worrying about what is going to happen.

So up first: Ukraine

First of all I want to offer my condolences and prayers to the families of the victims of this tragedy and travesty. The US entered WW I because of a ship being sunk if my memory serves correctly. I don't think this is similar, but I am having a hard time trying to remember anything that is such a horrible incident in history. There was no reason for this to have happened. So much sadness for these families while whoever is responsible will be able to avoid any accountability because all the world leaders will play games posturing themselves. Again my condolences to these families who may never see justice.

So where does that leave us. My worst case scenario is Putin does feel too much pressure and starts to get desperate. He is in a dangerous position with some heavy weight options. And yes one is nuclear, but I think Putin knows that wouldn't do him any good. And with any "world leader" it will always come back to themself. No, I think he has other options to distract World attention away from blame being put on him directly or indirectly. My worst case practical solution he might employ is an all out cyber attack specifically at us. Maybe not Europe at all or as much since he still has energy leverage. Some warnings that things could be going south for him and he may start getting ramped up is if money starts flying out of Russia. I read one article where the billionaires in Russia are afraid of Putin. Now I don't know how true that is, but if they start sending money out and try to leave Putin,maybe up to something they want no part of and may try to stash cash to avoid losses if they think US banking or international banking maybe under attack.

Putin gains time to regain control and maybe advance if we have to spend weeks to months picking up the pieces of an injured infrastructure or banking system. And if hard enough another possible multi year recession which will be about the death knell of the middle class unless we really get to work on who we elect to put us back together.


Next up: The Islamic State

On a side note I am writing this with Talking Heads "Life during Wartime" playing un the background. I must have chosen "Stop Making Sense subconsciously for this one...." does anyone have any questions"


Okay, back to being extreme and the IS.

First of all condolences to all the people who have been overrun by this madness. And madness is nowhere near strong enough to describe how off the chart this group is becoming. I have no idea how the human brain can even begin to believe what they are doing as any iota of righteousness to what they are doing. And yes I know I am writing from the perspective of Western smugness, but at some point how does the human condition become so perverse that this insanity is considered a norm. It is the 21st century, but it seems we just can't move forward on an evolutionary scale. And hopefully I am not too misguided about human evolution and perspective. Western greed isn't exactly a good move forward in human development, but these barbaric atrocities you read about is just impossible to comprehend these are humans.

And yes this is about IS and I am scared to death of these psychopaths my paranoia runs to another groups lack of action. And to me this actually affects the US in a different way and beyond us getting involved in a war. It is more how we get involved that is playing the paranoid thoughts inhabiting my brain.

My thoughts are; where are the Saudi's in all this? Yes they put some troops on the border, but as usual they are strangely absent. And I believe they will stay that way. They feel a bit above the fray, the royal family does. They surely don't want to get their hands dirty etc... And you know this IS will be looking their way sooner or later and they won't give a damn about Saudi money, maybe at first they could be appeased with some to build resources, but sooner or later Mecca will call.

So what is a Saudi royal to do? Buy an American election. And between the Supreme Court throwing our Constitution out the window with some of their rulings on campaign money and with enough money in this country tied up in oil and the MIC (military industrial complex), add a war mongering propaganda machine set up and this may not be that far fetched. Yep, a bunch of rich paranoid, if not legitimately frightened Saudis could funnel in enough money under the table to help sway an election where we enter the fray for all the wrong reasons and come out smelling worse than we ever have and so bogged down in a quagmire that destroys every hope of democracy surviving much less actually become a government option ever in the future. We really need to get our country back before mankind is left with perpetual war and a ruling class of much less than one percent with their sole goal to be the last one standing. All along wasting us and this planet till the dinosaurs come back.


And now for third and final chapter of madness this evening.
And this is: Israel and Gaza.

And yes more prayers and condolences for the families of this smaller bit of craziness, but with the potential to escalate. The difference in this situation there is a history of this fighting being put back on hold. It never seems to go away, it is just the thorn in the side of humanity that could at anytime erupt into those wonderful Biblical end times, And this time though it seems the least dangerous of three until you add the three together.

For this chapter I will keep my fears to this as a singular event. Adding the three together would make any sane person go over the edge.
And this one has the obvious fear of Iranian involvement. Maybe fortunately Iran is tied up helping Syria and Iraq they can't jump in or.... Somehow someway Iran is able to do something horrid hidden under the smokescreen of the IS fighting. A well placed terrorist nuclear attack, but really masterminded by Iran would tip the scales to such a large war that the only save place to live would be China as somehow I just keep thinking they are waiting out the West, Russia, and Middle East and plan on picking up the pieces. And I know throwing China in as a wild card seems out of place, but this is my paranoid dream so it goes where it goes.

Anyway a well directed mis directed attack by Iran is not being ruled out in my mind. The fallout from that could possibly be the fall of civilization as we know it.



Okay, okay lets try to be sensible now. And it goes back to the beginning, do we sit around and watch this happen. Or do we realize maybe we do have free will, but not just for ourselves, but for the choices we make as mankind? Can we rise up to the task of truly being judged for our actions?
Some crazy thoughts coming from the usual hotter than heck summer night here in North Texas. I hope your dreams are much more pleasant than mine.