SamSaid!

OOPS

     Never do anything in a hurry. Good advice  — I think I'll write that down before I forget it.

     In the piece entitled Odds and Ends, I made a colossal goof. I had intended to say that Jacque Chirac had denied that Hezbollah was a terrorist organization, but in the haste of answering the telephone and the front door at the same time, I posted and published the article —  not realizing that I had inserted the word “NOT” where it most certainly did not belong. What a blunder!

     Never do anything in a hurry. I just wrote that down in case I ever forget it! 

ODDS AND ENDS

     The National Hockey League Season is over  — or maybe it isn't. At this point the only people who care are those diehards who know the nuances of the Blue Line and can explain in understandable terms the “offside” penalty. But if the NHL hockey sticks are not active, the Global Warming Hockey Stick is on the front burner.

     The current global warming flap was revved up by the publication of a graph that “proved” that recent global warming has sharply accelerated due to activities of mankind  — primarily burning fossil fuels. That sharp upturn on the graph has been analogized to the shape of a hockey stick. Now, it seems that many reputable scientists and non-scientists have questioned the validity of the findings that produced the graph. Can't you just imagine the anguish in environmental circles?? 

     On another front, the Slimy Frog of Paris, Jacque Chirac, has denied that Hezbollah is NOT a terrorist organization despite its suicide bomber attacks on civilians. That means that Hezbollah can continue to raise funds in France for its nefarious activities. I am reminded that French wine is processed by the body and then discharged with other liquids. I think I will give my body a longer rest when it comes to disposing of used French wine. Our foreign policy can be easily summarized: “First, Iraq  — then Chirac”. And drink California wine!!

     It is fun to watch Larry Sommers make waves with the ossified octogenarians at Harvard. Why should he have to apologize when he is not wrong?? Heaven forbid, he should not pose intellectual questions in an academic atmosphere poisoned by extreme feminists . Are Harvard and Cal Berkely so far apart??

     One of the chanpionship quotes about golf. “The same people who invented golf thought they could get music out of a bagpipe”.  Time for Dewars on the rocks!

SEEING AND HEARING

     As I became more and more aware of earthly events many years ago, I recall some words of wisdom passed along by my mother. She said, “Remember, none are so blind as those who will not see, and none are so deaf as those who will not hear”. I have no idea where these gems originated, but whoever coined them certainly knew what he/she was talking about. In a politically polarized America, they ring very true  –  especially when the subject is reform of Social Security.

     Our Social Security program is structurally unsound. Most politicos of  both parties will agree up to this point. We have an inter-generational  wealth transfer system in which grandkids are paying for the retirement of grandparents. But when it comes to making proposals for change, the water gets very murky. George Bush says we are driving down a road with a cliff at the end; the Dems assume the ostrich position and say “leave our New Deal jewel alone, and let's wait and see”. At least, George has a plan. The Dems do not.  

      Some of the numbers are not in dispute. When the System was implemented back in the 1930s, there were 16 contributors for each person receiving benefits. Now the ratio is 3:1, headed for 2:1 in just a few years. That   –  all by itself –  should set off alarm bells. But of course, none are so blind as those who will not see.  As impressive as those stats are, there is another set of numbers that play even a bigger role in determining how the System should be reformed. Back in the 30s, maybe 5% of Americans invested in Securities  — stocks and bonds. There are probably two big reasons for that. The first  is the Depression of the 1930s in which relatively few people were sufficiently affluent to be able to invest. The second was a great uncertainty about the stock market after the crash of 1929.

     Times have changed. The GI Bill produced an entire generation of better educated Americans. In addition, more and more people became aware of  financial gains thru different investment possibilities including savings accounts, CDs, Bonds and stocks. Now, about 50% of working Americans are stock holders who keep an eye on interest rates, stock prices, dividends and capital gains. The latest big surge in investments has come via IRAs and 401K plans. Even Union members have become mini-capitalists. Recognizing that the stock market is volatile and will have its swings, most investors are prepared to stay the course  —   willing to accept the risks.

     Risk and reward is no longer a bogey-man concept in the minds of most Americans.  It is a well recognized fact of life. Our Social Security Plan attempts to offer reward with no risk — as long as future generations pay the bill. And the rate of return on invested money as abysmally small. Geoge Bush's plan of including private accounts in the Social Security System in a bold proposal indeed. While it represents significant reform, it will not by itself solve the basic structural problem. But it is a step in the right direction, and with adequate explanation will appeal to those who have a basic understanding of simple investment math. The Dems say that the average American isn't smart enough to manage his/her own finances. I think they are riding the wrong horse.

     There is a chorus out there that sings the song of managing their own financial affairs. But none are so deaf as those who will not hear. Better listen up, Dems! Your foresight flunks the test and hearing is just as bad.

CHURCHILL

    The name of Churchill is revered in western civilization  –  the legacy of Winston Churchill who is generally regarded as the Man of the Twentieth Century. Now his good name is being dragged thru the mud by a far left Professotr at the University of Colorado. This guy, nominally Ward Churchill, claims to be  an Indian (oops, Native American) although there is serious doubt about his origins. But whatever his ancestry, he is a far left liberal hell-bent on challenging or destroying our traditions and way of life. This is the guy who says that the victims of 9/11 “had it coming” and that these poor souls were “little Eichmanns” — see Nazis. His supporters quickly claim the high ground of free speech  — the First Amendment. No matter how offensive, he has the unlimited right to express his views.

    Does he?  Personally, I come down on his side on the freee speech issue. . Indeed, he can spout off his garbage diatribes wherevever he sees fit  — the Harvard Yard, Inpendence Square, Hyde Park, the Main drag at Berkeley, Central Park, or any of the other havens of leftism around the country. But it is another question entirely whether the taxpayers of Colorado or the USA are obliged to keep on paying him with taxpayer dollars while disseminating such intellectual filth. Churchill is saying in effect, I have the right to say whatever I want to say and you have to keep on paying me whether you like it ot not. That's where I part company.

     I think the filth disseminated by Churchill is beyond ordinary measure, but he illustrates the high price we pay for thre First Amendment. There are consequences to be paid for the exercise of any rights. Let him pay the consequences, but don't tell taxpayers “You have to pay for his unconscionable idiocy”.

     Fire him. Let him try to make a living working rather than being a sponge at the public trough. And you wonder why College faculties stand in such disrepute?? 

It will be interesting how the Faculty at Colorado decide on retaining the services of this “professor??”

JACKSON

     So now we will be treated with months of legal and judicial wrangling over the conduct (misconduct) of pop star Michael Jackson. Fortunately, we will be spared the lurid details since the court proceedings will not be televized. The charges are pretty serious and if found guilty Mr Jackson could spend serious time behind bars.

     When viewing Mr. Jackson' appearance or observing his behavior, the first word that comes to mind is not “normal”. He looks like a weirdo and simply  listening to him gives one the impression that there might be only 10 eggs in his dozen. If you want to view him as a great entertainer, be my guest; but from any other standpoint he is a sorry case indeed. Yet  when it comes to a court proceeding, he has one big thing going for him  — he is a black celebrity. It should be clear nowadays that society does not convict black celebrities   — regardless of the crime. OJ Simpson (murder); Jesse Jackson (tax evasion). Kobe Bryant (rape), Jamal Lewis (drugs)  — the list goes on. Maybe the white guilt associated with slavery is too much to overcome, but the plain fact is that justice system lets  black celebrities get away with most anything. So why should it be different with Michael Jackson??

     Is Jackson guilty of the charges?  I think he is. But thru legal manuevering, the defense will methodically destroy the main prosecution witnesses, and the black hero will go free. Maybe I am wrong. We''ll  see. But if Las Vegas offers odds on conviction, I know which way I will bet.