Music On My Mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKmOKa9nwLg&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1a_ikfUico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4uPp69TMLI


How's that Angel?

Women Over 40

From 60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.
Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off that you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal.

For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.


I couldn't have said it better....

Thank you ladies!

It Happens In Three's

They say deaths in the entertainment industry comes in three's. Whether you believe in this sort of thing or not, it's a little eerie that today we lost Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, on top of the passing of Ed McMahon the other day.

Whether you were fans of these entertainers or not what cannot be denied is their lasting impact and icon status in society.

Of the three obviously Michael Jackson was the one surrounded by the most controversy. Between the multiple cosmetic surgeries or the multiple accusations of abusing minors Jackson today still has throngs of fans. He ushered in the video age of MTV with his Thriller video.

Farrah is one of those icons that only needed one name. She was a fantasy to millions of young boys and grown men. More than a pretty face she proved that she had the talent to stretch into any number of roles and make them believable.

As for Ed not only was he Johnny's second banana, his "Star Search" franchise should be considered to grandfather to shows like American Idol, America's Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars.

They impacted the way we thought, looked at life, watched TV and listened to music.

It's a sad day indeed...

Hey Lord.....

Heerrrrrrrreeeeessssss Ed!

No that wasn't in poor taste. In fact it was a tribute to a man that made a career out of being the "second banana".

As I get older more and more of the icons from my youth pass away. Several had major impacts on me. People like Johnny Carson, John Wayne, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra or Spencer Tracy, all legends in the entertainment industry. These were people that not only survived on talent but had the talent to transcend multiple generations.

Unlike the "stars" of today that claim celebrity status by the fact they make fools of themselves on some "reality" TV show, or they are the pampered little princess of some wealthy person, these people have no staying power.

I actually feel bad for the younger generation because I often wonder who will be their Steve McQueen or Katherine Hepburn or Charleston Heston? What will be their "Mary Poppins", West Side Story", "Grease", "The Longest Day", "Blazing Saddles"?

The passing of a generation is marked by the imprint made by the talent of that generation. So as each icon leaves this world I watch a small piece of my youth go with them. Do I have fond memories? Of course I do but there is something about losing a "friend" that you thought would always be their.

So long Ed you had a great run....

Mr. President Clean Your Plate

My Mother at dinner used to tell me to clean my plate before taking seconds. My Dad used to tell me to finish the project I started before starting another. Over the years as I've gotten older, and my parents grew wiser, I learned that these were some sound bits of advice. And I can't help but wonder if these words were ever said to President Obama when he was growing up?

I listened to some sound bites about the Presidents aspirations for a national health care program, and while I agree there is a need, I think we need to take a step back for a moment. I've watched our new President spend billions of dollars in the banking industry, the auto industry, in stimulus spending and push two or the Big-3 into bankruptcy. I'm not saying these moves were wrong or a failure, but I'm also not willing to say they were correct or successful. The truth is they are unfinished works in progress and the results are not in yet.

I think before we mortgage our future any further it might be a little comforting to see you finish a project to the end. See, I understand where you are coming from because I'm that way. I love to build things. I love to work with my hands. Three years ago I remodeled my kitchen, new cabinets, new counters, new appliances, extended the breakfast area and added a French door. I was inspired and what is done looks great. The problem is three years later I still don't have the molding down. My intentions were good, it looked good on paper, it built nice, but I got distracted with the next project.

Mr. President you are being distracted. Distracted by the numerous problems facing this country, distracted by the media, distracted by your detractors and by members of your own party. Finish what you have started, make one program show some signs of success, clean you plate, then go get another helping....

Gym Update

It's been a while since I commented on my workout experiences so I thought I'd waste a few minutes of your life talking about it.

When this whole thing started a few months ago I honestly didn't know how it was going to work out. I will say I'm surprised at how much I enjoy working out. I always thought "gym people" were a few cards shy of a full deck but after doing this I understand where they are coming from.

I've met all sorts of people since I started working out but most are only to nod my head at as we pass in the isle and say "hi". There are a couple of guy about my age that I actually talk to on a regular basis. We compare workouts and results, and share things that seem to work for us. This one guy, who is really a good guy, makes me laugh because every time I see him he keeps telling me how I'm shedding the weight. I don't have the heart to tell him I've been stuck at the same weight for seven weeks now.

I get a kick out of watching the "kids" work out. It's as much a show as it is for health benefits. There is this one guy who is about 28 that I end up near on the treadmill at least once a week and his routine never changes. Instead of starting slow, stretching or warming up gradually this kid takes off at about 6.5mph and runs for about 40 seconds gets a cramp, jumps to the side and stretches for a second, starts running again and the cycle repeats itself about a dozen times before he gives up and walks. I so want to turn to this guy and say "stretch first", but I keep it to myself. I don't want to be a lunk!

Gym etiquette takes a little getting used to. Gyms are a lot like men's rooms. For those of the gentler gender, unlike you women that go to the bathroom in herds, men at totally homophobic. You stand at a urinal, eyes straight ahead and you don't say a word to the guy next to you. God forbid you make eye contact with the dude wizzing in the urinal next to you. I think there is some rule that if that happens you go blind or something. Anyway Gyms are a lot like that. You leave gaps between you and the person next to you. if there are open machines and you get on one right next to a person you get a look that could kill. It's like you can hear them think; "fool I don't need to smell you or hear your burp or cough, so move your sorry ass over to another machine".

Cleaning the machines appears to be optional, for some. When I started it took about 30 seconds to figure out that most people wiped down their machine after use. I figured the reason we did this because belonging to this gym is dirt cheap and it helps keep the cost down. Then I noticed some, mostly princesses with good manicures and old guy, that felt it was beneath them to clean up. So now I clean before and after. By the way I am not "old guy". I am a veteran young guy, there is a difference.

Now the other thing that sort of makes me laugh is the fact they have pizza night and bagel Saturdays. Now here I am busting my backside trying to lose weight and they are waltzing in the door with 15 pizza's on the first day of the month. Have you ever tried working out while being assaulted by the smell of pepperoni? It's not easy, your stomach starts to growl really loud and then the girl two machines down looks at you like you just ripped one off. Another thing that gets me. They have about a dozen TV's set to different channels to watch while you work out and that's cool because it helps the time pass. But why in the world would they have one of those TV's set to the food network? I mean, isn't that a little like bringing a 12 pack of beer into an AA meeting? Also, am I just a perve or does it make anyone else snicker when watching a commercial for the food network and they say "party in your mouth". I can just go all sorts of different directions with that one.

Anyway, needless to say I am still working out, enjoying it, and I have yet to hurt myself! So I guess I'm doing good!!

Calling Al Gore...Calling Al Gore....

Be on the lookout for unexplained events in the world that are starting to poke wholes in this entire global warming thing.


Argentine glacier advances despite global warming

By JEANNETTE NEUMANN, Associated Press Writer Jeannette Neumann, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jun 14, 3:55 pm ET

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.

Nourished by Andean snowmelt, the glacier constantly grows even as it spawns icebergs the size of apartment buildings into a frigid lake, maintaining a nearly perfect equilibrium since measurements began more than a century ago.

"We're not sure why this happens," said Andres Rivera, a glacialist with the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile. "But not all glaciers respond equally to climate change."

Viewed at a safe distance on cruise boats or the wooden observation deck just beyond the glacier's leading edge, Perito Moreno's jagged surface radiates a brilliant white in the strong Patagonian sun. Submerged sections glow deep blue.

And when the wind blows in a cloud cover, the 3-mile-wide (5 kilometer) glacier seems to glow from within as the surrounding mountains and water turn a meditative gray.

Every few years, Perito Moreno expands enough to touch a point of land across Lake Argentina, cutting the nation's largest freshwater lake in half and forming an ice dam as it presses against the shore.

The water on one side of the dam surges against the glacier, up to 200 feet (60 meters) above lake level, until it breaks the ice wall with a thunderous crash, drowning the applause of hundreds of tourists.

"It's like a massive building falling all of the sudden," said park ranger Javier D'Angelo, who experienced the rupture in 2008 and 1998.

The rupture is a reminder that while Perito Moreno appears to be a vast, 19-mile-long (30 kilometer) frozen river, it's a dynamic icescape that moves and cracks unexpectedly.

"The glacier has a lot of life," said Luli Gavina, who leads mini-treks across the glacier's snow fields.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090614/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_argentina_glacier

Why dont we hear more about these types of stories?

WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun, 1st in 41 years

The World Health Organization officially declared the "Swine Flu" a pandemic and, call me silly, but I'm wondering what all the hub bub is about. Let's look at a few basic facts, shall we?

First, while I'm obviously forming a conclusion based upon limited information, every death I have heard associated with the "swine flu" has resulted due to an underlying health condition. Thus far the "swine flu" has resulted in 144 deaths world wide while the regular flu accounts for about 500,000 flu deaths annually. Now certainly I am not minimizing the deaths of 144 people, the death of anyone is tragic but doesn't it seem just a little alarmist to call this a "pandemic" at this point? Who is the Director of the WHO, do any of you know? His name isn't Dr. C. Little by any chance is it?

Secondly, lets look at how the media just eats this stuff up. When this "swine flu" first reared its ugly head in Mexico back in late April the media had a field day. Both the national and local news led off each night with "breaking" news about the latest "swine flu" cases or reported deaths. This went on for weeks alarming people about a virus that was about as irritating as a mild case of food poisoning.

For weeks the media rammed it down our throats effecting the travel industry, airlines industry, restaurant industry, schools, job places, local transportation and running up millions of dollars in costs for an already overwhelmed heath system. People were wearing masks on public transportation, in congested areas, airports, train stations and other places where more than two people gather. The demand for face masks was so high that, a news report said, the manufacturing plant went to 24-hour operations and were being delayed due to a lack of materials. All of this because of a media created frenzy about 144 poor souls that died of the flu.

The irony here is in 2008, 30.8 million people worldwide had AIDS and you still can't convince people to wear a condom. On a side note they still call AIDS an epidemic yet 144 deaths has made the "Swine Flu" a pandemic. Pandemic sells more advertising space I guess.

Certainly, when any type of health issue occurs there is a need to to make the public aware. And any health issue that could result in death needs to be taken seriously. But in this day and time, in a world filled with daily doom and gloom, be it the economy, wars, droughts, natural disasters do we really need one more thing to worry about daily?

I'm thinking with a little more "good" news you might just find that peoples resistance to ailments might just improve. But what do I know I'm just an optimist at heart.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090611/ap_on_he_me/un_un_swine_flu

Happy Birthday Dad

Yesterday, June 9th, would have been my Dad's 89 birthday. Now I've mentioned my Father before on this blog and while some would say he was a hard nose kind of guy, I'd say he loved his family the best way he knew how. He had an uncanny resemblance to an actor named Forrest Tucker whom you may remember from several John Wayne movies or the TV show "F-Troop". Several times in my life I had been with my Dad where people would point, whisper and come right out and ask him who he was, and it always made for interesting moments. That's my dad on the left.

I guess this sort of thing runs in the family because I my older brother could pass for Bob Seger, and while I don't see it, I have had 6 different people tell me in my life I resemble Sam Elliot, go figure.

My Dad passed away in 1993 but there isn't a day that goes by when I don't talk to him. I've heard his words echo in my mind every time the situation applies but it sure doesn't replace the real deal, ya know? Much in my life has changed in the 16 years since I was last able to speak face to face with my Dad, a divorce, a career change, a granddaughter, a few life events, some changes in health, several new loves and several loves lost. Now this may be TMI for some but I wish, somehow, I could communicate with him one more time. If I could it would probably go something like this:

Hey Pop,

It's been along time and I sure miss you, Mom, Bobbie and Skip. Since today is your birthday I thought I'd bring you up to speed on my life.

I want you to know yes, the leaf finally turned over, and I do sometime think with my head but I still think with my heart a lot also. I'm still a soft touch and will be until we meet again. I'm lucky though because most that I hold near and dear don't abuse that fact too often. You were right we can't buy back time although now I understand why I wish I could.

When faced with the choice I've always tried to do the right thing versus the easy thing. I take pride in what I do even when it doesn't turn out as I hoped. You remember how you told me I was going to be your millionaire son...well that didn't work out quite as planned but the lessons you've taught me and how I've been able to apply them in my life make me feel rich sometimes.

You know I have a way of making poor choices at times but you'll be happy to know they don't happen nearly as often anymore. You were right, regrets hurt so I've tried to keep them to a minimum. I've also learned to make good choices along the way. I have found life to be very rewarding if I can help others as I move from frame to frame. It's good to be needed.

I have a beautiful little granddaughter now. She's Chrissie's and Mike's daughter. They named her Natalie Grace. I keep trying to find a way to get out to see her but so far I've failed. You would have been there by now but it's different when you're single, and the job is shaky.

Things have been a little bleak lately and in some ways I know it would crush you and Skip if you were here to see this. GM has gone bankrupt and all of that stock you both accumulated over the years is worthless. We have a different way of doing things today and they are nothing like you saw in your lifetime. Needless to say times are tough and many are hurting but you know me I always land on my feet so I'm doing better than most.

I still have my real estate license and my home inspection company. The real estate is about dormant but the home inspection business still provides some income. I left the industry full time back in 2001 and have worked for the government. I build and manage construction projects in the field. You should see some of the things I've built, you'd be impressed. I've built three runways, a couple of taxiways, several hangers, reconstructed a multi-level parking facility, helped build a terminal, a water system, a training facility for police, fire and fams, and I've done several projects for the FAA. I'm good at what I do thanks to much of what you taught me growing up, and I thank you for that.

You'll be happy to know Brad and I are a lot closer now that it's just him and me. The way we fought growing up who would have thought it. In fact I was over at his place for a couple of weekends helping him tile the new bathroom he built. Oh, and tell Skip my bedroom ceiling is still up there 18 years later.

Your grandkids would make you proud although they are spread all over. Brighton, Traverse City, Lima, Lawrence, Royal Oak, South Lyon, Orlando, New Haven, Raleigh, and Boston. Tell Ma she now has 5 great grand children and 4 great great grandchildren.

I sold the Harley, damn, that's right you didn't know I bought that one did you? Well I knew you'd be on my back about it if you were here, but I sold it because it was a shame to waste it. I had neither the time to ride nor a partner to ride with, so I let it go although I'll probably pick up another here next year if things work out.

I did start golfing again. It didn't help to take 10 years off. I shot a 122 the other days and that was after coming out with a birdie, bogie, bogie, pretty bad, huh? You'd never tell you almost sent me to Q-school when I was 19. Silly me I chose to get married instead.

Brad is doing good. He turned 60 this year, you know. He is loving being a Grandpa. His job seems to be doing ok too so that's a good thing.

Pop, do you remember how you used to call me every Saturday when I was at work? I remember thinking how since you had retired you lost all track of things. That you couldn't figure out that if I was working on a Saturday it was probably because I had too, and I probably didn't have an hour to sit and chat. Damn I miss those calls.....

Well I should probably let you get back to your day. I just wanted you to know, that I miss you, and that I am so thankful for the lessons you passed on to me. I'll keep trying to make you proud and I hope I succeed. I'll also keep working on the golf game. Promise! Happy Birthday!!

Love you Pop!

Bye

Outta My Mind On Monday Moanin'

It's the start of a new week and several things have gotten me to thinking over the weekend. I'll share them here because maybe they'll cause you to think too.

If the bulk of General Motors profits in the last 10 years came from their overseas (Europe, Asia and South America) markets why is the government making them sell off those units? Wouldn't it make sense that if the object is to have a viable domestic auto industry in the United States you'd want to keep your most profitable branches in the company?

So Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL, huh? This is the kid they have chosen to be their standard bearer, the poster child for the wholesome sport of hockey? I wonder if that's what Gary Bettman had in mind as the hockey world watched "Sid the Kid" take an unprovoked, cheap shot, slash with his hockey stick to the side of Henrick Zetterberg's knee in the second period of the game Saturday night, just because thing weren't going his way? I seriously doubt you would ever see Mario Lemeiux, Steve Yzerman, or Wayne Gretsky pull a stunt like that, they had too much pride and class.

While we are talking hockey what the hell is with NBC? Here in Detroit we have what is called "Joe Vision". When the Wings play an away game during the playoff they open Joe Louis Arena and broadcast the game on the big screen TVs. I think they charge all of about $5 or $10 to get in and it's a cheap way for people, that may not be able to afford a regular playoff ticket, to experience the excitement of a playoff game in the arena. I think it's pretty decent. So what does NBC do? They say the Wings can't do it because it might effect their ratings! Their ratings? First of all this is the same network that all but cancelled "Chuck", did cancel "Life, "Deal or no Deal" and "Lipstick Jungle", and then had the stones to put Conan O'Brien on the tonight show. And you're worried about ratings? Conan O'Brien is to Leno or Carson what a life raft is to a battleship. Rating? C'mon you greedy morons let the people enjoy the series! Oh, and did I mention NBC isn't even paying the NHL to broadcast the games? Another great move by that mental midget, Gary Bettman!

So let me get this right. Kwame owes the City of Detroit $1,000,000 in restitution and is supposed to make payments to the city of $6,000 a month but was late because he only makes about $8,000 a month and there isn't enough left over to live on? Furthermore he is living in a subdivision of million dollar plus homes, Carlita is still driving an Escalade, his kids go to a private school, and we are supposed to feel bad for him? Can you say "A special kind of stupid" I think you can!

I love this! Roger Penske has bought Saturn from GM at the fire sale and he announced he'll have the lowest bidder with the best quality build the Saturn's for sale here! There is the reason this gentleman is the successful millionaire that he is....he thinks outside the box!

They found little Nevaeh's body last week along the banks of the River Raisin. They are currently awaiting the autopsy results as to the cause of death. During the time she was missing they arrested, I believe, 3 convicted sex offenders that were friends of the little girls mother yet thus far have not charged any of the men. Her mother said they paid their debt to society but I guess I have to ask, how in the hell did she befriend, not one, not two, but three sex offenders in a town the size of Monroe? You'd have to pick them off the web site! The other thing that is bothering me is over the weekend the mother started to profess her innocents in what happened to this poor little girl. Now, granted, I haven't read every item on the case but until she mentioned it I had heard no reference made that she was suspected of any wrong doing. Things that make you go hmmmmmm....

So they are coming out with a remark of "Taking of Pelham 123". I have to ask, as a baby boomer, have any of you people behind us ever had an original thought? Every time I look at movie releases you're remaking an old movie, TV show, or stage play thinking you can make it better with computerized blood and gore or special effects. I dare you, name 10 movies made in the last 5 years that were original screenplays and hits.......

The "Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy" is trying to prevent the remainder of the demolition of old Tiger Stadium again in court. They filed for an injunction to prevent the wrecking ball from swinging this week. Now I have as many fond memories of Tiger Stadium as the next guy. Hell I even have memories of it as Briggs Stadium. I remember watching the Lions play there and of course the Tigers. Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Norm Cash, Gates Brown, Bill Freehan, Dick McCauliff, Alan Trammell, Mark Fydrich were just a few of the Tigers I saw Play. Then there were the other hero's of the day Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Rod Carew, Harmon Killibrew, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, and George Brett. I'll never forget the first time I walk in and saw that amazing green grass and the old wooden green seats, (you clunk them up and down to cheer), and tasted my first "ball park" hot dog but those days are gone now. Yes, I cherish those memories but the grand old lady has been sitting empty now for 10 years and it's time to let her go. You've had 10 years to come up with options or plans, yet here you are again in the 11th hours wanting to halt the demo? It's time to move on, take your memories, embrace them, and pass the stories along to the next generation.

As some of you may know I've been on this workout kick that began back in February. After losing about 18lbs I have been holding steady now for about 6 weeks. I have already gone to eating one meal a day (dinner) which trims my caloric intake by about 3,000 calories a week, I walk 3 miles a day on an inclined treadmill and then spend 20 minutes on the weights. So now I'm thinking, ok, what's next? Diet? God no! You need to know that I have never met a cookie I didn't like, pastries are a food group of their own, when I increase my dairy intake it usually involves names like "Bryers, Baskin-Robbins, Edy's or Strohs" but I do it in moderation so I figure it all balances out. One of my favorite night time snacks is Frosted Brown-Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts while watching the tube. So I thought this can't be helping but what can I do? Aha! I said as I pushed the shopping cart down the breakfast foods isle at the supermarket, LOW FAT POP TARTS! It was a sign from God! I knew the answer to my problem I'd cut back on fat! Surely I would again start to shed pounds and it probably would be too bad for the cholesterol either! I bought a box and Saturday night, while watching the Red Wings spank Cindy...'er Sidney Crosby, I went up stairs and got a pack. I sat back down and opened the foil container anticipating the flavor of the tasty little morsel and took a big bite!! As I started to chew the image in my brain went from a dancing myriad of flavors to the floor of an old saw mill! My God I said to myself as I drank half a 20oz bottle of Pepsi, they make these LOW FAT things out of sawdust!!! No wonder diets don't work. Now, I have tried diet pop, low fat pop tarts and a few other low fat items and I can say without a shadow of a doubt, they are only suitable for laboratory test rats. The only exception to that rule is Bryers Low Fat Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips, it has half the fat and is darn tasty! I guess I'm not in that big of a hurry to lose weight anyway.....

I just want to mention an old friend Bob Talbert who used to write a column for the Detroit Free Press. He passed away several years ago but the headline above was hi regular Monday by-line. I always loved his in site into people and events in Detroit....so I may do Monday Moanin' again some time.

The Easy Way Out

There are times when I like to sit and reflect of the changes in our society that I have experienced in my lifetime. Like everyone I have my own opinions about whether or not the changes over time have been for better or for worse. Some have been pretty substantial while others have been more subtle, and both have had long lasting effects on how we live.

Typically when we speak of change we are saying we are looking for a better way, a more efficient way, or perhaps an easier way to get something done and it has a positive effect. Easy is the key word for today. We all strive in one way or another to make our lives easier.

In sales we used to say work smarter not harder although I was more inclined to believe that those that worked smarter and harder we're the most successful. But the reality is there is nothing easy about sales.

Anyway, I thought we might look at a few things doing things the easy way versus the hard way.

Easy to be hard:

The Family Life -

1). It's easy to throw a pre-packaged meal in a microwave or to bring home a carry-out. It's hard to cook a meal from scratch because typically it takes a couple of hours to do a nice meal that way.

What we gain by the easy way is some much need time in our day. What we lose is mothers passing down the art of cooking to their children. We lose traditions and fond memories of favorite recipes, and shared quality time between a parent and child. The problem is that it's time consuming but if we plan ahead we can combine the best of both worlds. Take a Saturday a month and spend the day cooking with your children, freeze the meals and have them "microwave ready" for use throughout the month. You'll improve their nutrition and create lasting memories.

2). Go to the grocery store for bread is easy. Take a trip to a bakery with the kids and you fill their senses with a host of wonderful smells. I takes a little longer and may cost a few pennies more, but I bet 25 years from know they'll remember those trips.

3). It's easy to send the kids off to sit in front of the "boob tube" or have them play video games all day. It's a little harder to motivate them to go outside, open their minds and use their imaginations. The fresh air and activity will make them healthier and happier in the long run.

4). Being a parent is the hardest job on earth. You are charged with the responsibility of molding the minds and charecter of your children, teaching the right from wrong, instilling morals and so much more. Over the last 30 years parents have tried to become "best friends" first and parents second to their children and for some it worked and others it didn't. When it didn't work we decided there must be a reason and excuse, and as a result we have a generation of medicated kids that have no boundries or self-control. That was easy! It's much harder to be a parent first, show them a little tough love and teach them medication is not the solution for bad behavior. Now that's the hard way but in the end it'll be better for both parent and child.

See how this works?

Our Society -

1). We have become a society of social networkers. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter all ways to network with others. It's fast, it's easy and for the most part uncomplicated. In a society that lives in sound bites it is the way to be seen but what about interacting? When was the last time you had a block party? Can you name 10 neighbors on on the street where you live? Today most people can't. It's so much harder to have personal interaction with people. Not only because of the time factor but because to personally interact you need to make an emotional investment. Facebook is fine for casual acquaintences but for lasting friendships, where they know you and you know them, you have to invest the old fashioned way.

2). Turning your cheek or looking the other way is the easy thing to do when you witness something wrong. As I posted in a previous blog there was an incident here in Detroit where a kid car jacked an 80 year old man in front of a handful of people. They stood and watched, and videotaped, this kid as he beat this old man, then took his car. See that was easy. The hard thing to do would be to intercede and help, or call the cops but then you'd have to testify. If we ever hope to regain some form of order in our society we need to step up and own it.

3). The easy thing to do is sue someone when there is an accident. It's easy to say I tripped on your sidewalk and you owe me. It's so much harder to get up, laugh at yourself, and say I should have watched where I was walking.

4). It's easy to blame others for the decay going on before our very eyes. The erosion of values, respect for the law, respect for your elders, respect for traditions, showing basic consideration to one another. It's so easy to say it's his fault or I can't make a difference alone. The hard thing to do is take an action. Be a leader versus being a follower. There is risk involved with building the road versus driving down it. It starts by expecting and demanding higher standards. Form yourself, your community, your government, your educators, your clergy and your employers.

5). It's easy to read your news on the internet. You get the headlines for both the national and local scene. It's much harder to sit down and read a newspaper. You have to turn from section to section to completly read a story but along the way you may fond something else of interest to read. Perhaps a human interest story or a story about something nice happening in your community, heck, you might even find out something new about the place you grew up. The internet has opened a whole new world there's no doubt about it, but there's something to be said about a good old fashioned newspaper that puts you more in touch with your surroundings.

The Government:

This is really a no brainer to comment on with the state of our country today....

1). It's easier to raise taxes to solve a problem. The old adage is if we throw enough money at it, it'll get better seems to be governments way of handling a problem. Here in Michigan we have a Governor and Lawmakers that have kept us in a 9-year recession. Annually they cannot balance the budget so there answer is to impose a new tax somewhere. It would be hard to sit down, put aside partisan politics and work for a common solution. To make the hard decisions on how to streamline our state government by making it as efficient as possible, and as citizen friendly as possible. That would be hard.

2). We have a Federal Government that just put 2/3 of the domestic auto industry into bankruptcy to "save" them. They told us we need to sacrifice, which is easy to say when your retirement is $80k a year and your get lifetime health benefits. It's not so easy when you have to care for your family. The hard thing to do would have been to actually sit down and plan a long term strategy to keep as many people working as possible. Create alternative industries and jobs where you could shift the work force. It's easy to say so sorry, good luck, keep your chin up. It's harder to say this will hurt us all but here is a way to minimize the collateral damage.

3). It's easy for the government and green people to dictate mileage standards for the auto companies. It would be so much harder for them to stand up and find a way to do a much needed improvement and expansion of the transportation infrastructure. The last major overhaul of this network came 60 years ago at the end of World War II. Think it might be out of date? According to IBM Technologies Americans burn up 4.8 billion gallons of gas annually in traffic jams. Think that might cause a little global warming there Al? I do. Maybe if we had more roads, considering our population has tripled in the last 60 years, we might not need to raise the mileage standards. Maybe gas wouldn't be artificially inflated? Maybe we should have earmarked "Stimulus" money to be used to widen roads or build new roads? Maybe we should close all the drive-through windows? But that would be hard, wouldn't it?

4). Every year both the Federal and the State Governments write new laws. When a problem comes up we just right a new law. It quick and efficient. It's easy! What would be hard is to look at our laws we have on the books, eliminate those that have outlived their usefulness, en enforce those that are effective. That would be hard! Do I really need my government telling me I have to wear a helmet to ride a bicycle? I think not! If that's all they can find to do then they are not paying attention.

5). It's easy to say we cannot regulate a free market commodity such as oil even though it should fall under the definition of a utility. It's easy to say that because our politicians collect a lot of money for the oil companies and traders. It would be harder to take them to task. Demand and get answers, and charge those that continue to price gouge. You may have noticed that gas has gone up about a $1 in the last 6 months? You'll also note that the price of diesel fuel is less than gasoline? That tells you that it's not the price of oil driving the price increase. It's pure greed. Now in another time it may not bother me so much but our country is not going to rebound until gas prices are stable. But to deny all of that money is a hard thing to do.

Easy is a good thing in most cases but sometimes the hard way bring a greater benefit due to the thought, planning and effort involved. While it is only natural that we change the way we do thing, we should never forget to look back to a time when the best fix was the one crafted with thought and hard work.

Options? What Options? Did I Say Options?

The die is cast and now we move on, and if we don't learn anything else from this maybe, just maybe, we'll learn never to take a politician at face value.

His campaign touted a change in politics, a transparency in government. The only thing that has changed are the names and the logos.

When President Obama was campaigning and after the election I remember seeing him on TV saying to the nation that he would form a select task force and look at "every option" available to keep a viable domestic auto industry.

Well it appears we again have been sold a bill of goods.

Here is an article from the New York Times where they are quoting the "kid" heading up his task force saying from day one bankruptcy was the intention and that was why Rick Wagner had to go:

The 31-Year-Old in Charge of Dismantling G.M.

by David E. Sanger

Monday, June 1, 2009

It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism.

But that, in short, is the job description for Brian Deese, a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School who had never set foot in an automotive assembly plant until he took on his nearly unseen role in remaking the American automotive industry.

Nor, for that matter, had he given much thought to what ailed an industry that had been in decline ever since he was born. A bit laconic and looking every bit the just-out-of-graduate-school student adjusting to life in the West Wing — “he’s got this beard that appears and disappears,” says Steven Rattner, one of the leaders of President Obama’s automotive task force — Mr. Deese was thrown into the auto industry’s maelstrom as soon the election-night parties ended.

“There was a time between Nov. 4 and mid-February when I was the only full-time member of the auto task force,” Mr. Deese, a special assistant to the president for economic policy, acknowledged recently as he hurried between his desk at the White House and the Treasury building next door. “It was a little scary.”

But now, according to those who joined him in the middle of his crash course about the automakers’ downward spiral, he has emerged as one of the most influential voices in what may become President Obama’s biggest experiment yet in federal economic intervention.

While far more prominent members of the administration are making the big decisions about Detroit, it is Mr. Deese who is often narrowing their options.

A month ago, when the administration was divided over whether to support Fiat’s bid to take over much of Chrysler, it was Mr. Deese who spoke out strongly against simply letting the company go into liquidation, according to several people who were present for the debate.

“Brian grasps both the economics and the politics about as quickly as I’ve seen anyone do this,” said Lawrence H. Summers, the head of the National Economic Council who is not known for being patient whenever he believes an analysis is sub-par — or disagrees with his own. “And there he was in the Roosevelt Room, speaking up vigorously to make the point that the costs we were going to incur giving Fiat a chance were no greater than some of the hidden costs of liquidation.”

Mr. Deese was not the only one favoring the Fiat deal, but his lengthy memorandum on how liquidation would increase Medicaid costs, unemployment insurance and municipal bankruptcies ended the debate. The administration supported the deal, and it seems likely to become a reality on Monday, if a federal judge handling the high-speed bankruptcy proceeding approves the sale of Chrysler’s best assets to the Italian carmaker.

Mr. Deese’s role is unusual for someone who is neither a formally trained economist nor a business school graduate, and who never spent much time flipping through the endless studies about the future of the American and Japanese auto industries.

He lives a dual life these days. He starts the day at a desk wedged just outside of Mr. Summers’s office, where he can hear what young members of the economic team have come to know as “the Summers bellow.” From there, he can make it quickly to the press office to help devise explanations for why taxpayers are spending more than $50 billion on what polls show is a very unpopular bailout of the auto industry.

Several times a day he speed-walks to Treasury, taking a shortcut through the tunnel under the colonnade, near the kitchens. The other day he talked about how sharply perceptions of the industry’s future changed after Mr. Obama’s election.

“At the first meeting with Rick Wagoner,” he said, referring to G.M.’s recently deposed chief executive, “they were in a very different place. He said publicly that bankruptcy was not a viable option. It’s been a long process getting everyone to look at the options differently.”

In fact, from before Inauguration Day, few in Mr. Obama’s circle saw any other choice. Every time Mr. Deese ran the numbers on G.M. and Chrysler, he came back with the now-obvious conclusion that neither was a viable business, and that their plans to revive themselves did not address the erosion of their revenues. But it took the support of Mr. Rattner and Ron Bloom, senior advisers to the task force charged with restructuring the automobile industry, to help turn Mr. Deese’s positions into policy.

“The president’s instruction to us was that we had to come up with a solution that would work on a commercial basis, that didn’t involve indefinite federal financing,” Mr. Deese said. “But we didn’t want liquidation, which would have even worse effects. So the question was how do you design a very substantial restructuring, and do it fast.”

Mr. Deese’s route to the auto table at the White House was anything but a straight line. He is the son of a political science professor at Boston College (his father) and an engineer who works in renewable energy (his mother). He grew up in the Boston suburb of Belmont and attended Middlebury College in Vermont. He went to Washington to work on aid issues and was quickly hired by Nancy Birdsall, a widely respected authority on the effectiveness of international aid and the founder of the Center for Global Development.

But he wanted to learn domestic issues as well, and soon ended up working as an assistant for Gene Sperling, who 17 years ago in the Clinton White House played a similar role as economic policy prodigy. Eventually, Mr. Deese headed to Yale for his law degree. But his e-mail box was constantly filled with messages from friends in Washington who were signing up to work for the Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigns. Mr. Deese chose Senator Clinton’s.

“He was pretty quickly functioning as the top economic policy staffer through her campaign,” Mr. Sperling said. “He could blend the policy needs and the political needs pretty seamlessly.” On the day that the Clinton campaign ended, Mr. Deese left her concession speech and received a message on his BlackBerry from a friend in the Obama campaign urging him to sign on immediately to Mr. Obama’s team.

He resumed his policy work there, and found himself stuck in Chicago — unable to fly to Washington with his dog — as the economic crisis deepened. Finally, one night, he decided to get into his car with his dog and just started driving back to Washington. Tired, he pulled over to catch some sleep in the car.

“I slept in the parking lot of the G. M. plant in Lordstown, Ohio,” he recalled. The giant plant, opened during G.M.’s heyday in the mid-1960s, is where the Pontiac G5 is produced. Under the plan Mr. Deese worked on when he arrived in Washington, Pontiac will disappear.

“I guess that was prophetic,” he said, shaking his head.

(End of story)

Now, whether you are a fan of the American Auto Industry or against it you need to understand one thing. GM's move into bankruptcy today, and Chrysler's filing 30-days ago, will forever change the complexion of Capitalism and Free Enterprise in our country.

It's effect will extend far beyond cars and Detroit. Today alone it was revealed GM plans to close twice the number of dealers previously reported. The number now stands at 2,100 dealers. That equals about 125,000 jobs. That is on top of the 50,000+ jobs lost with the closing of Chrysler dealers.

Tell me, what do you do for a living and what will happen to your job if you have 125,000 less customer? Something to think about, huh?

It will be interesting to see what is next not only for Michigan but for the Country.........