Football Thoughts

Random thoughts about football ...

Cam Newton was clearly the best college player this year. He deserved the Heismann. But I seriously hope this never turns into another Reggie Bush give-it-back scenario.

It's hard to believe the Rams are actually in the playoff hunt. Except for Sam Bradford, the offensive talent is no better than previously and probably worse. The defense is remarkably better, anchored in the middle by the surprisingly good James Laurenitis. If they finish at .500, it'll be a fine year for them, and if they luck into the playoffs by virtue of the NFC West, so be it.

Have you noticed all of the Mizzou grads who are doing well in the NFL? Brad Smith is an exciting contributor on the Jets, Jeremy Maclin is an elite receiver, Justin Smith is doing well, Chase Daniel just moved into the #2 slot behind Drew Brees, and there are many others. I guess those are the rewards of a successful program.

Oklahoma bested Nebraska in the Big 12 championship, and all I could think of was "don't let the door hit you on the way out of the conference, Nebraska".

Paying Your Own Way on the Internet

The European Telco Union has just recommended the economic model for the internet proposed earlier in this blog space by yours truly. To wit: those who flood the internet with content should pay based on volume. After all, it's their cost of distribution.


Why should some companies pay to transport hard goods via air and rail, but others pay nothing if the content happens to be electronic?


As a former programmer, I know that software is written efficiently if bandwidth has value. On the flip side, if the bandwidth is free, then who cares how inefficient the product is?


This is aimed at the major network hogs at Apple, Google, and Facebook, who enjoy artificially high profit margins because their major resource - connectivity - is provided to them at no cost.


Simply put, those who create the demand should foot the bill.

Those Nasty "Rich" People

Nothing galls me more than politicians barking out sound bites about those piggish rich people who should pay more and more.

They speak of "millionaires and billionaires" in one breath, then define the same group as families "making more than $250,000".

If only they would pay more, the government could grow and distribute more cash to party constituents.

Apparently they are unaware that this group already foots the lion's share of the excessive tax burden, that these people create the jobs which the politicians purport to endorse with all their soul, that success is an admirable thing in American society, and that our tax code defines the highest bracket as $373,000, not $250,000.

Our system is already progressive, the top rate of 38% is high enough, the bottom bracket of 0% can't go lower, and I'm tired of hearing that the fault is with the people. It's time to actually manage the monster!

Rocking-n-Rolling in Cleveland

Kim and I recently visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. My brief review follows ...

... nice building ...

... nice location ...

... nice skyline ...

... lousy museum.

Too many jackets and outfits, not enough music, dull displays, and too much preaching.

I guess the last comment ("too much preaching") deserves an explanation. There were a number of displays poking fun at individuals who expressed negative opinions of rock-n-roll. It was ironic to me that a genre based on free speech spent so much display space mocking the rights of others to state their opinions.

In my opinion, Rock and Roll deserves better. At least there were pretty girls to be seen ...

Budgeting

Putting together a workable budget is very simple, just not when thousands of people are involved. The US is faced with a sluggish economy and a government which is gorging. It amuses me that when politicians say the economy is bad, they often mean the government is not funded at the level they want. Pardon me, but those are not the same thing. The modern economy should be optimized to grow non-governmental US-based jobs.

So how does one balance the budget?

To me, the first step is to cut the fluff, the second is to eliminate illegal activity, and the third is to rationalize the core programs.

Cut the fluff ... stop earmarks, freeze pay levels, eliminate farm subsidies, drop the redundant department of education, cap new spending for a set amount of time, freeze government travel, and so on. No pain, lots of gain. Also: Make approriations more difficult, and vote for candidates with an understanding of free-market economics.

Eliminate illegal activity ... stop the influx of illegal aliens, cut governmental payments to existing illegal aliens, and drop all of the unconstitutional "czars" and their staffs.

Rationalize the core programs ... Demand the world's best defense but at a better price, find a market-based solution for Medicare/Health Care which excludes routine office visits, and recalibrate Social Security to the demographic realities and original intent (raise retirement age to 70, and set the payout level to a safety-net level, i.e. just above poverty).

Final word: you don't fix the budget problem by raising taxes. Governments spend dollars; they don't pay down debt. Better to throttle the monster rather than feed it.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

There are many movies which, while not cinematic masterpieces, I can watch over and over again. Raising Arizona and Christmas Story are two which spring to mind.

While flipping channels the other day, I stumbled across another which draws my attention every time it's stumbled across: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett, it's a study of what happens when two people in a relationship each have their memories of one another erased. A sci-fi chick flick, if you will.

The title is derived from prose by Alexander Pope:

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!

The world forgetting, by the world forgot.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!

Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd

The movie is rated 8.5 (of 10) by IMDB. It's interesting that a flick about memories can be so memorable.

Candidates

Now that the 2010 midterms are over, positioning for 2012 will heat up. Unless there are surprises, the leading candidates will be Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and a number of other candidates who will more likely be building a case for future consideration.

Here's my handicapping of the field:

Sarah Palin ... The idea of a citizen-leader is pure American, so I get tired of the press continually downgrading Palin's ability. The fact that she's NOT a professional lawyer-politician should count for something. However, I'm tired of the drama, and frankly, she could have done much better in those debates with Biden. Her combativeness often loses context and seems to become personal. I admire Sarah Palin, but she's not my candidate of choice ...



Newt Gingrich ... I've always liked his directness and clarity, and if nominated, he'd be someone you could support. But I have a problem with these Congressmen-turned-candidate-for-chief-executive-office types. They're unproven in even a basic management/leadership role, and I'd rather see a governor or private leader in charge. Newt's had 20 years to sharpen these credentials, and has not. Again, not my candidate of choice ...



Mike Huckabee ... He's a likeable guy with the leadership pedigree, but I don't think he's the best the country has to offer. I thought his run in 2008 showed brilliance at times, but seemed unfocused for long periods. He, too, has not done enough to raise his profile the last few years. Not good enough, and not my candidate of choice ...

Mitt Romney ... I've never been a huge fan of Mitt Romney, but the facts are clear. He has executive experience, and his areas of specialty are (1) the economy, and (2) health care. We could use someone knowledgeable in those areas. So, if Romney can elevate his game, make nice with the conservatives, and effectively develop a focused message, he's my candidate for the moment.

I confess, however, that if the Republicans put up Bugs Bunny with Elmer Fudd as his running mate, one would be tempted to support them solely to remove the current adminstration. All they would need to do is adopt the slogan "Change Things Back!".