This Can't Be Good!!!

If we travel back in history we remember Teddy Roosevelt as the nation's leader who put his presidency on the line in the early 1900's to break up massive monopolies which threatened the welfare of the everyday consumer.

Today, however, I would think that Roosevelt is doing the proverbial "turning over in his grave" routine as we are bombarded by merges, or potential merges, that put big businesses in cahoots with each other, thus endangering the competitive balance that has made prices competitive for the consumer market.

The most recent merger was a big one. Delta Air Lines and Northwestern Airlines agreed to a $5 billion joining that could produce as much as $35 billion in revenue a year. That sounds wonderful for the upper level management and the stockholders. But for the common everyday traveler this could spell doom. Seat prices, already elevated by the growing cost of fuel, could become even more costly as the merger manages to eliminate some of the competition.

However, there are other pending mergers that concern me greatly. Perhaps the one that concerns me most is the joining of XM Radio and Sirius.

As an XM subscriber I am fretful about what this merger might mean. I love my XM Radio. In fact, its one of the real consistencies of my life. If I am in my car, XM is on. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I had anything but XM coming through the speakers. Thats right, no AM, FM or CD has polluted the music and comedy that comes through my speakers from XM.

Now I sit back and wonder, "what will become of my XM Radio when it merges with Sirius?"

My second concern in the world of merging is the desire of Microsoft to take over Yahoo. I am a Yahoo fan. Yahoo is the source of much of my email and has continually been my homepage since I became somewhat computer literate. I don't like Microsoft and really don't want it messing with my Yahoo.

Finally, it now appears that Arby's has purchased Wendy's. Don't mistake my feelings here. Unlike my feelings of disdain for Microsoft, there is no hatred of Arby's or Wendy's. In fact, when it comes to roast beef, I firmly believe that nobody does it better than Arby's. And Wendy's has by far the best chili, fresh salads and baked potatoes of any of the fast food eateries. I seriously hope that the merger doesn't lead to this new entity screwing up what is good about each of them separately.

The idea of bigger is better has long been a way of thinking in this world. But based on these business mergers, or potential business mergers, I am anything but sure about that idea.

Déjà vu All Over Again!!

Yogi Berra has long been noted for his somwehat twisted famous quotes. These statements have ranged from such notables as "You can see a lot just by looking" to "Nobody goes there anymore…. its too crowded." I have, many times, laughed at the convoluted fashion in which the New York Yankee great would twist his words in a way that seemed crazy, but ultimately made a lot of sense.

One of my all time favorite Yogi Berra utterances was "It déjà vu all over again." I was reminded of this recently as I watched debate concerning the Democratic Party and its dilemma concerning the contentious nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. While Obama has won 28 state primaries to Clinton’s 14 victories, the race is still very close. He presently leads in the delegate count by about 150 and in the popular vote by around 700,000. Polling shows Obama with a slight 49-47 percentage point edge over Clinton.

I, like many, feel that Clinton cannot win the nomination based on primaries. Who would have thought, last fall, that Clinton would be in this position? She was seemingly ordained as the Democratic candidate in-waiting. Nobody appeared worthy as an opponent within her own political party. And, then came Barack Obama. He captivated audiences, attracted people back to the Democratic Party in droves, and was compared by the Kennedy family as a near-reincarnation of John Kennedy. He was even endorsed by a former Bill Clinton cabinet member Bill Richardson who said Obama was a "once-in-a-lifetime leader." And, most importantly, he began winning primary elections and stomping across the remains of a Clinton candidacy.

Still, the Democrats face a quandary in choosing a presidential candidate. Unlike the Republicans who use a "winner-take-all" strategy in most of their primaries, the Democrats use proportional delegate division based on percentage of votes won. Thus, while Obama has won 28 primaries compared to 14 for Clinton, she has won big states and thus has stayed statistically very close to the front-runner.

This leads us to Yogi Berra. His comment, "It’s déjà vu all over again," haunts the Democrats. I say this because the Democrats, in addition to electing delegates to its national convention, also have something called Super Delegates. Super Delegates includes Congressmen, governors, mayors, and party leaders within the political party. They number 795 and account for about 20 percent of those that will be voting at the Democratic Convention in Denver. These folks, seeming mightier than a "regular" delegate, are awarded voting privileges at the national convention with no-strings attached. Their job is to see that the Democratic nominee is the "right" candidate for the party.

The scary part of this is it reminds me of the smoke-filled back rooms of political machinery days of Tammany Hall and its ruthless manager, Boss Tweed. This political machine that dominated New York City politics for close to 60 years, determined what was best for the city, the Democratic Party and the election process--the voters be damned. Now, "Its déjà vu all over again." The Super Delegates, while operating in much more open circumstances than Tammany Hall might have, is potentially going to determine the Democratic nominee regardless of who wins the popular vote in primaries.

Hillary Clinton is waiting for this to happen, Hillary Clinton is hoping and praying this will happen. Hillary Clinton pleads, seemingly on a daily basis, for the Super Delegates to stand with her and swing their considerable power her way. If enough of them do so, they will likely overturn an apparent decision by common, everyday members of the Democratic Party. In making such a decision, the Super Delegates would be acting like a political machine of old—ignoring the wants, wishes and desires of the electorate. And that, would be "Déjà vu all over again."

Or as Yogi Berra might say, "It ain’t over till it’s over."

Issues That Matter

Us old folks frequently hear from an organzation that goes by the name AARP. For those not acronimically astute, that means the American Association for Retired Persons. While I joined the organization when I turned 50 (don't worry, you will get a chance to do the same) since last July, I am a full-fledged member. My original reason to join was of course the discount card that comes with membership. Since then I have enjoyed the publications that show up in the mailbox on a regular basis.

The most recent mailing included an article on the issues voters will be considering as they go to the polls during the primary and general election cycles. AARP included the 16 top issues that voters have identified as important to them.

I was not at all surprised to find certain issues on the list. For instance, the current home mortgage crisis was cited by 48 percent of would-be voters. I can't help but feel sympathy for those seeking a mortgage in today's market. On the other hand, the crisis has had to have had a major impact on the declining price of houses.

Other issues that made the list were economically motivated. These included national deficit (69%); increasing energy costs (69%); job growth (66%); and inflation (64%). There seems no doubt that in the words of Bill Clinton first presidential campaign, "Its the economy, stupid."

Analyzing those categories, it seems like taking a turn for the worse has been a trend. During the Clinton year's in office we were operating at a surplus, thus paying off the national debt. However, with each day/month/year in Iraq the national debt has risen monsterously. That, coupled with the profits Iraq has made on its oil in recent months has soured many people since that war-torn nation doesn't seem to be footing its share of the financial burden. And, the rising/soaring cost of gasoline has sickened many of us and has had a direct impact on inflation.

Education almost always appears on these types of surveys and again, with a 76% identification rate, it ranks high on the list. It is joined by another long-time issue--health care. Rising health care cost checked in with 79% or the respondents identifying it as an issue, while 73% cited the lack of health care coverage and 70% pinpointed high prescription costs.

The war in Iraq checked in with 79%, terrorism at 74% and immigration was on the list of 63% of the respondents. These issues may never go away. We have one presidential candidate that claims we will stay in Iraq for 100 years if necessary and we have two potential candidates who want to get out, but still recognize the need to secure the area to some degree. Personally, I am not sure how long we need to be there, but I still believe that no matter when we leave the problems of that country will multiply. Terrorism is now a way of life and one that must be considered at all times. And immigration isn't going to go away as long as we have an unsecured border.

Naturally, Social Security and expanding access to Medicare were on the list. Social Security (80%) isn't going to go away soon, and that applies to Medicare (56%) as well. We live in a nation that is aging--and aging rapidly. More and more baby boomers will be knocking of the doors of Social Security and want what they see as rightfully belonging to them. Those of us edging closer and closer to the magic age do not want to be the generation that suffers the loss of Social Security after footing the bill for those that came before us for so many years. And, its understandable that younger voters are concerned whether they will ever see and form of Social Security as they approach retirement age down the road.

The final two items on the list are somewhat related. One is political ethics and scandals (49%). We have all watched politicians destroy their careers and their personal lives by operating in a corrupt fashion. The most recent, Elliot Spitzer of New York, took one of the most promising careers and will probably never, ever serve the public again. Heaven only knows what will happen to his family relationship.s

The other, checking in at 82% and on the top of the list is government competence. Unfortunately, we have reached a point in our history where we have become distrustful of government. I guess its partially an outgrowth of political distrust of the lawmakers and leaders who share office. Instead of working together, they work to destroy the other. As a result we now have a somewhat disfunctional government. Yes, is operated with majority control, but frequently it shows little respect for minority rights.

The hatred between the two political parties must end, or this country will suffer immeasurably down the road.

“It’s déjà vu All Over Again!”

I took a month off from writing. Its a long time when you think about things. I worked a lot, did some car shopping (to no avail), went to the movies once, worked a lot of basketball games and sort of loafed.

But then last week, " “It’s déjà vu all over again!” as baseball great Yogi Berra would say. I am back to writing my blog thanks to one of those moments. While out driving somewhere, I don't know where, I flipped through my XM channels and heard Chicago singing one of my favorite tunes, "Harry Truman."

I have always been a Harry Truman fan. I have his autographed picture and think of him as a true American hero. Here is a man that led his nation bravely and intelligently and while we maybe didn't recognize it when he was in office, we now see him as one of the greatest presidents of all time. Even George Bush has read a Truman biography and probably goes to bed every night hoping that history will treat him as well (fat chance).

So as I reminisced about my historical remembrances of the Truman presidency (I was only 2 when he left office, but I have long studied and read about him), I wondered how he would do in the present political climate. My first reaction was that if people think Bill Clinton is out of line in his comments supporting his wife's presidential run, they would be appalled at the frank fashion in which Truman would approach his candidacy. He called it like he saw it, and did so with a blistering tone of voice capped off with some flowerly language.

I actually wished Harry Truman was around today. He would have been a great president even today. And most importantly, he would have been a legitimate candidate that would have left no voter ever second guessing if they had really voted for the right person. Honestly, regardless who I vote for this November I will mentally question whether or not I voted for the right person.

So the reference by Harry Truman in the lyrics sang by Chicago kick-started my brain. I thought about Harry Truman as I watched the news and read the newspapers. And then, out of nowhere, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” As I was flipping through USA Today the same evening, a headline jumped out and slapped me in the face. It read, "Truman did it all--author, singer, host."

Above the story was a picture of my political hero, Harry Truman, planting a fatherly kiss on his daughter's cheek. Nice picture. A father's love for his daughter. Could the story be as enlightening...well no. Margaret Truman, the only child of Harry and Bess, had died the day before.

Margaret has long been in view by the American public. As the headline read she had been a singer, a tv/radio host and a celebrated author. Her father had come to her defense during his presidency when he threatened a newpaper reporter for his not so glowing review of Margaret's singing. Margaret, however, needed no defense from her father for her hosting and writing--especially her writing.

During her career she published nine works of non-fiction and 23 mysteries. Her mysteries were what first attracted me to Margaret Truman. Each was based on murder, with the crime taking place in a famous Washington D.C. location. The series had its debut in 1980 with Murder in the White House. That book was eventually converted into a movie, "Murder at 1600" featuring Wesley Snipes. Other locations where murder took place included the CIA, the Library of Congress, the Pentagon, Union Station, Capitol Hill, FBI, Georgetown, the House, Watergate, Havanna, Foggy Bottom, the Opera, on the Potomac, Ford's Theater, the Washington Tribune, National Gallary, National Cathedral, Smithsonian, Supreme Court, Embassy Row, and the Kennedy Center. The series ended with Murder on K Street in 2007.

Margaret Truman's death closes a chapter of history that I cherish. Her father was my political hero, and she was an author that I dearly loved to read.

Oh What a List!!

Well, its Jan. 2, 2008. This makes us another year older. But not necessarily another year better.

Sometimes, I ask myself, "What's wrong with this world?"

We live in a seemingly unending era of controversy. The war rages on in Iraq; we hint at possible war with Iran; the hubris between North Korea and our nation seemed to settle, but now a deadline dealing with increased nuclear activity hasn't been met; the dollar is rapidly dwindling in value on the world market; the economic dilemma in the USA is complicated by an unheralded increase in foreclosures and a decline in the housing market; an entirely new set of "clowns" are attempting to run for president; global warming (and yes it does exist, some people just like having their head buried in the sand) continues to threaten our existence but the most serious contributor to that problem (USA) has a leader who has his head buried in the sand. Need I go on?

I don't like to make this sound like gloom and doom. There have been many other times when a litany of items showed up on a list like this and the American people overcame, persevered, moved on and prospered. But, I guess I worry when we seemingly have no apparent concern for the future. Sometimes I feel like we act like that gambler who believes just one more roll of the dice will solve all of his problems.

Where do we go from here? I honestly don't know. As I look over that list I begin to wonder how can these problems be solved.

Well, to start with, we are in Iraq and I see no easy way out. I supported the military push to rid the world of Saddam, but the growth of military action in that country has been shocking. And, despite the Bush White House ideal of leaving Iraq with a democracy brings me to a state of uncontrollable laughter. If, when we do leave, that country's "democracy" doesn't collapse 15 minutes after the last soldier is out, then it surely will fall exactly one minute later.

Dealing with people like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is like dealing with an uncontrollable baby with a bad case of the "terrible twos." There is absolutely no way to reason with a person that is so out of touch with his own surroundings as to believe homosexuality doesn't exist in Iran. He is a nut case that brings a new perspective to "the blind leading the blind."

North Korea isn't going away anytime soon. The people of North Korea are desperately in need of energy sources and nuclear power is the obvious answer. Still, with a leader like Kim Jong-Il in the driver's seat, don't look for that nation to ever fully abandon its desire for nuclear weapons.

What has led to the decline of the dollar? I wish I had an answer but economics wasn't my strong suit in college. I have heard many economic leaders criticize Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, but I am not certain of the merit of that criticism. However, I do remember just a few years ago going to Canada and turning over $200 US and getting $300 Canadian. Those numbers have virtually reversed making our dollar significantly less valuable. The strong economy that we boast about has some obvious weaknesses.

The housing market is especially frightening on the home front. More and more people are losing their homes because they can't pay the mortgage payment after the "balloon" interest kicks in an ups their house payment by hundreds of dollars. That puts them on the foreclosure track and it puts another house on the already flooded market. One problem, as I see it, is the desire to have massive houses. True, we all like our individual space, but the word "mansion" is a word seldom used in our vocabulary anymore since homes have become so large. And, of course, the larger homes cost more money than many people can afford.

And please, somebody tell me who these people are that are running for president. More importantly, tell me what leadership qualities they have. I sometimes wonder if we have elected a worthy president since the era of John Kennedy. And the present list of potential candidates doesn't change my mind.

Finally, enjoy the cold spell. To those that believe global warming doesn't exist because its snowing right now and its cold I simply say "get your head out of the sand." Watch the icecaps melt and slip into the ocean water; notice, that despite cold stretches of winter, the average temperature of the earth is climbing; watch pollution pour out of plants and our car exhaust systems and ask yourself how long we can continue to mistreat our earth. Even if you don't want to believe in global warming, whatever happened to the old saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Oh well. Its Jan. 2, 2008. Have a Happy New Year!!!

And So This Is Christmas!!

"And so this is Christmas. I hope you have fun. The near and the dear one. The old and the young." Those were the words of John Lennon and yes, this is Christmas, 2007. It is a day of joy and happiness. It is a day to remember our religious heritages, to eat the turkey and ham; to share a cup of eggnog; to sit down with family and share the joys of so many Christmas days that have passed by. And a day to remember.

Christmas was always a special day in my family. My dad was a product of the Great Depression and Christmas was a day to forget the trials and tribulations of the hard world created by the collapse of the economy and to be joyous for what you did have.

My dad was one of the fortunate people during the depression. He was a man that wasn't afraid of work and so when the WPA began looking for workers in the Parkersburg area, he was in line and managed to procure a government job. This meant a steady income when others had little if anything. And, Dad was a saver. He could find a way to put away 50 cents or a dollar each pay period, insuring that Christmas gifts would be plentiful on that joyous day.

He always bragged that my brother, Ed, always had a Christmas. Dad would frequently talk about buying Ed a bicycle during the Great Depression and hiding it for several months so that it could be "delivered" by Santa on Dec. 25.

Of course, I came along much later in life and didn't experience the frugality of a Depression-era Christmas. Still, Dad kept Christmas the most important day of the year. As October and November came along, his nightly commutes from Cleveland to Aurora would grow a bit longer as he would stop at a store along the way and make that giftly purchase for Mom or me.

And, until later in life, he wasn't much of a gift wrapper. He would hand you a bag, or most certainly several bags, and there was your Christmas from him. Those of you who might have received a gift from me now know why I have such an appreciation for brown paper sacks.

But it is the many Christmas Days in earlier life that I so often think about. Dad was always the first one up on Christmas morning. And, we are talking EARLY. His job made him an early-riser anyway, so crawling out of bed on Christmas morning at 4 a.m. was easy for him. I honestly don't remember him getting me up that early, but I do remember the 5 o'clock hour being the moment of reckoning.

Dad would shake me awake. I have to admit that sometimes I was already awake. Other times he succeeded to getting me out of bed to see what Santa had left for me. And it was always a treat. Dad and Mom so frequently went overboard. But, as Dad would say, "It's okay, it's Christmas."

Those days have come and gone, and needless to say I miss them. I miss seeing Dad's face beam with joy as he watched Mom and me open our presents. It didn't matter whether he got anything or not (trust me, he always did). The most important thing on Dad's agenda on Christmas Day was that those he loved were happy and well taken care of.

Yes, I was a very lucky child. And I miss Christmas with Dad like nothing else in life. Merry Christmas!!!

Two Stories That Caught My Eye!!

Everyone knows of my infatuation with Cleveland. You have heard me say many times, "Cleveland, the best location in the nation." I am more than proud of the fact that such notable characters as Bob Hope, Drew Carey, Halle Berry, Alan Freed (the original Rock & Roll disc jockey), Hector Boiardi (Chef Boy-ar-dee), Tim Conway, Wes Craven, Joel Gray, Arsenio Hall, Henry Mancini, Elliot Ness (the Untouchables), Jesse Owens, Debra Winger, George Stephanopolous (political advisor and pundit) and Don Shula all hail from the lakeside city.

Additionally, I marvel at the downtown improvement that has occurred since I was a child. The ugliness of pollution created by the steel mills is gone and the renaissance of a great city has occurred.

Now, I am flabbergasted by a legal confrontation that has thrust Cleveland into the limelight of judicial interpretation.

Bob Kitts is a contractor in the Cleveland area. Whether or not he is a good contractor is not for me to determine. I have never seen his work, but I can safely say that at this point in time I will certainly not hire him to hang a door, plaster a ceiling or replace a window. And, most definitely, I would never give him a chance to look behind my walls.

Kitts was recently gutting a bathroom in an 83-year old home that is owned by Amanda Reece, a former classmate of Kitts. In the process of tearing out a wall, Kitts came upon a box below the medicine cabinet. Inspection of the contents led to the discovery of some $25,000.

Giving Kitts the little bit of recognition that he deserves in this matter, he contacted Reece who came home and further investigation led to the finding of more than $100, 000 additional money in two other boxes. The value of the money was multiplied by the fact that it was depression-era Federal Resereve bank notes that proved to increase the value to about $500,000.

Ms. Reese generously, and perhaps ethically, offered Kitts the standard 10% finders fee. But, greed reared its ugly head and Kitts demanded 40% of the take. Feeling as though she was about to be the victim of a shakedown, Reese has dug in and it appears as though the case will head to court.

Kitts and his lawyer claim that Ohio has a long-standing precedent of "finders keepers" rulings that boost his chances of gaining more than the offered 10% finders fee. These rules kick in when its unlikely an owner will reappear to claim a lost item. The original owner of the money may have been Peter Dunn, the owner of the house during the depression. His whereabouts are unknown, but he has likely passed on.

But, my logic says that once Ms. Reese purchased the home, she became the rightful owner of whatever was in that house. Under those circumstances she has been fair in offering the 10% finders fee and I can only hope that the judicial interpretations will work in her favor. If not, we could all be victimized by our neighborhood handymen that might just find something hidden inside our walls.

+++++

Seldom do I dip into the sports world to write about, but I want to send out a real quick congratulations from me to George Mitchell and his report on the use of performance enhancing drugs by professional baseball players. His rather long (409 pages) and encompassing report, listed 88 former and present players that may have participated in the use of steroids and human growth hormones.

Certainly the most notable of these players is Barry Bonds, who has long been suspected of being a steroid user, and Roger Clemens.

Bonds has not been good for baseball, I don't care how many homeruns he slugged, the records he broke or the denials he has long made about steroid use. He is arrogant and snotty. He has long demonstrated the attitude that the rules don't apply to him.

The sad part about his participation in the use of illegal substances is that he took what was a certain Hall of Fame career and turned it into a baseball sideshow.

Clemens has been a dominant pitcher in baseball for the past 20+ years. His exploits in Boston and New York are monumental in baseball history. However, in recent years his comeback efforts, his special treatment demands (not having to come to the ballpark if he's not pitching) and his numerous injuries have detracted from the record he established for himself during the prime of his career. Now a connection to illegal substance use drops him down even further on the ladder of respectablity.

Ironically, both Bonds and Clemens could be just five years away from election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. And most certainly they will be scrutinized like no other player has been. The test of deservability might not be their accomplisments which were established in the early stages of their careers. Their right to belong to the elite of baseball might be based on what they did at the end of their career. And in my mind, I hope to see them standing on the outside of the fence along with Pete Rose as they watch lesser-talented but more reputable people earning their way into the annals of sports history.