Simplification - NOW!!!!

We hear all the time about the complexity of government. Heck, I’ve written about it myself many times. Actually, ranted and raved would be a better term for it.

BUT NOW I HAVE IT!

To eliminate the complexity in legislation that permeates the halls of power in Austin and Washington, D.C., all we must do is remove computers and modern copying machines.

That’s right, make them go back to typewriters and mimeograph machines. I mean we can let them have electrically powered equipment, but nothing with any sort of computerized technology. No emails, no data processors, no robo-calls, no websites.......NOTHING!

Let’s see how many thousand, two thousand, three thousand, and so on paged omnibus bills they come up with then. I bet there won’t be many if they have to re-type the bill every time there is an edit, a rewrite, an addition, an earmark, or some other change.

NOPE, I bet we get a lot smaller bill, less drafts, re-drafts, re-re-drafts, and so on and so on and so on and..... well, you get the idea.

It’s simple folks (thus the title of this piece), look at it this way, the 13^th Amendment freed the slaves in a one-page document, the 19^th Amendment gave all the women of America the right to vote in a one-page document, and the entire Bill of Rights (amendments 1 thru 10) are on a single page......ONE PAGE, yet we can’t hardly get a bill passed through congress today that isn’t hundreds, if not thousands of pages long.

So how do you fix this.... SIMPLE....for congress to use typewriters and mimeograph machines to do the people’s business.

Simplification is a difficult process, but this would be a huge step towards once again making things work in the halls of government.

Hey, maybe they should use the manual set-ups as well, would save on electricity costs!!

Later,

Bill

I was UNFRIENDED!!!!

Okay, I had someone unfriend me on Facebook today because they couldn't stand the debate. I find it funny cause there are many on here who often times disagree with me and respond to my posts as such.

For the record, I only remove the posts where someone points out I was actually wrong so bad info doesn't get put out (not so much to protect my ego), or in the case where someone posts offensive material.

Healthy debate is good and necessary in a free society. A major problem with our society today is that there is far too much it's "my way or the highway" going on and not enough respectful disagreement. We can agree on some things and disagree on others, AND still be cordial and friendly.

There are too many good people in the world that you will miss including in your life if all you surround yourself with or include in your life are the ones who always agree with you.

Stepping off the soap box now.

Later,
Bill

A Rocky Analysis

The last few weeks there have been a string of Rocky movies shown on TV. I didn’t think much of it but very few people outside of the 007 family have played a character as often as Sylvester Stallone has played the Italian Stallion. Six times Sly put on the boxing shorts to portray his pugilist alter-ego and while many movie geeks like me know them all, I feel some sense of responsibility top my friends to take this opportunity to give you a short synopsis of the movies and whether they are worth watching or not.

ROCKY – The original and possibly the best of the six. A down-and-out Rocky Balboa is given the fairytale opportunity to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship against the reigning champion, Apollo Creed. Rocky is mentally slow (think sloth slow) but is a good natured guy everyone wants to cheer for. The outcome seems inevitable with an underdog beating the established champion, but I won’t ruin it as this was an outstanding movie made for a sequel set-up!

Watchability Factor – Have to see!

ROCKY II – The sequel was nearly as good as the original and was set up to let the once-upon-a-time underdog finish the job and bring home the championship! This sequel is somewhat predictable, but there are a view storylines thrown in to help to make this a fuller sequel than normal. I can guarantee that you will feel good when this movie ends.

Watchability Factor – Have to see this one also!

ROCKY III – Another Sequel that builds on the Rocky legend and shows how a champion’s career can be manipulated to make a less than stellar champion look legendary and then how that champion can overcome not only their place in life, but there lack of confidence once it is shaken. This movie is less dramatic than the first two; however, it is still quite entertaining and would have been a good spot to end the series.

Watchability Factor – Got to see Mr. T!

ROCKY IV – Maybe one of the last great Cold War Era Soviets-against-Americans Movies made. The Italian Stallion takes on the indestructibly juiced-up soviet boxing machine Named Ivan Drago - Terrifying. After the stereotypically named Ivan kills Rocky’s friend, the Stallion heads to Russia to train to challenge the Soviet Threat like every good American should. The final fight scene is okay and includes possibly one of the best Mikhail Gorbachev look-a-likes you’ll ever see. The final fight will get you motivated and you will really think this movie is great until Rocky grabs the microphone after the fight and goes all diplomatic on us. It one of those moments in movies where you can actually find yourself feeling embarrassed for the title character – OOOF! This should have been the end of the series!!!

Watchability Factor – Worth watching at least once.

ROCKY V – HOLY COW I still can’t believe they made this movie. I’ll give you a synopsis because this one is way too painful to watch….READY? Rocky loses all his money and has to go back to the Philly streets, he channels his inner Mickey, finds a young fighter to train, builds said fighter up, loses said fighter to a “Don King” look-a-like, and just when you think you have some idea where this one is going the young fighter comes back to find Rocky and challenge him to a…wait for it…a street fight! This is where Rocky whips the younger fighter and the movie blesses us all with ending.

Watchability Factor – NONE! This is a train-wreck that no one should stop and watch.

ROCKY VI – In the Mid-80s a comedian made a joke about a Rocky movie where the gray-haired Italian Stallion makes a return to whip a 20-something fighter in the ring. Sound a little bit far-fetched? Well apparently not to Hollywood execs since they made it! Storyline – when a video game simulation says that Rocky in his prime could beat the current champ, the current champ challenges a 65ish year-old Rocky to a fight. Don’t waste your time, Rocky wins and then goes through airport security in Australia and gets caught with more performance enhancing drugs than Jose Canseco had in his hey-day…Oh wait a minute; the last part was the real-life portion of it all.

Watchability Factor – VERY LITTLE. If you’re hung over and can’t change the channel I guess.

That’s it for the ROCKY series. Stay tuned for my next analysis.

YO ADRIAN!!!!

Later,

Bill

The Genius That Is…Well…ME Saving the USPS!!

In my never ending search to solve the problems that threaten to hinder the development and sustainability of all things this world has to develop and sustain I have come up with a few solutions that I think will revolutionize wealth redistribution and save the postal system!!


Exciting HUH?

First, how do we save the postal system?

ANYONE…BUELLER….BUELLER…

We simply increase the amount of mail being sent through the postal system!!

Yeah, I know, that’s surprisingly simple; but how can we do this? Let me explain!!

First, we use the old-fashioned, time-tested, government-frowned upon system known as the chain-letter-pyramid-scheme. For those of you who do not know how this works let me explain. Working off the fabled (or made-up-by-me) “Law of Sixes” you send out a letter to six people. That letter lists six people that the receiving six are to send $1.00 each to. Then those receivers copy the letter, taking off the first name and putting their names at the end of the list, and then sending it to six more people.

Now if you do the math on this it helps both the people involved in the letter and the Postal System and here is how!!

It helps the people in the letter like this:
1st Round – 6 people equals $6.00 – It’s a start!!
2nd Round – 6 times 6 people equals $36.00 more – Total of $42.00 – That’s more!!
3rd Round – 6 x 6 x 6 equals $216.00 for a total of $258.00 – Now we’re starting to cook!!
4th Round – 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 equals $1,296.00 for a total of $1,554.00 – Vegas Here we come!!
5th Round – 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 equals $7,776.00 for a total of $9,330 – Caesar’s Palace Emperor’s Package!!
6th Round – 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 equals $46,656.00 for a total of $55,983.00 – King Ranch F-350 BABY!!

There you go, just starting this and sending out 6 letters can garner you this small fortune! Heck, you could seemingly do this for the price of $6.00 plus some postage and you could possibly earn thousands.

What a country!!

Of course there is this one tiny problem that involves the authorities and their frowning on this practice; something about an illegal pyramid scheme or something like that. But surely this is more of a guideline than a rule - RIGHT? I guess the government is concerned that this might put them out of the wealth redistribution business.

But look at it from the stand point of the USPS. For every dollar involved in this wealth-generating enterprise, that equates to one piece of mail equaling $0.46 at the current rate so let’s do the math for just this one complete mailing of letters. If everyone did their civic and patriotic duty (and who wouldn’t) all the pieces of mail involved with just these six levels would equate to $25,753.56.

AND if let’s take it a little further and say 100 million of the adults in America were to do this just once a year. That would add $46 million to the Postal Service’s coffers!!

Okay, maybe it doesn’t save the postal service but by golly we would be trying…AND, I would get a new King Ranch F-350 out of the deal!!

I’ll take the red one Mr. Car-Dealer!!
Bill

No More $1 Dollar Bills!!

Here we go again. It’s just about time for another congressional session and a bunch of new legislators coming to Washington and there it is again, the proposal to get rid of the paper dollar bill and replace it with a coin.


Does it make sense?? YES!!

Will it happen?? Probably not!!

Why? Because we’re morons!!

Every two years this subject comes up and the reasoning to get rid of the paper dollar bill makes sense and the only reason we keep it is for the dumbest of childish reasoning.

Doing away with the paper dollar bill and going to a coin would save more than $5 billion dollars over a decade……FIVE BILLION DOLLARS!!! That’s the main, biggest, and most important reason to do this.

What are the reasons people want to keep making the paper dollar? We here are the most popular:
1. People don’t like carrying coins. Really, you couldn’t carry five or possibly six coins in your pocket. I mean c’mon man; once you get five of them you could trade it in for a $5 bill. I’ve never met a cashier who didn’t need smaller denominations.
2. The dollar coins are too hard to distinguish between them and a quarter – REALLY. You really want the reason we waste $5 billion dollars printing a paper dollar to be because you’re too inadequate at money recognition to determine the difference between a dollar coin and a quarter coin….BRILLIANT!!
3. It’s easier to fold the bills and put them in your pocket. Well you got me there!! You really can’t fold a coin, but it does fit neatly into your pocket.

So there it is. We can save money by using dollar coins or spend $5 billion over the next decade printing paper dollars so you can fold them up, put them in your pocket, and be able to tell the difference between your dollars and quarters.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Later,
Bill

The Fiscal Cliff is Coming!!

Okay, so it’s not another horror movie but it does seem to reflect the fear, chaos, and mayhem that generally envelope every horror movie I have ever seen. People are scared, unsure, and generally untrusting of everything and anything our representatives in Washington are saying – AND THEY SHOULD BE!!


Regardless of whether our elected officials are Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist, Green, Libertarian, Whig, or Organic (just checking to see if you’re listening); we need representation in Washington and we need that representation to work together. We send our representatives to Washington to serve in the House, the Senate, and the White House to work together to set policy and govern the country; not to divvy up into two sides and then loom over every topic from an unapproachable point of view.

Each representative sent to Washington is sent there to represent the people they are elected to represent; pretty simple huh? But what has been lost in Washington is the ability to work together to make decisions and compromises that make legislation possible to run the country. Tip O’Neil and Ronald Reagan had it. Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton had it. But since 2000 that whole spirit of bi-partisanship has been lost. Well we need to find it again.

We elect our representatives based on the majority opinion of the electorate. Then those people go to Washington to make legislation based on those same principles and beliefs they were elected on. Amazing enough you can be true to those ideas and beliefs and still work together with those of differing beliefs and accomplish the necessary business of the country; a concept that has been lost for the last 12 years.

Take the Fiscal Cliff. Does anyone really understand it or have we just labeled it as such so both sides in Washington can use the title to their benefit and scare the American Public. So let’s look at the facts.
1. No one has a specific definition of the problem
2. No one had a specific plan or even a proposal.
3. No one wants to be a leader and the first start the discussion by talking in specifics.
4. No one wants to address tax reform.
5. No one wants to address entitlement reforms.
6. Medicare will cost us $42 trillion over the next decade; no one wants to address its reform.
7. No one even wants to have an open door meeting as promised.
8. AND NO – WE CANNOT KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN.

On January 1st the Bush Tax-Cuts will sunset (they were supposed to in 2009) and we will all be paying higher taxes; EVERYONE has to pay higher taxes. I am not crazy about that idea, but maybe this is what we all need to make the country realize we need real tax reform.

On January 1st there will be huge reductions to the budget (OK not huge but there will be significant cuts) that will affect anyone who receives government (i.e. Tax-Payer) sponsored entitlements. Of course that will have a positive effect on the deficits our federal government is racking up, but at what cost and for what reason?

Because those “Responsible” people we send to Washington keep holding to their partisan mantras and rather than work together for the betterment of the nation, they still want to work separate for the betterment of their parties. But who’s really to blame?

UMMMMMMMM…..US….ALL OF US!!

That’s right, we had a chance to make changes this year and we instead chose to send practically the exact same people back to Washington; the same House, the same Senate, and the same President.

Well we better start paying attention to what is actually going on in Washington and who is actually doing what. We have two more years just like the last two and then we have another election. The voters made their choice in support of the status quo on Election Day; now those elected to office need t make a choice; two more years of the same and a more outraged electorate, or they work together to make something happen.

And You – The Voter!! Will you pay attention and figure out how it works and let your voice be heard; or will you once again sit on your laurels and wait until there is even less left of this once great country. The choice is yours to make and yours to live with.

Pay attention, be active, and make a difference.

Maybe our leaders should do the same!
Bill

A Black Eye for Black Friday

Well it’s over!! Once again Thanksgiving has come and the real reason approximately 247 million people celebrate is now over. That’s right, that four-day shopping frenzy called Black “Friday” is over – Hallelujah!!

Granted the Marketing gurus have increased the size of it by calling it Gray Thursday, Black Friday (Uh-Hum and Saturday and Sunday) followed with Cyber-Monday.

Holy Mistletoe Batman!!

What the heck ever happened to just driving to Grandma’s, eating too much wonderful food, playing some chess with Granddaddy, shooting some hoops with the cousins, taking a turkey-induced nap, watching some football, and enjoying the comedic styling’s of Uncle Charlie in his slightly drunken stupor later in the evening (Okay, maybe that last part was just at our house).

But seriously, I just saw a commercial for Ford saying they were extending their Black Friday savings through the entire month – REALLY? Do we actually need a full month of this?

Okay, maybe I’m a little sensitive to all this, but come on folks; why do we feel this constant need to save money we don’t have. Remember when the holidays were about what they are supposed to be about? You know, spending time with family, eating good food, being thankful for the blessings in our lives, enjoying the actual holidays and not the spending it with 247 million other holiday shoppers who are out spending the money they really don’t have because some advertising schmuck sold us on a bill of goods.

Oh Well, I guess I will stay on the outside looking in. I’ll continue to spend the holidays as I have in the past; sitting around the house enjoying the day. I’ll just keep spending time with family and friends. Eat some great food and watch some good (and not-so-good) football. And most importantly I’ll be keeping Drunk Uncle Charlie out of trouble!!

I got to find the chess set!

Bill

 

NOTE: the names in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent…and the intoxicated.

Be an Informed Voter, not a Victim.

For those of us who are political junkies it’s hard to rationalize an existence where someone does not keep up with the current events of our times. So many people waltz through life with no idea of how the events in Washington or their state capital actually affect their daily lives. They simply see the problem as too big for them to do anything about and rely on others to handle the situation.


Some folks will say they did their part by voting, but did they really? It’s simple to go into the voting booth and select a name. The question is why are you selecting that name? Is it because that person believes as you do or is it because that person had a really cool commercial or a really catchy sound bite you heard?

Recently Howard Stern had one of his minions go out and do a man-on-the-street segment where he asked people questions about the presidential election. Not really hard questions like who is the Constitution Party’s Candidate (that would be Virgil Goode if you were wondering), but he had his reporter ask some none-the-less tough questions like if Mitt Romney being black would prevent you from voting for him? To which he mostly received a response of “No.”

Some of the other questions were such as; did they like President Obama’s selection of Paul Ryan as a running mate, how would Sarah Palin fare in this election, Can John McCain get more votes this election, if Obama has a second term can he get bin Laden, and others that were just as ridiculous. I say ridiculous because anyone with even a minor grasp of reality would know that these were all trick questions. Trick questions that were only asked to demonstrate the lack of knowledge 90 percent of America actually has about the politicians who are aspiring to, running for, or serving in elected office that do control our government.

I am writing this blog today not to solicit votes for either party, I have other blog sites for that and you can check those out if you want to as they are linked to this blog. Today I am writing this blog to ask each of you who will read this to take the time and check out the candidates who are running for office. Check out their records and what they have accomplished. Watch the upcoming debates on TV so you can get a feel for the candidates.

Whether you watch ABC News, CBS News, CNN, FOXNEWS, MSNBC, NBC news or any of the others; whether you read the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Austin American Statesman, Dallas Morning News, or the Washington Post; don’t go to the polls uneducated, be an informed voter. Get some facts, talk to those you’re close to, and learn what the candidate’s stance is on the issues; then you can go out and make an informed vote.

For far too long, Americans have simply voted based on name recognition and half-truths. Sadly, many politicians, and those who want them in power, will tell you what they think you need to hear to vote for their candidate. It’s not their job to make an informed choice, that’s your job. It’s their job to get elected and sadly many will do whatever they have to in order to accomplish that.

So this election season, get out and be active in the election process. Don’t wait until the last minute and make a spur of the moment decision. Get out and take a look at the candidates and see who best represents the values and beliefs you hold dear. Be a part of the solution, not an enabler, and thereby victim, of the problems.

I’m off my soapbox now!
Bill

How Much College is too Much College?

Having attended college (many colleges), having watched my wife go through college, and having two kids in college, err….paying for two kids to go to college, I feel more than adequately qualified to speak on this topic. We get our college bound kids ready for college with 13 years of school prior to high school graduation and then send them off to college to select the education that will drive their future. This is where the insanity begins.

Once they arrive they have to complete the basic “Core” curriculum. For those who may not know, the core curriculum is made up of the same core classes these kids took in high school consisting of Math, English, Science, and other various classes. This is the problem I have with a typical college degree program. Why is it that a student majoring in English needs to take biology or geology? Likewise, why is it a student majoring in Geology needs to take British literature? Similarly, why does a student majoring in kinesiology need to take a class in philosophy or theatre?

Why? Well there seems to be a couple of reasons. One of them is to make a well-rounded student which is complete bunk as I never ever seen a high school coach whip their athletes into a no real frenzy by quoting Shakespeare of by philosophizing like Socrates. My personal favorite reason is the most overused line of all, “that’s the way it’s always been done.” But none of these are the real reason.

The real reason is that many people each year get degrees in English, Math, Theatre, Philosophy, Foreign Language, Humanities, PE, and other subjects for which that only real use for these degrees is in the realm of education. Therefore the only way to continue to secure these people jobs and to provide for a future generation of folks getting these degrees is to make them required torture for those looking for a degree in say engineering, medical fields, or electronics.

Now I’m not saying we should ignore those in the fields that make up the core curriculum. And I do believe that all college students should have to pass a qualifying course in basic English, basic math, and basic science; however, if a student passes a qualifying class then they shouldn’t have to sit through three or four more years of English, or math, or science, or philosophy. This would save students (and their parents) money and allow for two other alternatives.

The first alternative is that students could graduate earlier and then be allowed to take an internship to complete the degree. This would not only get the student the education he will actually need but it will provide them with real world experience before they are launched into the work force.

The second alternative would be for students to remain in school for the same amount of time they currently do, but they would have the opportunity to take more classes that pertain to their major. This would allow the students to be better educated in the job skills they are actually at college to learn.

Either way the students will be better educated in the major they are in school to pursue. Unfortunately we have a collegiate culture that is more about continuing the same traditional methods we have always used and not about what is actually better for the consumer, a consumer who is directly the student in this case and indirectly the work force in which they will be going out into after their time in academia is over.

It’s amazing that we have been able to streamline and improve most everything in our lives, but when it comes to a good college education somehow we have managed to leave that process back in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the decisions over this sort of qualifying process are made by the very same people who benifet from the system being stuck where it is.

Maybe I need to create a college? Anybody got some land, money, buildings, books, teachers, and mascot they can spare?

I need to look at my degree plan!

Bill

Father’s Day

I know this is a day late but I just couldn’t get this blog to sound the way I wanted it to (and I still don’t know that I did). I hope all you dads had a great Father’s Day. Mine was pretty good. We didn’t do much, but then again I enjoy those lazy days working around the house. It just seems like too many times people get caught up in the material aspects of Father’s Day and they forget to think about its real meaning.

Father’s Day should be a day to reflect about all aspects of fatherhood; being a father, a husband, and a son. Too many times it becomes about “Me the father,” and not enough about the other facets of life. Being the father and wanting that recognition is pretty important to all fathers, but how are we doing with fatherhood.

Are we the fathers our children need? I can’t tell anyone how to be a perfect father, the good Lord knows I’ve not been anywhere near a perfect father. But I can promise to work hard and be a better father each day. Be there for them when they’re happy and when they’re sad; when they are healthy and when their nose runs; when they hit the homerun and when they throw the interception; when she loses the beauty pageant or wins the science fair. No matter what, be there for them.

What about their Mother, Father’s Day is about recognizing how important being a good husband is to actually being a good father. Whether married or divorced, being good to the children’s mother is extremely important to the children. Sometimes it is hard and sometimes it is a loving chore that we are more than happy to complete; however, being a good father is predicated on being a good husband (or in some cases an amicable ex-husband).

Then there is being a son. This is where many of us have had problems in the past. We all have a father or father-figure in their life (and sometimes that could be a single mother). Whatever your situation is, you are someone’s child. SO, on this Father’s Day take a few minutes and think about your father, or father-figure, and give thanks for those virtues they have given you. The let them know how much you appreciate them.

I used to think of all these sort of days as greeting card holidays, but if you dedicate a short bit of thought to them they can all produce some self-improving aspects. Use these days to think on those things that are important to you, but also use them to help you to remember these same values on those days that aren’t “special” holidays.

Happy Father’s Day to everyone and I hope that we all take the time to consider our lives, how we live them, and how our lives affect those around us and reflect on us as a parent, spouse, and child.

By the way, I did get a lot of fishing stuff, but no boat….

Bill

Tuesday is the best day of the week.

We often hear folks saying how much they are looking forward to the weekend and how much they dread Mondays or how much they look forward to Friday. But to be realistic for everyone concerned, Tuesday has got to be the best day of the week; hands down it’s definitely the most productive and least stressful day of the week.

Let’s look at this from a logical viewpoint. Let’s start with Wednesday or “Hump Day.” When Wednesday comes around it usually starts off well enough with nearly as much productivity as Tuesday, but by lunch it becomes convoluted with thoughts of the weekend and of what needs to be done in the next two days to get ready for the weekend.

Then Thursday rolls on in and the “one more day till the weekend” thought train wreaks havoc with the whole day. Concentrating on work goes right out the window as the thoughts of the weekend and what it might bring will most assuredly confuse everything.

Friday breezes in and before anything gets done, everyone is contemplating what minimal amount of work they can do to call it a “productive” day and then there is the concentration on how to be the first person out of work in order to start the weekend.

Saturday is a jumbled mess of trying to recover from Friday (or Friday night) and getting to the plans we have for the day. And what if there are no plans? Well then there is that perceived need to find something to do so as not to spoil a perfectly good day off from work.

Sunday is church, possibly recovering from Saturday night, and the preparation for the work week to come. Also there is the possibility cleaning up from the weekend that is tailing off; however, this is optional and can be left to Monday evening.

Next up, we fall into Monday only begrudgingly as we ponder where all the time went to do what we had planned over the weekend. Little if any productivity comes from Monday as everyone is trying to get back on track from a couple of days off. By the end of the day we are more prepared for the week but still dreading the remainder of the work week to come.

But Tuesday, well that is the day where last weekend is a distant memory and the up-coming weekend is still too far away to concern ourselves with. As a result, we concentrate better on Tuesday, have less distractions, and get much more accomplished that on any other day of the week. Think about it, there is no need t prepare for the weekend yet. If something needs to be done there is still three more weekdays to complete it. So with none of the pressures and distractions of the rest of the week, Tuesdays are most definitely the day of choice.

Maybe I’ll just pretend everyday is a Tuesday….

How many days until Friday again???
Bill

Grow the Big 12?

First of all just let me say that if A&M wishes to go to the SEC good for them; however, it reminds me of the old proverb (some folks say Chinese but my Grandfather used to say it and he wasn’t even close to Chinese). “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!” In other words, if history is any clue, look out because the move to the SEC was hardly what Arkansas thought it would be.

But with the departure of A&M, what the Big 12 may need to do is look to go bigger, not smaller, or back to twelve. Let’s be proactive in this mess and create the first BCS super-conference. Of course with the current leadership decisions the Big 12 has made, I am not sure they are well equipped to handle this subject, but I’ll make my proposal anyway.

Here it goes!!

So A&M leaves and the Big 12 goes to nine (9) teams so they’ll need seven (7) more to reach the super-conference level. Of course Television markets are always important so let’s look at where a sample of the Big-12’s current markets sit. With our current members we have the following:
31 – Kansas City
45 – Oklahoma City
49 – Austin
88 – Iowa (I think the list has every major Iowa town on it)
94 – Waco-Temple-Bryan
143 – Lubbock

Not looking all that impressive, but before you say it, yes I know we pull a lot from Dallas and Houston, but that’s not where the home of our schools are. So now let’s take a look at my suggestions, and remember, these are just my suggestions and they’re only offered as a good natured look at the subject; so all you haters out there keep your comments to yourselves.

First off most Big 12 schools not in Texas want to keep the number of Texas schools somewhere less than the Non-Texas Schools so we’ll only include three new Texas additions to keep that point of view in mind. I’ll list the additions in regards to their Television markets (Texas teams first so as not to confuse anyone).

SMU – Sits soundly in the No. 5 TV market in the country and has already been harping about joining.

U of H – The No. 10 Houston TV Market would help solidify the conferences foothold on Houston.

UTSA – Yes I know they’re only in their first season of football but they had 50,000 plus at their first game, they play in the Alamodome, and they are located in the No. 37 TV Market in the Country. Plus they’re the Roadrunners – Awesome Mascot!!

Air Force – Regains a foothold into Colorado, they play in the 91 ranked TV market but are just south of the 18th TV market in Denver. Plus it’s always good to have a service academy in your conference.

Memphis – Great basketball, improving football, and the No. 48 TV Market helps hold the Missouri Valley Region with the Kansas schools and Missouri. And on the up-side, an occasional trip to Beale Street is always a good reason to travel to Memphis.

Tulane – Yes Tulane; I know they’re probably not what most people have in mind but they live in the No. 53 TV market, play their home games in the Superdome, and let’s face it, wouldn’t we all like the occasionally road trip to New Orleans every couple of years – YEAH!!!!

BYU – While the TV markets they are located in are relatively small compared to the rest, they already have their own television network and bring a prestige with them from the west that nicely compliments bringing in the Air Force Academy and is a major improvement to what we had out west before!!

NOTE: For you TCU fans out there, I would love to have TCU in the conference; however, unless TCU’s plans have transformed and they have changed their opinions of the Big 12, they made it clear last year they were not interested in being in the conference and wanted to move to the Big East. But if that has changed, I would highly recommend finding a way to bring them in also.

Well there you have it. These are my recommendations, of course they will probably go no further than this blog, but they’re fun to look at and think about. Who knows, maybe some of these teams will get the chance to play in the Big 12.

Sure would like the trip to New Orleans!!
Bill

The Captain Obvious Study of the Year!!

Have you ever really wondered about where all that increased college tuition money goes; or maybe what that tax-payer funded grant money is used for in the World of Academia? Well let me shed some light on the subject for you.

Billions of dollars are spent each year on studies, surveys and research all in the name of making America and the world a more healthy, friendly and civilized place to live. But are all of these surveys really necessary? Let’s check one out.

This week the results of a 20 year Harvard study were released to the public showing which foods pose a greater risk for causing obesity. Now bear in mind this study took 20 years so please do not laugh at the results.

Overall the results showed that people who ate more potato chips, red meat, sweets, and drank sugary sodas gained more weight over those 20 years than those who ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and drank water…..REALLY?

And when I say REALLY I mean it not because I am surprised by these results, but because I’m not sure we really needed a 20 year study to come up with these results. Think about it, for 20 years someone got paid to conduct this study. AMAZING!!

So, in the quest for a more civilized humanity I am offering my services to the public for free on some other issues I find are simple to understand, but might require a “study” for academics to figure out.

1. People who drink alcohol are more likely to get drunk than those who drink water. I promise you it’s the truth!

2. People who smoke are more prone to throat and lung cancer than those who don’t smoke at all.

3. People who chop broccoli for a living are more prone to lose a finger than those who don’t chop broccoli for a living. I swear, I am not making this up!

4. Beekeepers are more prone to be stung by a bee than those who do not keep bees.

Well, I could go on for a while but I would probably be in line for a lawsuit having exposed the results of some Scholar’s lifelong study. I hope I haven’t, I would hate to think somewhere out there was a hardworking researcher out of a job because I exposed the concept that short people find it harder to see on top of the refrigerator than tall people do (oops, sorry about that).

Anyway, as always I am just trying to bring a little common sense into the world. I Hope this helped y’all.

Now where’d I put my Potato Chips?
Bill

TSA Gone Amuck – Part 1

I began this blog several years ago in an attempt to enlighten folks as to the proper use of common sense. Well I think it is time I got back to it. As many of you know, I have sworn off flying. Not because of the safety in the air issue, but because of the security on the ground issue. After more than 2,400 hours in naval aircraft I can assure you flying is still one of the safest modes of travel there is; however, I still refuse to fly in a commercial airliner….unless my wife forces me.....um, er, I mean insists that I do.

Here is one example of why I refuse to fly. A few weeks ago, a family heading to Disney World was taking their turn through the TSA fondling and privacy invasion center in the Detroit Metro Airport. During this dazzling procedure, those geniuses decided that a 29 year old mentally retarded man posed a serious risk and needed an intense pat down. The 29 year old man has the mental capacity of a 2 year old and when asked to step to the line he did not understand what to do. When they asked him questions about his travel itinerary he could not answer them. Thinking the man to be uncooperative the agents felt he was a security risk and needed a special screening.

At this point they noticed the padding under his pants and felt this man to be a serious security risk. When the man’s father spoke up in an attempt to explain the situation, the valiant TSA agent stepped forward and told the father, “Please, Sir, We know what we are doing.” With this the TSA agents began their investigation of the scared man and his padding only to find an adult diaper “hidden” in his pants. At this point, with egg on their face, the over-righteous TSA officers decided to check the man for contraband at which time they found a hammer in his possession!

That’s right; this mentally challenged man had a hammer…of the six-inch, hollow, plastic, toy variety – Oh Thank God!!! When the father then tried to explain that the toy was his son’s security blanket and not going to cause any harm, the genius in the TSA uniform hit it on the wall and told the father, “See, it’s hard, it could be used as a weapon.” During this time the man became upset at having his dangerous TOY taken by the TSA.

Yes sir you heard me right; The TSA agent confiscated the toy hammer. Then the TSA agents told the parents that if they wanted to have it sent to Orlando they could arrange shipping; however, with the lightning quick speed that the TSA works, there was no time to ship it so they had to leave it with the agents who disposed of it.

Thankfully, the boys Mom (surely trained by the CIA, Mossad, or the KGB) used the craftiness of James Bond to smuggle a second toy hammer onboard by placing it…..in her purse!!! Mercifully the man’s was reunited with what at the very least was a replacement for the long-held security toy he had been so unfeelingly separated from.

Later TSA officials apologized for their agents handling of the situation and called it a onetime incident – REALLY? I did a short search on Google and came up with several others but I will wait to write about those later, I think they deserve their own time in the spotlight.

All of this sounds amazing, right? No!

This sort of incident is more common than you think and comes from a lack of common sense that permeates our society and it is up to us all to combat it at every level. I mean if there is any doubt that these people need help all one needs to do is check out the people of Wal-Mart website. How you help is up to you. I write this blog and make snide comments in the hopes that via these comments they’ll “get it.”

But while these people work for the TSA, I will not be patronizing the air transportation industry anytime soon…..Well, unless my wife tells me to.

Until next time…..
Bill

Don’t Taze My Granny!!

I don’t mean to be tellin’ no stories, but this is just Pure Grade A “Oklahoma.”

A man in El Reno, Oklahoma found his elderly, bed-ridden Grandmother in a state of confusion and unable to tell him what medications she had taken. She was so out of sorts that he felt he should call EMS to come out and check Granny.

Prior to the EMTs showing up, three of El Reno’s finest showed up to “help” out. When they approached the elderly and bed-ridden 86 year old lady (in her bed) they said she was confused and incoherent while being aggressive towards them. Apparently, Granny was unsure of who these men were and went into a protective pose….bed-ridden of course.

As these police officers began to demand that Granny back down, she apparently felt more threatened and pulled a kitchen knife at which point the officer in charge reportedly demanded the bed-ridden 86 year-old back down or she would be tased. At this point, the grandson said, “Don’t taze my Granny.”

With that the police officers subdued the grandson, handcuffed him and placed in the back of a patrol car. Then the officer in charge said he felt even more threatened when Granny took a more aggressive stance in her bed – REALLY? With that, she was tased until she passed out. Then she was taken to a hospital and admitted for eight days of psychiatric evaluation – OUTSTANDING!!

Well, as usually happens in one of these cases, Granny and her unappreciative grandson are suing the El Reno Police Department and the officers for $75,000.00. I guess the only questions I have for the three police officers is what was the deal. You couldn’t wait her out.

I mean when my bed-ridden grandma was alive she could last about 30 minutes before she fell asleep. Here’s a tactic, just stand still and don’t make any sudden moves. She’ll eventually get bored and those eyebrows will get heavy causing her to fall asleep, then you could all three jump on her and take her down…oh wait….she’s already in bed.

Maybe they could have just talked her out of it. I mean just speaking with the women in a calm and soothing voice may have reassured her that they were there to help. Oh, here’s one, how about getting the grandson involved and have him say something real technical like “Granny, these gentlemen are here to help you.”

I don’t know, maybe I’m being naïve but when we worry about how to juke an 86 year-old bed-ridden women with a kitchen knife and just go ahead and tase her, well I think we have some discussing to do on our people skills and the judicious use of Common Sense.

Mark El Reno, Oklahoma off my list of retirement communities,
Bill

Some Things You Always Remember.

They say there are times in your life that stick with you always and help to make you them person you are. I can think of several of those times that are stuck in my mind and when the anniversary of those dates come up I think about them. This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of those days.

In March of 1991 I was a young Airman aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln while we were working through our Battle Group Evaluation in preparation for our upcoming deployment to the Arabian Gulf. It was an awesome time in my life. I was on top of my game, moving my way up the ladder, newly married with a beautiful baby boy, and looking forward to going on deployment – Living the Adventure. This was the first step in the tactical and operational side of being in the Navy and I was really enjoying it. It was like we were in a dream world of some sci-fi movie, but life was about to take an abrupt turn that would snag us all back to reality.

On the evening of March 20th and the early morning of March 21st I was working a tactical station in the Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Module aboard Lincoln. We were simulating wartime operations off the coast of Southern California. From Lincoln we were working the radios giving tactical information to the P-3C antisubmarine aircraft working with the battle group.

Over the course of the first aircraft’s on-station time, myself and our radar operator spent about six hours on the radio with the initial aircraft and later spent time with the second plane coming on-station to relieve the initial Plane. Around 2:30 am the two aircraft began talking to each other and turning over the submarine prosecution. Shortly after the two aircraft began this procedure we received radio communications from one of our helicopters and one of our escort ships saying they had just seen a large explosion and flames coming from the direction of the two P-3C aircraft.

As the initial shock of the situation wore off, we realized that our simulated battle scenario had just turned into a full scale real-time Search and Rescue (SAR) Mission. Working in the world of Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare in the Navy means that you are a member of an extremely small community of people who tend to know just about everyone else in your field. So the thoughts of possibly trying to save someone you knew became very real for us all; however, the reality of the situation was that these were two very large aircraft and there was very little chance that these two aircraft were not destroyed along with their crews. We would later find out that our fears were realized and that 27 of our friends had paid the ultimate price.

We spent the next couple of days coordinated and conducting SAR ops while only pulling wreckage from the water. Sometime during that period a small contingent of officers from the two planes’ squadron came to the carrier to begin the process of investigating the events to determine how this all happened. With them they brought a list of people onboard those aircraft and everyone involved in the ASW and SAR effort on Lincoln knew someone on that list. For me it was a young man I went through aircrew school with and later was at primary school with. He went to P-3’s and I got to go the Boat. I can remember when we got our orders how jealous I was initially, then thinking during that time how glad I was to be on the boat, and then later how bad I felt for feeling that way.

When we returned home I was glad to be home and held my wife and child with a newfound thankfulness to be with them. Later I would testify at the official board of inquiry. I would not wish that on anyone, especially when the families are there. There is no real way to comfort a family who just lost a loved one and I felt helpless to do anything for them. It made me think hard about how someone would have to comfort my wife should something happen to me. It was my biggest fear while serving in the Navy. I also learned that while having a career as a Navy Aircrewman was and is one of the best career paths a sailor can have, it can also be one of the most dangerous – and harshest.

I look back on that time and it is still as hard to think about now as it was to deal with then. How simple and fragile life truly is and how much we make of the things that we should probably let go of. I still get fired up about things from time to time and still overreact about things (probably more often than I should – my wife tells me so). But I always think about it later and then think about those times in life that make you realize how small some of those annoyances truly are and should be. It was twenty years ago today that one of those events happened.

Take Care Brian,
Bill

Unions

Unions have become one of the big issues in the last few weeks and it looks like the White House will use the unions and their support of unions as a main campaign issue in 2012. Lord knows the current administration doesn’t want to campaign on their horrendous foreign relations record, economic track history, nor their healthcare debacle, but that is another issue. It is important to look at the unions to view their positive attributes and their negative attributes.

Now I know this will startle many of my liberal friends, but I believe unions have been an important and a generally positive part of our society for a long time. Whether you are pro-union or anti-union, the truth is that unions do serve an important purpose in America and that at the same time there are unfortunately too many union officials taking advantage of their positions.

Because of unions, we have safer places to work, better standard working hours, health benefits, retirement benefits and a better life for the various individuals who work in the various industries in America. The theory of how unions work and what they can do for their members is commendable when it is kept to its theoretical base and used as it is designed. All too often the union officials regrettably take over and take a union in a direction that would probably not be supported by a majority of union members.

This can occur when union members pay their dues and then have little to no idea of how those dues are spent or on what campaign they are given too. Many people think this can simply be rectified by the union members leaving the union if they disagree with the direction the union is going and it does in many states, but in some industries workers must join a union to work and in some states (Such as Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana – Sound Familiar) there is no right-to-work law and anyone working in that state must join a union to work there. Even if they don’t want to be a member they still have to pay money to those unions for the privilege of having a job in that state.

This Forced Union philosophy many times motivates better workers to leave these states for right-to-work states. Basically then the unions and these forced union states are all too many times left with a working class that is looking to do the minimum work at a maximum Price. This Forced Union philosophy also limits the expansion of business into those states because many businessmen would rather do business in a right-to-work state.

Public Unions are also important and also have their problems, but unlike those of the private sector they must not be allowed to make political donations – AT ALL. Private unions should be able to give money to political movements or politicians if the membership agrees with it based on membership voting; however, since Public Unions are potentially negotiating directly with the very politicians they donate to, how can we be assured those politicians are actually looking out for the tax payers best interest and not handing over the purse government’s purse strings – your purse strings.

Unions can be and are great organizations when they truly work for the betterment of their membership. There is no problem when they do so. It becomes a problem when union officials move behind the scenes and control their organizations and politicians through coercion and scheming.

So if the unions are to continue to be effective they must realize that to work in the modern media environment they must learn to work in the Right-to-Work atmosphere. They must learn to work with the people they represent and utilize the marketing of their positives to attract members and not just rely on Forced Union laws to garner their membership and conduct business any way they see fit to do.

So in the end, it seems that unions are like every other organization working for the betterment of people. That is because even with the sincerest of purpose, the best of intentions and the highest regards for the membership, there is one thing that can undermine progress to be made by a union and that is the greed of those at the top. Not all unions have this problem, but clearly there are too many that do and because of that a growing majority of Americans are beginning to have a negative view of unions.

Sincerely,
Bill

Patriot Day 2010

As Chairman of our local County Republican Party I thought about having some sort of event today being the 9th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11. We looked at the logistics of an event and somewhere during the process of putting an event together I realized that this isn’t necessarily a day that needs to be crowded with special events of commemoration. As one of those days when everything stopped I think it is imperative upon us all to reflect on that tragic day in a manner we each hold dear.

Many folks will reflect on where they were when they heard of what was going on. 9/11 was one of those days when we all remember where we were when we heard the news; like Kennedy’s assassination or the Challenger explosion. We all know exactly where we were and most can remember the feelings we all had. 9/11 was a day when all of our problems, all of our trivialness, all of our disagreements were put aside and a nation came together.

I was midway through a six-moth deployment and as a member of the United States Navy I was once again away from home in Okinawa. As soon as I heard of the first plane, I tuned in and saw the second plane hit. I immediately called home and spoke to my Wife and then my parents. I knew it would not be too long before phone lines were all tied up and I wanted to make sure I spoke with them before the typhoon hit Okinawa (yes, we were in the middle of a typhoon also).

Nine years ago my three oldest children were in elementary school, but they were military brats and understood that Daddy and his buddies were already deployed and would probably have a good shot at being some of the first responders on site to bring some retribution to those who so cowardly struck out at America. I look at them now and the older two are away from home in college while the younger two are at home; one of them born after 9/11. He’ll have to hear about that day from his older siblings.

How time passes so quickly and how so many have seemed to have forgotten that day and everything it means to this country. Today when I watch the events from that day, I can’t help but tear up and reflect upon the feelings and thoughts that still go through my head. Many of us lost friends and family that day and it still breaks my heart to think about it.

So, on this ninth anniversary of this day I will spend it with my family and friends. I will call the kids not here with me and let them know how much I love them. I will visit my Grandmother. I will sit in the stands of a Baylor football game with my children who are home next to my father like I have since I was five years old. And later tonight, when my wife gets home from her job as an ER nurse, I will sit with her and quietly reflect on all our life is and has become. In short, I will do all those things that make life so very special.

To my friends here at home, I wish you all well. To my friends still in the service, stay safe. To my family, you are all precious to me, even if you don’t know that. And to all my family and friends, I love you all.

Take Care and God Bless,
Bill

Just a Little Technical Expertise – Please?

So the President has chosen his select panel to discuss and determine the causes of the BP oil spill; the cause and reforms need to be addressed, studied, and corrected to ensure that this sort of incident is handled correctly in the future. In the past, presidents have chosen panels that sufficiently represented public issues as well as technical issues. In the 80’s there were a sufficient number of technical experts on the panel that reviewed the Challenger explosion, and in the 70’s there were a substantial number of experts with nuclear knowledge that investigated the Three Mile Island incident. Now it is President Obama’s Turn to appoint a panel to investigate the current Gulf Oil Crisis.

As this is dealing with a huge technical, engineering and environmental crisis, it would only be natural to expect a list filled with industry experts, deep-water engineering authorities, as well as environmental specialists. Well, getting one out of the three of these is doing pretty good for this White House. Let’s take a short look at this panel of seven and see what expertise they bring to the table.

Co-Chair William Reilly is first up; he comes to the committee a career bureaucrat serving in many governmental capacities in various Republican administrations such as President George H. W. Bush’s EPA Secretary. He has a law degree from Harvard and is currently on the board of directors of many companies and organizations including DuPont and ConocoPhillips. He has a pedigree and some name recognition, but it appears he has no real world technical expertise on this subject.

Co-Chair Bob Graham is a former congressman from Florida and governor of said state; not only is he a career politician, but he is the son of a career politician also. Like Mr. Reilly he has a law degree from Harvard and sits on the board of many organizations; however, Mr. Graham has also been appointed by congress to serve on the Federal Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. He must be extremely talented to serve on two such important committees at the same time. But alas, it appears that Mr. Graham has no real world expertise in the offshore oil industry either – Strike Two.

Frances Beinecke is a career environmentalist who has already made her position on this issue painfully obvious via her blogs as President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). As a graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and her blogs describing her distain for the “abuse” of energy by Americans, it is difficult to see how Ms. Beinecke can even enter into the discussion in an impartial manner needed to make a clear decision on a matter so delicate to the nation’s future. On the Bright side, she did get to room with Sigourney Weaver in college!

Donald Boesch is currently the head of the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science. Unlike the first three members of this panel, Mr. Boesch was educated in a non-ivy league environment. A Tulane undergrad, Boesch got his PhD at William & Mary concentrating in Biological Oceanography. Dr. Boesch has chaired numerous committees and panels on Climate Change issues – a definite plus in the Obama Administration. If there is a score to be kept so far we would be at 1 bureaucrat, 1 politician, and 2 environmentalists (zero technical expertise, but who’s counting).

Terry Garcia is the fifth member of the panel and the third law school grad (from George Washington University this time – Sorry Ivy League). He is currently the Vice President for Mission Programs at the National Geographic Society. Prior to that, he served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and as a Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Mr. Garcia gives the panel a second bureaucrat and third lawyer, but still no technical or engineering expert.

The sixth Member of the panel is Dr. Cherry Murray. She is the current Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science, finally someone with some Engineering knowledge; however, upon a closer look we see that Dr. Cherry is a Physicist who is well known for her scientific accomplishments using light scattering. Now, I am sure Dr. Cherry’s work in light scattering is important and I will not belittle her work. What would be nice though is to know what light scattering has to do with offshore drilling. Dr. Cherry is also currently serving as the President of the American Physical Society and is the Chair of the Division of Engineering and Physical Science of the National Research Council. Just makes a person wonder where Dr. Cherry will find the time to meet all her obligations.

The last Member of the panel, and the individual who makes you wonder the most about her credentials on a panel investigating offshore drilling, is Frances Ulmer. Ulmer holds a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in a former Legislator and Lt. Governor of the state of Alaska. Currently she is the Chancellor of the University of Alaska-Anchorage and is considered an expert in the field of election reform. Chancellor Ulmer did serve on the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, so that must qualify her somehow to sit on a panel trying to figure out the cause and how to correct the causes of what may be the worst oil-related disaster in history.

These are the seven members of the panel chosen by the President to investigate the cause of and the reforms necessary to ensure that such an accident as the current Gulf Oil Crisis can be avoided in the future. Environmentalists, Lawyers, Bureaucrats, and career politicians; a perfect assembly to head a policy making group to create a propaganda driven global warming strategy, but hardly the group to identify and correct any issue involving a crisis of the sort that currently faces the country. But then again, what else could we expect?

Can’t Wait for the Results,
Bill

Arizona, Nice First Step – But…

Okay, first off let me say that I am a red-headed, freckled, white American. Now, after making that statement let me move on to say that I am not entirely sure the new legislation passed in Arizona should, or will, stand the litmus test of racial profiling, whatever that is.

With all that said, I think it is important to congratulate Arizona for taking a first step. President Obama ran for office and took office with the promise that he would address and get legislation passed that would take care of the illegal immigration issue. Now Arizona has called him on it. Yesterday in a Rose Garden citizenship ceremony for several service members, the President took this opportunity to praise these service members, who met the legal immigration requirements, by berating Arizona for calling his bluff – the Immigration one (not the Guantanamo bluff, or the transparency bluff, or the lobbyist bluff, or … Oh, but I digress).

The President said that the Federal Government (basically…HIM) has failed to act responsibly on the illegal immigration issue, but that does not give individual states the rights to act irresponsibly. Not I’m not an English professor, but aren’t both those irresponsible? Anyway, Arizona is anything but acting irresponsibly. Maybe a little hastily and not very tactfully, but they are taking responsibility for their border with Mexico, even if the Federal Government won’t.

Neighboring New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said Arizona’s law would cause all sorts of problems with Mexico. AHEM…HELLO, first off, the border region with Mexico really is a crisis situation, probably the only time during the Obama Administration this term should be used that it hasn’t. People are being murdered at alarming rates all along the Mexican border and recently a rancher deep inside Arizona was executed in an across the border raid by Mexican assassins, ASSASSINS!

What else needs to happen to make the call for action more obvious? Well here you go, Arizona has one of the, if not the, highest rates of kidnapping in the WORLD; not America but the world and it’s coming from Mexico. This is no longer about illegal immigrants coming over the border to work and make a better life for themselves; it is now about hardcore organized crime threatening to take over the border region and the Mexican government powerless to do anything about it and the government in Washington being unwilling to do anything about it.

Arizona’s new law, no matter how it is carried out or ruled on by the courts, may not be a solid legal action, but it is an important first step. A first step that had to be taken to get the federal government off their collective rears and force them take notice, take action, and to finally take care of the problem.

Where’s my ID?
Bill