On Graduations and Beyond

Earlier this month, my youngest son graduated from high school and is now planning on attending college this fall.  It is a seminal moment in life -- both as a parent AND as a young adult who is eager to leave the high school scene behind.

 

It has been too many years for me to remember much of my graduation from high school.  It's a terrible thing to lose memories of sitting on a hard folding chair for 2 hours while classmates and teachers talk about the last thing you want to hear:  more school.  I was trying earlier this summer to remember who our class president was, and came up empty.  Fortunately I received an invitation to our 35th class reunion next year, so maybe I'll find out then.

I actually have more memories of graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison -- one of which has me sitting on my Suzuki motorcycle, black gown flowing in the wind, while I hold onto a cowboy hat with one hand, a beer in the other.  Perhaps college had more meaning for me and the end of school (getting a job) signified more than the passage from high school to college.

Regardless, the past month has been spent planning and attending graduation parties, Sean's graduation and his orientation to college.  It has given me time to reflect on a number of things, among them --

Attending a graduation party is a lot more fun than hosting one.  Sitting down with a plate full of good food and a cold beer is just the way to spend an hour or two in early June.  Taking vacation days off to clean the garage, setting up tables and chairs, buying food and drinks and selecting pictures of your graduate's lifetime is not.  It's always rewarding to have the party and see everyone's reaction -- but ask my wife -- it's a lot of work and something I'm glad only comes around once every so many years.


Pulled pork is way over-rated.  Every party we went to (save one) served pulled pork.  The exception was bratwursts and hot dogs.  It got so bad that my wife decided to change our choice of food from pulled pork to beef and chicken tacos.  Is there a book on graduation parties that says you have to serve the same thing?  Trust me when I say that I like barbecue pork and all, but it'll be awhile before you see me eating at Famous Dave's restaurant. 


Where do I put all this food?  One of the hardest things to know is how many people are going to show up?  And those who do show up -- are they going to eat or not?  After filling up at other parties, chances are they won't be eating much this time around.  As a result, we had people showing up (after their own party) with left over food and desserts.  We gave as much away as we could, and still had a lot left over.  I'm still eating potato chips and drinking soda and beer.

"What did they just say?"  There were three class speakers at my son's graduation, all girls.  They were well prepared, looking sharp with their gold cords and maroon gowns, and eager to expound upon the meaning of their time at Central High School.  All three were Summa Cum Laude and well adorned with scholarships, class awards and offers to some of the best colleges around.  Somehow I was expecting to hear them say something worthy of all the accolades, but as soon as they were done, I looked at my wife and thought, "What did they just say?"  At the least, analogies to Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, Hemingway's In Our Time, or  Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land would have been appropriate.  I honestly think I could have said something more memorable and relatable....

That familiar tune.  Graduation ceremonies are exciting and boring at the same time (after your son/daughter has walked across the stage, you can't wait for it to be over).  After 12 years of elementary, middle and high school, the energy level of the students and their guests is sky high.  The song "Pomp and Circumstance"  manages to evoke a number of emotions, including happiness, relief and triumph.  For me however, it is also tinged with a bit of nostalgia, as graduating seniors move beyond their first days of school, backpacks and parent/teacher conferences.  Did you know that the name of the song comes from a line in Act III of Shakespeare's "Orthello"?  And that there are actually five different "Pomp and Circumstances" marches?

 

Yeah!  I'm done!.  With the end of graduation, comes the relief in knowing that you have made it into the adult world.  While this is exciting, it can also be pretty intimidating and stressful.  So while you have the chance, enjoy an American tradition and get an ice cream cone or pick up a gallon of ice cream.  Few things make you feel like a kid -- with no worries -- like a scoop of Mackinaw Island Fudge in a waffle cone.




You expect me to live here?  When visiting prospective colleges, we also took a tour of the campus, including the dorms.  Inevitably we got the grand tour of the newest, nicest and largest dorm which had room to sleep, study and eat with magnificent views of Lake Michigan and tree-lined boulevards leading to the football stadium.  Reality sinks in on moving day when you try to cram two beds, a couch, a small refrigerator, TV, stereo, computers, 2 desks, 2 dressers and clothing into a 13 X 20 foot living space.  Thank goodness it's a coed dorm where women outnumber the men 2:1!


On your mark, get set, go!  Your son has spent the morning scouring the course catalog, meeting with a freshman adviser and preparing for 15 credit hours spread between lectures and labs.  All that you need is an open spot on Tuesday afternoon at 1:10 for that science lab.  Unfortunately when you get to class registration, you are told that the class just filled up and the only other Biology 207 lab is in the middle of your Macro Economics 110 class on Wednesday.  What do you do?  Back to the drawing board (and your adviser).

As I mentioned earlier, I don't remember much about my high school graduation or my first year of college.  I'm not sure if it's a coping mechanism that was implanted years ago to ease the pain or if it's something less sinister.  But I've always felt like one of the biggest joys of having children is being able to feel like a kid again.  Watching Disney's "The Little Mermaid," coaching baseball, building a medieval fort using pop-sickle sticks, and helping with math problems are things I'll always cherish doing with my two sons.

I can now add another graduation and college song to that list.


Eau Claire college dear, 
Hail to thee our Alma Mater.
Strong through every year,
carry high the Blue and Gold!
U – Rah – Rah
Aim for excellence.
Give the best that you have in you.
Go Blugolds, fight to win, for fame and victory!
B – L – U – G – O – L – D – S, BLUGOLDS!

Great Music and Movies but Stupid Politics

I can remember the first time I heard my mother-in-law say, "I won't go to any movie with Barbara Streisand because she's a liberal."

At the time I thought, that's stupid because she's been in some terrific movies, like "Funny Girl" and "The Way We Were."  Her singing was even better, with her "A Christmas Album" one of my holiday favorites over the years.   She is one of a few entertainers who has won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony award.  I really can't think of someone with a better singing voice, especially in light of the musical crap we have on the radio today.

But a funny thing happened through the years.  When she wasn't acting or singing, she was actively politicking for the environment and various Democrats, including Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Barrack Obama.  With less singing and more politics, I grew more and more tired of her critical attacks on things I hold true.

Hollywood -- What Are They Smoking?

Streisand once said, "The Democrats have always been the party of working people and minorities.  I've always identified with the minorities."

Seriously?  Someone who is worth between $300-$600 million can identify with a migrant worker making between $6 - $15 dollars an hour?  A few years ago, she was quick to sue a photographer for alleged violation of privacy over a photo of her bluff-top Malibu estate (worth about $15 million).  What are the odds that she would welcome illegal aliens through her front gates so she can relate to them better?

The problem with people like Streisand is that they think they are better than the rest of us when it comes to the economy, environment and world peace.  And smarter, more compassionate and with a better understanding of how the rest of the world acts (France comes to mind).  Despite their hypocritical actions (massive stage shows requiring 50 gas guzzling semi trucks to transport everything needed) and lifestyles (drugs, private jets and numerous homes), they say "Do as I say, not as I do."

Will Ferrell, the not so funny-man from "Saturday Night Live!" was recently involved in a PSA video that supported the passage of Obamacare by making fun of big health insurance companies who were reaping huge profits from existing health insurance premiums and coverage. Television actors and actresses from "Scrubs," "Mad Men," and "Reno 911!" tried to make fun of insurance executives who were opposed to President Obama's socialistic healthcare grab.  Instead of being funny, the video is like so many of these celebrity group think PSAs --  boring, overly long and completely wrong on the issue.  The irony is that actors and musicians are some of the most over paid people in the world.  Will Ferrell,  has absolutely NO RIGHT to complain about insurance executive salaries when he gets paid $20 million dollars each for cellulite trash like "Bewitched" and "Talladega Nights."

What was the harm?

Another fine example is the rush to defend movie director Roman Polanski, who was finally arrested on charges of drugging and raping a 13-year-old child after 32 years in exile.  The tragedy isn't just in the crime, but in Hollywood's defense of this pedophile.   Here is what Polanski said after committing the crime and fleeing the country:  "If I had killed somebody, it wouldn't have had so much appeal to the press, you see?  But f---ing you see, and the young girls.  Judges want to f-- young girls, juries want to f--- young girls, everyone want to f--- young girls!"  Pretty disgusting huh?

So what do people like Whoopi Goldberg, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese do?  Sign their names to a petition demanding that Polanski be freed.  Whoopi Goldberg went so far as to say "I know it wasn't rape-rape.  It was something else but I don't believe it was rape-rape.  He went to jail and when they let him out he was like 'You know what, this guy's going to give me a hundred years in jail.  I'm not staying,' so that's why he left."  What comedic rock did she crawl out form under?  There is no defense from the left for this kind of self-important crap. They feel that they are above the law and can judge their own actions for what they are.

Hollywood is home to another political tourist who tells us how to live our lives -- Sean Penn.  I don't know if there is another actor who is so polar opposite to everything good in America.  Fortunately, it helps to picture him as Jeff Spicoli -- the surfing, pot smoking Valley Guy loser in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" -- and completely dismiss everything coming out of his mouth.

Penn prides himself as a peace activist, having criticized President Bush for his involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He is a staunch supporter of President Obama, even though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have spread into Libya and beyond.  Of particular embarrassment to this country are his visits with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a dictator and socialist who is sympathetic to Libya's murderous Muammar Ghadafi and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Penn, who espouses free speech (his free speech) should ask Chavez about Venezuela's crack down on private property, free speech and civil rights.

What does it say about these publicity whores who are so quick to let the press know about the thousands donated or their time spent adopting poor children from Africa?  Wouldn't it be so much better if Tim Robbins, Madonna, Susan Sarandon and Angelina Jolie just donated their time and money without letting Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Tonight know about it?  A number of big names (usually in business) are involved in charity events that go unreported, yet their efforts raise millions for health issues, education and other charities.  Being quiet about it doesn't make it less effective or meaningful.

Television networks have an orgasm when celebrities go on air to provide their opinions on world dictators (why can't we be more like Chavez and Castro), natural disasters (Katrina) and endangered animals cute enough to get their attention (have you seen the Red Panda). Who was the last rock star to go on Good Morning America complaining about this administration's destruction of American jobs?

We know what Willie's smoking

One final example of musicians and actors acting stupid are benefit concerts.  Every year it seems like we have a natural disaster or disenfranchised group needing money.  Ever since Woodstock, I think people have been looking for a reason to listen to some good music while getting stoned and drunk.  Living in Wisconsin, you would think I'd be more sympathetic to farmers, but I'm not.  Farm Aid, which was started in 1985 by John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson to raise money for farming families, recently celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Organizers of these concerts, claim success in drawing attention to AIDS, flood victims and other human right issues.  While that may be the case, I can't help think their motive is to cut a record that promotes their self indulgent music, record companies and organizations.  Some of the more notable benefit events include The Concert for Bangladesh (1971), The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979), The No Nukes concerts (1979), Live Aid (1985), Self Aid (1986), Conspiracy of Hope Tour (1986), Human Rights Now (1988), Live Earth (2007) and Billion Hands Concert (2008).  Can you tell me who benefited the most-- the musicians or the cause?

I leave you with the following quote from a CNN interview with Matthew Bodine, an actor who has been in a few good movies.  Here's what he had to say about Osama Bin Laden before a group of our elite Seals put a bullet in his head (thank God), "Imagine if someone were to really sit down with Osama Bin Laden and say, "Listen, man, what is it that you're so angry at me about that you're willing to have people strap bombs to themselves, or get inside of airplanes and fly them into buildings?"  That would be the miracle if we can get, sit down and talk to our enemies and have a fine way for them to hear us."

'Nuff said.

Labor Pains: A Conflict of Interest

I've never been a fan of unions.

Which would seem to put me at odds with a lot of people:  actors, airline pilots, contractors, engineers, hotel employees,  government, restaurant workers, musicians, nurses, teachers, bus and taxi drivers, plumbers, electricians and the television industry -- to name a few.

Fortunately, I don't know too many successful actors, musicians or television stars.  But it can be a problem when I sit down for parent/teacher conferences or have a meal with my brother, who is the transit manager for the city of La Crosse.

My first job out of college was with the Department of Natural Resources, which put me into the ranks of Wisconsin's public employee union.  Fortunately, it was a temporary job and six months later I was breathing in the freedom of a private industry job.  Six months isn't enough time to get familiar with a job, much less any of the complexities of being a part of the State of Wisconsin employee collective.

But I do remember feeling like it didn't really matter what I did at my job -- how well, how quickly, or how much -- I had the protection of being one of many working effortlessly for the DNR.


Today,  unions (public and private) are making news.  Big news.  And not the kind they want.  Despite their stranglehold in education, government and manufacturing, unions make up less than 11% of today's workforce, and are quickly becoming less relevant than at anytime in the last 60 years.  After peaking in 1970, the private sector union membership has fallen steadily, led by dramatic losses in the automotive and manufacturing industry.  Some of it is just a numbers game, with more and more manufacturing going overseas -- where unions have less influence.  But there's more to it than just a shift of jobs out of this country.

That's because unions are now losing approval in states that can no longer tolerate intrusive union rules, the threat of costly work stoppages, lawsuits and worker benefits that are far above average.  Unions are focused on their own self-preservation and wealth, not their workers and -- in more and more cases -- not taxpayers with nothing left to give. This conflict of interest -- putting union interests before state budgets or corporate profits-- has always been there, but the recent U.S. economic downturn has lifted the veil on recent state employee union contracts and forced-union agreements.

I site the followiing -

1)  States like Wisconsin (with a Republican governor and majorities in both state houses) can no longer pay for the exorbitant  health and pension benefits that have been a key component of public employee jobs.   The rising cost of providing excellent health care, while requiring little payment from employees, has put unsustainable pressure on budgets.  With no more money coming from Washington, states are having to cut benefits or default.  Wisconsin has chosen to remove collective bargaining from contract negotiations to balance their budget, but the fierce backlash from unions has put this strategy in doubt.

The battle has been bloody, as challenges to the State Supreme Court and recall elections of nine key senators move toward a mid-summer conclusion.  In my hometown of La Crosse, signs for a replacement candidate (Schilling) have sprung up early and often.  Republicans, hoping to force recall candidates to spend union money in primary contest, have encouraged fake Democrat candidates to run in opposition.  Ads, paid for by unions, are pushing bilge about helping working families and keeping worker rights, but the ads ignore the immediate need to balance the state budget.  To his credit, Governor Walker has stuck to his guns and is pushing his conservative agenda in Madison.

Can the government tell Boeing where it can operate?

Indiana, Ohio and other states are following Wisconsin's lead by challenging long-standing agreements with their own state employees.

2)  In the private sector, Boeing Company has been fighting a complaint from the National Labor relations Board (NLRB) claiming Boeing illegally punished its Machinists union by building an assembly line for its 787 Dreamliner jet in South Carolina, instead of Washington state.  The poison apple was that the new plant in South Carolina was non-union, thereby violating its forced-union agreement.

This particular case is a big deal in the battle between forced-union states and right-to-work states.  (To explain the difference, states that have a right to work law provide employees the right to decide for themselves whether or not to join a union or financially support a union.)  Are labor unions, with the help of our government (NLRB), going to be able to tell business (and its employees) where it can and cannot operate a plant within the U.S.?

Today there are 22 right-to-work states and 28 union-shop states.  Over the past 10 years, the right-to-work states (such as Texas, Georgia and Tennessee) have grown faster in nearly every economic respect than their union-shop counterparts (like New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania).  See the chart below.


So are unions an endangered species?  If they are, it's more like the polar bear, than the Alabama beach mouse because unions are fighting mad.  For example --

. "Card Check" remains a serious threat.  As part of the "Employee Free Choice Act" unions have been pushing for Congress to change the rules for how workers can organize.  If ever there was a chance for this law to pass, it was during the 111th Congress, with Democrats holding super majorities in the House and Senate.  But it did not pass.  And now that Republicans have reclaimed the House, AFL-CIO, SEIU and the Change to Win Coalition are pushing harder than ever to find the votes.

. Big labor unions, fearing loss of power, political influence and money, are spending millions on elections and encouraging aggressive protests throughout the country.   As Mr. Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin, put it recently to a crowd of protesters in Madison, WI:   "This is not just about union rights, it's about worker's rights, it's about the middle class.  This has galvanized the people who were sitting on the sidelines and not involved in politics.  They realize now that the attack is on me."  He continued, "We cannot stop this fight.  We have to have sustainability; we have to make our voices heard.  Our resolve has to be stronger, out pain has to run deeper, our passion has to last longer."

. The Boeing case is showing the extent unions will go to to prevent businesses from building union-free plants.    The National Labor Relations Board, a powerful force in Washington, is preparing for a lengthy and politically charged legal battle which will make life difficult for Boeing.  As is so often the case, lawyers can drag litigation on for years adding millions of dollars to the cost.  The judge on the case, Judge Anderson, stressed at a recent hearing that if the battle goes all the way to the Supreme Court, "I'll be retired or dead."

. Washington's remains in the pocket of big labor, as was shown with the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler to the tune of over $24 billion taxpayer dollars.

Without a doubt, unions are suffering labor pains.  The bad economy is laying bare their heavy-handed tactics and intimidations.  The real pain, however, remains with the American worker.  Despite their 60's style rhetoric, the disconnect between unions and most employees remains bigger than ever.

Let's hope that teachers and government workers -- without the protective illusion of collective bargaining -- will begin to see the benefits of individual effort.  Perhaps, greater take-home pay (no union dues) and being rewarded for hard work will be the silver bullet that ends union influence in states throughout the country.

Predict THIS!!

I was looking through the Wall Street Journal today and saw these headlines:

"U.S. Manufacturing Growth Slows Dramatically", "Housing Imperils Recovery" and "Private Sector Added Few Jobs in May".

All of these developments seemed to catch the economic experts off guard, who were expecting improved job growth and housing starts.  One week the economists are expecting a turn around for 2011, the next week a double dip recession.

And where were the financial experts when the devastating stock market crash of 1929 hit banks and businesses?  Or the Black Friday Crash of 1987 when the market lost more than 22% in one single day?  How many of us were ready for the latest stock market decline beginning in 2008?

How can these people win Noble prizes for economics? My basic predictions-- based on talking to a few clients, basketball junkies and family -- come closer to the truth than these guys.  I'm convinced economists (preferably liberal) are idiots, trust them at your own risk.

Hardly a week passes when some "expert" predicts something that is later proved false.

A few weeks ago, Family Radio Network founder, Harold Camping, was predicting the end of the world. The "rapture," as it was known, was scheduled for May 21, 2011, would signal the day when Christ would come back to earth to take his believers to heaven.  A 14-year-old Russian teenager committed suicide when she heard the prediction, because she didn't want to be one of those left behind to suffer on earth.  Others quit their jobs and sold possessions in anticipation of not needing them anymore.

When it didn't happen, Mr. Camping laughingly said, "I miscalculated the date, it should have been October 21st."  How convenient for someone who has been wrong before.  His miscalculation of the impending rapture hasn't stopped new followers from saying, "when I heard he had the wrong day, I went out and thanked the Lord for another beautiful day." OOOOOOkay!

Speaking of wiping egg off your face, wasn't global warming supposed to melt the polar ice cap and raise sea levels over 25 feet and flood coastal cities?  How about David Viner, a researcher at the University of East Anglia in the UK,  who claimed that within a few years children "wouldn't know what snow was" and that "snowfall would be a very rare and exciting event."

In Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," he confidently stated that "within the decade, there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro" due to warming temperatures.   Global warming believers fail to acknowledge that the cap has been shrinking since 1912 long before greenhouse gas emissions started to rise.  To date, the famed snow cap -- a poster child of global warming --  remains a fixture on the mountaintop.

Why are people so eager to predict things, and why are we so quick to buy into their predictions?

The answer is one or all of the following:  money, power and/or politics.  The people making these predictions are typically trying to change behaviors (driving a car), sway voters to accept legislation (giving up our freedoms) or organizations in need of money to keep their jobs and continue their lies.  For me, the reasons are easier to understand than the willingness of people to believe them.  Common sense should eliminate 90% of the outrageous claims being made, but there persists a willingness to believe the people telling us these fabrications.

So there must be a desire by a lot of people who want to accept responsibility for their own bad behavior and to find redemption.  A asinine example of this are carbon credits which supposedly offset the global warming activities of big business and individuals.  The Sierra Club, Green Peace and the Environmental Defense Fund are some of the biggest hypocrites when it comes to telling us to give up something and then doing the very thing they tell us to stop (buying credits -- then flying everywhere in private jets or driving SUVs).  Their arrogance is unbearable.

The remaining ten percent must believe these predictions because they are simple-minded people, or lack the confidence in American enterprise to create the next Apple or Apollo spacecraft.  My suspicions are that you could track the people that voted for Obama and find them on the same list.  Or just look in his Administration.  I have more sympathy for them, but not much.

For fun, here are a few predictions from the past:

"It will be years -- not in my lifetime -- before a woman becomes Prime Minister,"  Margaret Thatcher, October 26, 1969.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers," Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

"That virus -- HIV -- is a pussycat," Dr. Peter Duesberg, U.C. Berkeley, 1988.

"A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere,"  New York Times, 1936.

"The singer (Mick Jagger) will have to go.  The BBC won't like him,"  first Rolling Stones' manager, Eric Easton, to his partner after watching them perform.

"Rail travel at high speed will not be possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia," Dr. David Larder, (1793-1859).

"There will never be a bigger plane built," a Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247.

"640K ought to be enough for anyone." Bill gates, founder of Microsoft, in 1981.

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My prediction for the Super Bowl?  Packers