On Bullies, Mosques, Insurance and Other Items in the News

For the most part this article is a collection of random thoughts that I wanted to share.Lately I've had quite a few thoughts for articles, but not nearly enough time to construct a full-blown article for each of them, so I've decided to gather them into one abbreviated rant.

Let's start with something unbelievable...The Cincinnati Reds clinched the American League Central division on Tuesday night and celebrated with the traditional champagne showers and cigars, the way most teams do on such an occasion.It isn't unbelievable that the Reds clinched the title, what is unbelievable are the people watching the celebration on TV who called Cincinnati's health department to report the team's flagrant violation of the state's indoor smoking policy.
Come on - really?
Is this what our society is coming to? It's no secret I detest political correctness and this is another reason why. It seems that some people are under the impression that it is their responsibility to monitor the rest of us. I think the world would be a much better place if each of us worried about our own behavior as much as we worried about other's.

Moving on...I don't care about Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton or Sarah Palin. As far as I'm concerned the three of them consume precious oxygen that could be used by something useful, like a Labrador Retriever.

My nomination for recession-proof career choice...The Consultant.
Businesses facing tough economic times always seem to find money in the budget to hire consultants to advise them on how to improve the bottom line. Wouldn't it be better all around if they took that money and used it to, I don't know, keep people employed? If we reduce the number of unemployed people don't we take the first step toward economic recovery? The real beauty of consulting is you don't have to produce anything tangible, you don't have to bring in any new clients or accounts and you don't have to punch a timeclock. All you have to do is tell people how to do their jobs better. To make it even more appealing...they pay you regardless of how good your advice is. So you really don't care about fixing the problem because once the problem goes away, you're out of a job.

If the people of New York elect Carl Paladino governor, they deserve everything they get.

Professional athletes and insurance premiums should be paid retroactively. In my opinion, athletes and insurance companies are paid far too much money. I think if you're going to demand that sort of money for your services, you should prove your worth before you get paid. It doesn't seem fair for an athlete to get a ten year - multi-million dollar contract based on the assumption that he will perform at a certain level. At the very least, if he fails to produce he should be required to give part of the money back. Likewise with insurance - any type of insurance. Insurance companies gamble on your anticipated performance when calculating your rates. It only seems fair that if your actual performance does not compare to what they assumed it would be, you are entitled to a pro-rated refund.

Perhaps one counter measure to the "Ground Zero Mosque" would be to build a gay book store, a slaughter house and a brothel on the same street. I think it would make a much bigger impression than violent protests and shouting matches.

I don't care what reason is given to rationalize it...no child under the age of 16 needs a cell phone.

A new study by the CDC says that 9% of American adults suffer from depression. So, if my math is correct - if you put 100 people in a room, 9 of them would be depressed. To me this is a "half-empty" attitude...why isn't anyone talking about the other 91 people who aren't depressed even though the country is in political, economic and cultural upheaval? Seems to me that those of us who remain un-depressed in such terrible times ought to be mentioned somewhere...

Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei should be sent to prison and the inevitable sexual abuse they suffer there should be broadcast live on the internet. (if you don't know the story click here) Oh, and their parents should be in the cell next door. Kids are not born mean or vicious - they are trained to be that way. Raising a child to be a mature, responsible, well-adjusted adult doesn't happen by accident. It takes discipline, sacrifice and hard work and it begins the day the child is born. Blaming music, television or video games is a convenient cop-out, parents need to accept responsibility for the actions of their children.

I'm not happy that NBC plans to remake "The Munsters". Not only will it be sanitized to conform to today's politically correct world, but it'll probably also be "dumbed down" to appeal to the "sound byte" attention span of today's youth.

Tony Curtis was a great actor. "Some Like it Hot" and "The Defiant Ones" have always been two of my favorite movies.

Note to LeBron James - racism has nothing to do with people's attitude toward you, it's just that you're a narcissistic jerk.

I don't understand all the hoo-ha about a movie chronicling the beginning of Facebook. I won't pay the over-inflated cost of a ticket to see how a twenty-something computer geek became a billionaire. If he wants me to care about how he made his fortune, it'll cost him...I figure ten grand ought to do it. That's pocket change for him.

Okay - I guess I'm done. Thank you for allowing to vent. If you care to read any of my other rants, click here for the list.

One more thing...my second novel, Water Hazard, will be released in a couple of weeks...for more information please visit my website - www.blindoggbooks.com