Are Politicians Reading My Blog?

In my previous post, I stated very clearly what I felt about how the executive compensation should be handled with the bailout plan.

This morning, the quote from a Cincinnati Enquirer report on the agreed bailout plan says this:

The rescue would only be open to companies who deny their executives "golden parachutes" and limit their pay packages.

OK, I would like to know which influential politician is reading my blog and which party they belong to. I did not realize how much influence I hold! :-)

Really, though, it's a step in the right direction.

UPDATE: Apparently there were a handful of representatives in the house who didn't read my blog after all.

My Thoughts on the Economic Crisis

OK, here are my twenty cents worth on the economic crisis. This is not an exhaustive list, but just a few thoughts. Frankly, it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post, and I'm starting to feel a little guilty. Perhaps this will assist me in getting back into the blogging habit.

You ask, "But Rus, why should we care what you think? What are your credentials for making your opinions on economic issues known to the whole world?"

Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm highly credentialed in this area. About 15 years ago, I finished my undergraduate work in Music and during that time, I did not take one economics class. Prior to that I didn't even take a home economics course. After receiving this degree I went on to get a masters in Systems Analysis. If you don't know what that is, think computers. And if you know computers, you also recognize that there is a dolar symbol on the keyboard, and I can find it very quickly. So I am definitely equipped to make my opinions known.

"But Rus, what does this really have to do with the economics?"

Good question. Anyone knows, that you rarely use the knowledge you get in college and real training happens in the real world. Just before I got married, my wife and I attended a class on finances at our church. Here's what we learned: Don't spend more than you have. It changed my life. Our household budget can always stand some refining and trimming, but for the most part it works pretty well. How much more justification do you need?

So with that, here are my thoughts. These companies are in trouble because they don't have any money. Apparently they didn't go to the same course that I went to at my church. If they did, they would not have overextended and made risky investments. That being said, I suspect most of us are compensated based on our performance in our given profession. That's why I was happy when the president took such a hard nosed line by saying the execs should not get a windfall when this bailout is complete. What? No bonus? The president didn't say enough. He should have said their salaries would be cut, starting first with their golden parachutes. After that, their annual salaries should be hacked as well! Performance-based pay should suggest that if your company fails, then your salary should decrease. Or perhaps, you should submit your resignation with a forfeited severence package.

Well, thank goodness the government is stepping in! I'm sure they all went to similar finance classes like the ones offered at my church and that with a little bit of taxpayers dollars, will set the course right. Oh, well, I mean they carry a little debt, but what's a few trillion dollars among countrymen? Their record of making economically sound decisions will set us straight. I'm sure of it.

Another thing the president mentioned twice was the taxpayer's inability to get car and student loans. I suppose this is a sad reality that we go into debt for transportation and education. Their is a good argument for the latter considering that an education is something of appreciative value, but a car depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot. However putting it in a speech only encourages it.

One last thing: The President boasted that democratic capitalism is the best system ever devised. I have to say that for the first time in my life I'm beginning to doubt it. And come to think of it, capitalism quickly becomes greed-driven, and I personally can't see how something good can consistently come out of selfish behavior. Perhaps I'm just naive.... or jealous of all those execs and politicians that have all that money and power. :-)

That's enough for now...I have to go balance my checkbook.

OSU at USC: The Good News Either Way

Tonight, is a huge game for Ohio State! The Buckeyes are in Southern California to face the USC Trojans. I have to admit that my disdain for USC was born in the 1970s. At about the age of 8 I starting hanging around with a kid named Nick Jonson. His family was pretty rabid in their love for the Buckeyes and Nick and I were good friends for some time. The tradition became for me to watch all the OSU games (when the Jonson's didn't go to Columbus) with them. Anyhow, USC has faced OSU 5 times since I was old enough to know anything about football, and they are 5-0 since then. Moreover, they won the first match up 18-17 and denied OSU the 1980 National Championship game with a score of 17-16. (I still believe Charles White did not score on that last drive by USC. It was a beautiful goal-line stand and I think I'm still in denial because of it). USC is leading the series against the Buckeyes 11-9-1. I want OSU to win BAAAAAD tonight!

But here is what's interesting. As much as I'm looking forward to tonight's game, I'm even more excited for tomorrow morning. Why? Well, if the Buckeyes win, I can go to my OSU-saturated church and celebrate with all of the transplanted Buckeyes who live here in Charlotte. I can begin thinking about a third National Championship game in a row, and hope that every SEC team beats up on each other and that the final NC opponent is from any other conference but that one. Of course there are still a few games before then that will be nail-biters, but I will know the chances are still there. My blood pressure will go up every Saturday between now and the day after the Michigan game and have a month of build-up for the big game in January. It will be exciting and stressful.

Which brings me to why I am excited for tomorrow even if they lose. First it won't be against an SEC team, so I won't have to deal with that. As a matter of fact I think a good portion of the SEC would like to see the Bucks win. (They probably think their chances of winning another NC game is greater if OSU is their opponent, so of course they want them to win). More importantly though, if the Buckeyes lose, I can relax. I will still enjoy the Saturday games and suspect the Buckeyes will win most if not all of them, but I won't be wired. I usually don't say this, but every year I get hyped up for the Buckeyes and stress out because of it too. A loss tonight won't be the end of the world. As a matter of fact, it will likely make my football watching more detached but also collectively more enjoyable. Perhaps this is another sign that sports isn't quite as important as I thought it was.

Sports are challenging my faith

January 2008: At my church we had a "Men's Challenge" event to kick off the year. The challenge speaker was Walt Wiley who is a great guy and a Christian. It was an enjoyable event. Walt used to be the chaplain for the Atlanta Braves, so he shared some stories about some of the guys on the team. It was cool. At first it seemed hard to believe that a team like the Braves would even want a chaplain, but I figured baseball players are relatively decent guys and they get traded so often, there is no doubt that Christians would eventually land in Atlanta whether they wanted to or not. Later that night, I met this guy named Dan. A really nice guy who is married and has two adopted children. He seemed pretty strong in his faith too, but...well, I found out later he went to the University of Michigan! Unbelievable! Christians in Ann Arbor! There must be something wrong. I figured it was a fluke.

July 2008: The junior high youth pastor at my church is a great guy. I haven't met him personally, but I've enjoyed and have been challenged by his preaching on the occasions that I've heard him. Well his Facebook profile is open and I cam across it one day and couldn't help but notice that he's from the state of Michigan and is a big Wolverines fan! Could lightening strike twice?

September 2008: Well, anyone knows that Ohio State fans such as myself don't really have a soft spot for Florida. The Gators trounced the Bucks twice in one school year in National Championship games. It was disgusting. Well, I was on the elliptical at the Y Saturday morning, minding my own business and then the following story was played regarding Florida QB and Heisman winner Tim Tebow:




Could it be that the school you go to or cheer for has nothing to do with your faith!?!? I'm stunned.

Pair o' Dime Props: Glenn Dorsey

OK, considering OSU is currently unable to beat an SEC team, I have to admit it's hard to give props to former LSU Tiger, Glenn Dorsey. But the latest Dick's Sporting Good's commercial is just funny. This weekend as college football started, I caught this during one of the games. Can Dorsey act? Well, no. But he poked fun at himself in this ad, and for that he's won some points in my book.