A Few New Thoughts

I haven't had much to say in a while, but don't think I haven't been pay attention to the recent hearings with the Detroit 3.

A few things are on my mind:
1. Merrill Lynch's CEO says he thinks he should be paid $10 Million in bonuses. Why? Your company barely survived bankruptcy this year. Since when should you be compensated unGodly amounts of money for failure to do your job?

2. I'm on the fence with this Auto Loan to the Detroit 3. They need a lot of help and they need a lot of restructuring to become competitive against the likes of Honda, Toyota and the other players. It's the fault of the Detroit 3 that they're in this position. They are top-heavy and by being top-heavy their exposure to financial troubles is so much higher than companies that are run efficiently. Sales of Toyota and Honda are down substantially as well. However, they aren't run poorly and are set up to weather a storm like the one we currently face. It's simple Capitalism and in a Capitalist economy only the strong survive. Nevertheless, that doesn't change the catostrophic impact failure of any of the Detroit 3 might have on the country and all of the businesses countrywide that depend on these organizations for their own survival.

3. It's extremely irriating to watch the Detroit 3, while presenting their case to Congress, try to put the blame of potential organizational failure on Congress in the event that Congress does not come to the aid of these failing companies. I'm amazed at the arrogance of these organizations trying to tell Congress that if they didn't act, the loss of jobs and industry would be the fault of the Government. Not sure I agree with that.

4. Here's what I see regarding this whole auto deal.
a) The Detroit 3 are a victim of their own greed, cluelessness and arrogance.
b) Unions are a problem. However, the current Union agreement has to fall on the leaders of the Detroit 3 for agreeing to such an insane deal.
c) Some blame should be placed on the Government. The Government has made it cheaper for businesses to close their U.S. facilities, move to a foreign country and import the goods back into the U.S. all a price that is far cheaper than if it had been built in the U.S.. Our country should reward businesses that build and produce in the U.S. with a competitive advantage over businesses that import their goods. A great example of this is the beer industry. Budweiser is cheap because it's domestic and doesn't ship from overseas. Newcastle is more expensive because it ships from England. To me, this makes sense and seems like a logical trade scenario.

5. The BCS and "Logic" don't go hand in hand. Texas Tech should be pissed that it was left out of a BCS game and what exactly did Ohio State do to deserve a BCS birth? I hope I live to see the day that College Football's National Championship is decided on the field. Logic would tell us that a playoff is the only way to truly know who the best football team in the country is. Now, having said that, both Florida and Oklahoma are extremely deserving programs and are playing better football than any other teams in the country. However, Texas beat Oklahoma so any Longhorn gripe seems legit.

Good Points about the Auto Bailout

From The Tennessean:

Auto hub may go South

"Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina recently wondered whether BMW would have built its plant in Spartanburg if the government had been handing out money to its rivals, and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia voiced similar concerns about the state's Kia plant, which might bring 2,500 jobs to his rural district.

"Let's face it, who would want to come over here and put their investment into this country if they knew the government was going to be subsidizing their competitors?" he said. "It's just not right. It just goes against the grain of the free-enterprise system.""

The Good in People

How 'bout some good news for once!? This is the type of story that reminds you that good people are out there, no matter how famous. It's people like the Dallas Cowboy's QB Tony Romo that you pull for and you look up to in sports. Not guys like Pacman Jones. Whether you are a Cowboys fan or not, Tony Romo is the epitome of the cowboy in the white hat who looks out for his fellow man. Pretty cool guy if you ask me.

Romo lends a hand to a homeless man

In a rags-to-riches story that might sound like the premise for a Hollywood production, a homeless man found himself being treated to the movies by multi-millionaire Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo recently, The Dallas Morning News reported on Thursday.

And so the $67 million quarterback, who made news by changing a couple's tire on a roadside on the way home from a game in September, and the homeless man sat next to each other and shared laughs for 90 minutes or so.

Auto Bailout

I'm giving this current economic situation a name. I'm calling it "The Great Correction." If you think about it that's exactly what it is. This country has been run into the ground by greed and mismanagement and now we're having to correct things. When things are thriving, business is good and everybody's making money you can get away with mismanagement and reckless business practices. However, when times get tight it seems that only the lean survive.

GM, Ford and Chrysler are not lean. They have allowed Unions and poor management to put them in a dire financial pit. Now, they've hopped their individual private jets to fly to Washington to ask the taxpayers to bail them out.

A few things seem ironic about this.

a. While it's been noted on every major news source, I'd be remised not to question the use of private jets to fly East and beg for money. Flying to Washington on private jets goes further to show how rediculously clueless these fat cats are. They've overseen the downfall of three of America's greatest companies, yet they show their disconnect when they arrogantly fly in on private jets!?

b. You have mismanaged your company, you have built less than competitive cars, your operating cost are astronomical and not competitive so your margins are thiner than say....Toyota or Honda (both of whom are building vehicles in the States and by all appearances are doing just fine.); therefore, consumers looked elsewhere when it was time to buy a new car. Since they(we) didn't buy your cars and you didn't adapt fast enough to changing market trends you've now come back to us, the taxpayers, many of whom walked away from your products, to ask for money anyway. Sorry fellas, you should thought about that when you were designing and building your cars. You should've thought about the threating storm that was brewing with each UAW renegotiation. Well, the storm's here. You got greedy, you got fat and you were the only ones who didn't see the brewing problems. You did this to yourselves, you didn't adapt and now your situation is dire.

I'm not heartless....I am concerned about the negative economic effects that the collapse of the big three will have on our economy. The trickle down effects are enormous. However, is a band-aid really the answer? This is Capitalism! If you don't adapt to market trends you don't survive. It's simple economics and is something that even myself, with nothing more than an undergraduate degree in economics, could have easily told you.

This is part of "The Great Correction." Companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler need reform. They don't need a bailout so that they can continue to try and be competitive in a market that has passed by their methods. They should take a page out of the books of the Airline Industry. Not long ago many of the big Airline companies filed for bankruptcy in an effort to merely survive and to protect themselves from credit collectors. This gave them the opportunity to completely overhall their operations and emerge leaner and profitable. While the economic implications may be painful, this is exactly what the big three should be forced to do. From the standpoint of running and efficient and effective business model they're a joke. Trust me, I know from firsthand experience that business school professors love to use the GM-UAW relationship as a great example of how not to run a business.

The time has come for "The Great Correction." It might hurt but it's necessary and it's part of Capitalism. Eventually greed will be penalized even in a Capitalist society.

Kanye West.....The Voice of this Generation!

Mr. West,

Forgive me, but who are you again? I'm sorry, I know you sing that one song about golddigging, but other than that what other contributions have you made that have had mass appeal? And what generation are you claiming you represent? I don't know anyone (actually I know one person) that listens to your music and I know a lot of people. Does that also make me the "Voice of this Generation?"

Kanye West says he's 'the voice of this generation'

Michael Jordan never professed himself to be the greatest, others awarded him that distinction based on his accomplishments. In your case, no one is awarding you the distinction that you believe you deserve so you awarded it to yourself. I don't call that influence, I call that arrogance.

Where do we go from here?

Is this what it was like in the years following 1929? Is this as bad as it's going to get or will it get worse before the tide turns?

Over the past 20-30 years of prosperity corporations and the Government bent the rules further and further until there were enough loopholes that companies could walk the fine line, gambling with everyone's money, recklessly, yet silently, leading our Country down the road to recession.

Companies have stopped hiring, manufacturers are ordering only what they need, or are recounting their inventories to see if they have enough to get by. Instead of employees getting 40 hours a week they now get 32. Financial institutions and automobile giants, both employing hundreds of thousands of people have recklessly mismanaged their interests for the past 20-30 years and we sat by, assuming everything was okay, assuming that those who we elected to lead us and those who we trusted with our money were operating in our best interest. Well, turns out they weren't.

How will all of this effect our country? How will we change? Will we come out of this downturn much in the same way our Grandparents did with caution, living inside our means and saving more than we spend? Who was it that said great events in history skip a generation? Our grandparents experienced great turmoil due to a major fiancial crisis, when our country slowly recovered the mood of Americans was to take only what they needed and save what you didn't need then for a rainy day (which is the reason why many of our grandparents died with a bank full of money). We grew out of those times and the lessons learned mostly went ignored by much of the next generation, a generation that most likely grew up in a frugal family as many families were, always wanting. Finally, when they had their chance they took all they wanted, anyway they could get it. However, over the years some of the same recklessness of taking all you want and more carried over into the heavy spending mood of Government and Capitalism. Now, we've hit the wall. How will we come out of this? How will we go from prosperity and privilige to protecting ourselves from future failures by those we trusted.

My hope is that our country sees the struggle of Americans and how far we've fallen from grace in such a short time. My hope is that we will concern ourselves more with the troubles on our home soil than with those of other countries. We have problems here and now that need our attention, resources and money. The rest of the world can wait. You've gotta take care of number one first before you can worry about everyone else. America needs to take care of number one.

Aid to Auto-Makers in Detroit

I'm a little uncertain as to how I feel about Pelosi and Reid's call for immediate aid/relief to the auto giants in Detroit. I understand failure of these companies could be far reaching and could destroy our economy. Therefore, I'm not against some sort of bailout for these companies. However, I have criteria that each company must follow:

1. Stop opening factories in Mexico and Canada. You could close those plants, and return those jobs to the U.S. providing an economic boost to those communities instead of shutting plants like Ford has recently done in Kentucky. These are U.S. cars and they should be made by U.S. autoworkers.

2. Force fiscal responsibility and force give and take for both the UAW and the auto companies. This relationship is reckless and it's the reason why many industry suppliers are moving out of Detroit. Unions, while originally great in their efforts to improve work condititions of employees, now have been given so much leverage and strength that they are demanding auto companies satisfy unreasonable requests, driving up costs.

3. NO GOLDEN PARACHUTES! NONE! Auto execs have run these companies into the ground, making millions along the way. They've made their millions, others have suffered job loss. There should never be a reward for failure. You've done such a bad job running these companies that you now need the government and tax dollars to bail you out. I'm sure I speak for all taxpayers when I say you don't deserve a dime of my tax money. That money belongs in the hands of those suffering and should go to help these companies survive.

4. The government should demand benchmarks be met by these companies in order to recieve bailout money. If, at any time, bailout money is misused or abused like the wonderful people at AIG, then the consequences should be swift and immediate.

5. This bailout money belongs in the hands of the people. Therefore, these monies should only serve the purpose of providing these companies with the safety-net they need to effectively restructure their company's success model while insuring the job security of the American Autoworker. Now, I know that some cuts must be made, but before you cut American jobs the jobs in Mexico and Canada should go first. Only, after doing everything to responsibly preserve the jobs of the American Autoworker should job cuts occur.

American auto companies are finally making better cars; however, due to perception they continue to lose market share to foreign car companies. While some foreign car companies make many of their cars in the U.S. many of these cars are still made elsewhere. Of the cars made elsewhere there should be a heavier tax levied on the import and sale of these cars to provided a competitive advantage to the cars that are made in the U.S..

Americans should buy American made products, yet due to liberal trade agreements arranged by our government much of what is sold in America is "Made in China" or "Made in Indonesia." Jobs leave our country everyday, and the economic impacts are far-reaching as we're not vividly learning. If you want to point a finger, point it at the U.S. Government for allowing trade agreements to exist that hurt U.S. Companies. There should now and should always be tax advantages and competitive advantages for companies that operate in the U.S.. However, it's cheaper for Springs, GM, Ford and so many other large companies to relocated to 3rd World countries and import back to the U.S. at a fraction of the cost. This should end, NOW!

More thoughts from Thomas Jefferson

So this is day two of my exploration into the quotes of Thomas Jefferson. It can't be said enough how insightful Mr. Jefferson was then and even now. We can learn a lot from his teachings and apply them to our current America. Much of what he said then is easily applied to today's politics and should be used now, as it was then, to build a better Nation.

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Just a sampling of Mr. Jefferson's thoughts. Nevertheless, these are the thoughts of one of the men who built the platform by which this Nation could succeed. We celebrate Mr. Jefferson with a Monument within eye sight of the White House and the Nation's Capitol. In today's Government we debate about Big Government, Small Government, the Redistribution of Wealth and so on....I wonder where Mr. Jefferson would stand on these issues......

The footprint for a successful Democracy was laid out for us years ago. I fear if we allow the Government too much control then Democracy will no longer exist and we may no longer be individuals but loyal subjects to too much Government.

Thomas Jefferson

I see Tuesday's election of Barack Obama as some form of rebellion. The people of this country, myself included, are tired of the Washington way of Politics. Whether I agree with canidates chosen on Tuesday or not, the people of this country want change and Tuesday was a clear indicator that the people expect change to happen. We are tired of seeing our leaders argue on end without resolution while we the people suffer. As I walked my dog out in the cold early yesterday morning I was thinking about the majority's choice for the next President and trying to label what it means in simple terms. I came up with a famous quote from Thomas Jefferson that was on the back of a Spring Break shirt from my high school days:

"A little rebellion every now and then is a good thing"

A great quote!

I decided to search other Jefferson quotes and was impressed to find out how much of his advice and thoughts still ring true. It's amazing, that one of our greatest leaders, a man who died in 1826, has left us with so much insight that one could use the his ideas as the blue print for how to effectly run our everyday lives as well as our country.

Here are few Jefferson quotes that caught my eye:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802)

"I'm a great believer in luck, I find the harder I work the more I have of it"

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage of another as to always remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances"

"The spirit of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object"

"Advertisements....contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper"

"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government."

"Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto."

"Every generation needs a new revolution."

"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend."

I could go on......

A Blue Day

We witnessed history yesterday. Not just for our Country, but for the world. I'm not necessarily thrilled, but I'm certainly intrigued. I'll admit that America is in dire need of change. We do need a new direction and we need a new way of getting politics done. However, I think many people think the mere election of Barack Obama and the overall Democratic landslide of November 4, 2008 will automatically right all the wrongs. It won't. The Clinton Administration set our country up for Financial Crisis in 1999 when they pressured Fannie Mae to ease credit requirements for home loans. It wasn't until 2008, towards the end of Bush's 2nd term, that the bottom from that brilliant idea fell out. Nevertheless, the actions of last night are historical on so many levels. I sincerely hope that Obama follows through on all that he says he'll do. We need reform, we need help and Obama has promised it.....now, it's time to deliver on that promise. Our Government needs to get their heads out of their own asses and get back to effectively governing. I'm not an Obama supporter, but I'm a fan of Democracy and last night Democracy had one of it's more glorious nights.

I sincerely hope Obama leads this Country in a better direction. I hope he restores faith in all it's citizens. Our Country is an amazing place full of amazing people. Over 200 years ago our ancestors began coming here in search of something better. We've gotten away from that over the past few years. We've gotten away from being good neighbors and from looking out for each other. We've spent more time being divided and hopefully in the near future that will change. I certainly hope it does and I'm certainly willing to be as supportive as I need to be to help restore faith in this Country.

It's worth noting how impressive it is for a candidate to come along that inspires so many people. We haven't seen that in a long time.

John McCain is a great America. He's given more than the majority of people living in this Country ever will. He spent five years being tortured in a Vietnam POW camp and has dedicated his life to servicing this Country. I'd imagine he has crossed party-lines more times than any other Senator, President or Congressman. We need more people like John McCain.

I hope Sarah Palin doesn't fade into obscurity. Many people don't like her, but I do. She's a real America. She is not a North End Liberal politician who claims she knows what pains real Americans, she actually does know what pains real Americans. She's unpolished and because of that she comes off as real. Being real and believable is a lost art in major politics. However, she pulls it off and I believe it's not an act.

Talk about interesting....hang on, the next few months are going to be a wild ride. Bury your money;)!

Celebrities need to worry about lattes and Ferrari's and stop trying to influence true American's decisions. If you live the life a Hollywood Celebrity you do not live in reality. Don't tell me how to vote and what to believe. You haven't lived my life and you don't struggle the way most normal Americans do. Your High-Horse is nothing more than a prop.

Gas Tax

Dear Corrupt Raleigh Political Machine,

I wanted to let you know that every week you lose revenue to individuals like me who have the opportunity to stop in various cities along the North Carolina/South Carolina border and purchase gasoline. You see, your $.30 per gallon sales tax (according to a recent story in the Charlotte Observer) assisted in making the gas I purchased today $.55 cheaper per gallon in Fort Mill, SC. Therefore, I purchased gas for $2.04 per gallon while the gas station right beside my office on the North Carolina side of the NC/SC border is selling it for $2.59. It's simple economics....if consumers can buy the same thing for substantially less with in a reasonable distance then they will do it 9 out of 10 times. So, because of your high tax on gasoline you are losing revenues. Take note......we border South Carolina from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Your greed is costing you money. Cheers!

A few thoughts.....

I watched Obama's infomercial last night. Honestly, I agree with a lot of what he had to say. Having personally dealt with a situation in which health care was unaffordable to someone who needed it I couldn't agree more that we need to make sure health care is available and affordable to everyone, not just people who have full time jobs. Also, being in a business in which I work with companies that compete with foreign companies for local business, I fully believe it should be more expensive for local companies to buy goods from foreign suppliers. The person who made it cheaper to do business with foreign companies is not interested in the best interest of this Country. Locally owned and operated companies have lost business to foreign companies because they can't compete on cost. Because of this, Americans have lost their jobs and local business owners have had to run lean and/or shut their doors. Now, this doesn't mean I'm going to go out and pull the lever for Obama. I still have a very fundamental concern with the idea of a more Socialised government. Nevertheless, if Obama does win this election, I will do nothing but wish him the very best and hope and pray that he does what is right and what is in the best interest of the people of this country. Personally, while I may not vote for the guy, I think the American thing to do is to be supportive of our leaders until they give us a reason not to support them (See Martha Alexander or Bev Perdue).

The follow is a few general concerns I have:
1. While I believe that politics should be controlled locally as much as possible, what do you do when your state government is noted for being one of the more corrupt state governments in the country?

2. At this pace, a college education may be too expensive for my children. That being said, at this rate I suspect college might be too expensive for more than half of our country. This would lead to less and less people having the opportunity to attending college. If this happens, we will head in the opposite direction of progress and we will get lapped by China and Japan. When I went to College my tuition each semester, for a State School, was right at $1,000.

3. While I agree with Obama in that companies like Exxon no longer need tax incentives to help their bottom-line, I wonder what the fallout will be if these incentives were removed. Would the crooks at Exxon layoff employees and/or try to relay their rising cost to their employees in an effort to not negatively affect their bottom line (Trickle-down Economics)?

4. I have good credit. With the interest rate dropping down to 1% why are my credit card interest rates and HELOC not decreasing. When I got my HELOC the rate was prime plus one. Now it's prime plus five. What gives, and who is going to blow the whistle on this? Further, while the intent of the Fed in lowering rates is to encourage lower interest rates in an effort to encourage more consumer spending, how can consumers spend more money if the lenders don't relay those lower rates to the consumers.

5. One politician I am without a doubt pulling against is Bev Perdue. She is trying to pit the State of North Carolina against Charlotte in an effort to win the Governor's race. Why, would any Charlottean in their right mind vote for a person who is clearly selling out Charlotte for their own personal gain? Amongst other things, Charlotte needs more funding for the Criminal Justice system. With someone like Bev Perdue in office I'm not confident that the next four years will pass and we will still not get the funding we need (Unfortunately, this is typical of the Raleigh Political Machine.). Personally, I think Charlotte might be much better off if we were on our own. There's no point in paying taxes to a state that doesn't support us but never misses a chance to boast about us.

Obama's 30 Minute TV Spot

So Obama has bought up a 30 minute TV spot to promote his propoganda to the people. While the Obama camp is being very tight lipped about the content of this infomercial tonight, I think it's safe to say that the information will be very pro-Obama and do everything to paint him as this "saviour" with all the best ideas on how we can fix this country.

I'm not sure if I'll watch it or not. I think it's a good idea to be informed and to know what the people you don't really agree with have in mind. I'm definitely interested to learn more about him since all signs right now point to an Obama victory.

However, knowing Obama's background and his plan for Socialized Healthcare and the Redistribution of Wealth I can't help but see this as a "State-run TV" type deal where the liberal and conservative medias are cut out so that he can sell his propoganda without influence from outside sources.

I don't really have a problem with him buying up TV time to promote his best interest. If you have the money to do it then do it. Honestly, it'd be nice if John McCain would do the same thing. However, other than being one long 30 minute infomercial what useable purpose will this deal serve?

On a separate note, I talked to someone who has a brother in Alaska the other day. He said that they are have very mixed emotions about the possibility of Sarah Palin becoming VP. He said that Alaska does not want to lose her and that she is as good as gold up there. She stood up to the face of corrupt politics in Alaska and because of her efforts the common man in Alaska is now better off. With all due respect to the people of Alaska, someone who stands up to the corrupt politics of Washington is exactly what Washington needs. We need to get leaders in Washington who can relate to the common man and who actually serve the common man. I think we've learned over the these past few months that Sarah Palin is that person which is why the liberal media has tried so hard to discredit her. The liberal media sees Palin as a legitimate threat to their poster boy, Barrack Obama, and they know that if they had not immediately started to discredit her the liberals could have lost their edge. While Obama could still lose, I think it's a long shot. Nevertheless, I'm still voting in hopes that my one vote makes the difference.

Campaign Contributions

I wonder what Obama and McCain are going to do with what's left of the approximate$1.514 billion they don't spend on their campaigns? Honestly, I'm not sure what the law is regarding the remaining totals, but it sure would be nice to redistribute the wealth to taxpaying citizens as part of a new stimulus plan.

One Year Later - OI7

It's now been almost one year since 7 students from USC and Clemson died in a tragic fire in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Some of my bestfriends are SAEs from South Carolina and I know a lot of girls that are/were Tri-Delts at both Clemson and South Carolina which is why this story will always hit close to home.

It's worth your time to read these stories. Even in such a tragic loss the outpouring of good and the impact on those who knew the OI7 or even those who didn't ensures that their memories will last.

Ocean Isle fire: Action from ashes
Tri Delta sisters: Grace under pressure, love in motion

In safe haven of fraternity, brothers cherish memories

Nashville: The Great American Sellout

I have mixed emotions about Nashville. Nashville is a town of hope for so many. Dreams are realized there everyday, and dreams are crushed as well. In a way it's our Hollywood.

I love Country Music, the roots of the American soul. In a lot of ways Country Music goes as the country goes. It's the backbone of so many people's story, but in so many ways it's so unbelievable that it's borderline brutal to hear.

Today, on any of the "Mainstream" Country Music channels you'll be hard pressed to hear real country. Music Row sold out years ago and what you have now is nothing more than watered down Rock n' Roll. Somewhere, mixed in with all of that watered down lite rock junk is the remains of a dying sound.....pedal steel, fiddle, etc.

I have a love/hate affair with Nashville. The town calls me on occassion. The dream to realize musical fortitude appeals but at what cost? In the nooks and crannies, in the alley ways, side roads and living rooms all around Nashville country lives on, yet goes unnoticed. The guys in the suits say it's "too country." It's too real and it's got too much soul. Music Row does not want soul, Music Row wants guys like Billy Currington.....a guy who looks more like a model than a musician and whose music is anything but country. Putrid seems like a better description.

Out in Austin and all over Texas, Oklahoma and the rest of Americana the true sound and soul of Country Music lives on. However, unless you can stream Radio Free Texas or serve beer at Gruene Hall you may never hear it. It's still there in Nashville. It's just that you won't find it on the radio or on Music Row. By the time it gets to the front office it's so watered down that the soul and the heart of it was ripped out long ago.

Nashville is historic, it's haunted and it has all the ingredients to truly be great (and as a city and culture it is great). However, the rest of America won't buy the truth so the good goes unnoticed while the bad gets to play the game and pretend like they are something they aren't.

Some say the soul of Nashville died the day the Opry kicked out Hank Sr.. Who knows....maybe it did. Personally, I think it just took to the shadows and has been hiding there ever since. You can still walk down the alley in between the Blue Bird Cafe and the Ryman and feel that cold chill. They're always there in the shadows.....away from the street lights, but never far from the neon lights, the smokey old bars and the smell of whiskey.

One day, maybe Country will wear it's hat and boots again. In the meantime, we'll keep searching for the true sound and the true soul of Country Music. In the meantime you get Lite Rock.

Keith Olbermann

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This blog is my opinion. It's what I believe and what I'm thinking. People discount bloggers as uneducated and as a waste of time. Even so, everyone has an opinion and everyone has a right to voice their opinion. Some stay quiet, say nothing, hoping all along that someone will say what they're thinking. While I may only have one or two readers I do anything but stay quiet.

Politics is an interesting beast. Nothing can divide us more than when you put on your Democrat or Republican hats. You can be great friends one minute, but the second you start talking politics all bets are off and the gloves come off. The hatred and anger fueled by political opinions is a damn shame, but it's what our country is all about. Everyone has a voice and everyone's opinion, in theory, is respected.

I've said all that to say this. My opinion is that Keith Olbermann of MSNBC and Football Night in America is without a doubt one of the more clueless anchors in the liberal media. It's not his opinions that I have a problem with. I don't agree with him on much of anything, but again that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is his "shock-jock" delivery method and the hatred for all things that don't represent his opinion.

When he gets on a rant, the veins in his forehead start to swell and he progressively leans closer and closer to the camera as if he is about to fly through the TV and wrap his hands around your neck in hopes that you'll feel all the rage and anger he feels. It's really quite remarkable to watch him rant. The guy is without doubt certifiable. It's amazing that Keith Olbermann is the same guy that along with Dan Patrick make up one of the best sports tandems in TV history. His creativity and touch on the work he did at ESPN and now at NBC on Football Night in America is hard to duplicate.

Again, just my opinion, but I prefer Bill O'Reilly. For some reason the liberal media and political leaders appear to be threaten immensely by him. Aside from George W. Bush, John McCain and Sarah Palin he might be their favorite punching bag. He's obviously saying something they don't agree with and he's obviously making a pretty good point. Otherwise, why bother? He's objective, calm and fair. He asks tough questions of everyone and he willingly gives all opinions a chance to make their case against him. To his credit, Obama is the only one to take him up on this and again was one of the better interviews I've seen with Obama. Bill asked Obama tough, but fair questions, and Obama was very upfront with his answers and I honestly walked away from those segments with a lot of respect for the way Obama handled himself while talking to O'Reilly.

As for all the haters.....If you're so sure you're right and O'Reilly's so wrong then why not settle it one on one?

Socialism and the Redistribution of Wealth

Last week, during the final Presidential Debate, both McCain and Obama talked about Joe the Plumber and shortly thereafter the media went wild and Joe the Plumber became the most famous plumber in America.

A few days later I was emailed by a very staunch Democrat in an effort to downplay the importance of Joe the Plumber's concerns. This person who emailed me tried to discredit Joe the Plumber because he is not a licensed plumber......that's it, that was the emailer's argument against Joe the Plumber.

Well here's the deal, it's true, Joe the Plumber is not a licensed plumber. However, this is because he currently works for a licensed plumbing company, and because of that he is not required by law to be licensed himself. The email I got tells half of the truth and strategically leaves out the rest of the truth in order to discredit Joe the Plumber and his concerns over Obama's tax increase plan.

I checked with my Accountant about Obama's desire to raise the tax percentage on businesses making more that $250,000 per year. I was curious to find out how negative the impact would be on these businesses. Would it really make that much of a difference? Would it be enough that employers might have to scale back their workforce, pay rates and/or company paid benefits in order to offset an increase in operating costs due to increased taxation? Well, as it turns out, if you have a good accountant you should be able to take advantage of enough tax exemptions that the impact is relatively inelastic.

However, while the tax impact may be inelastic, the concern about the Redistribution of Wealth(RDW) is still very real. I understand the theory of taxing employers more in order to help employees have an opportunity to start their own business (if they so desire). Obama's argument to Joe was, couldn't you have used that tax advantage as an employee five years ago? Well, in theory, yes. However, the fundamental concern is over who is controlling this. Should the Government tax the "more forunate" and redistribute their monies to the less fortunate to provide them with an easier path to start their own business? The idea that the government takes from one to give to another is not a new idea. In fact, many Economist, notably Adam Smith, have labored over this idea for hundreds of years. The problem is that the RDW is one of the base arguments for Socialism.

As the election comes closer and closer you have to decide how you feel about the very real notion of the government having more and more say into your daily life and professional path. The RDW is what governments do to level the playing field and to allow everyone the opportunity at an equal share of the pie. Is it wrong? That's for you to decide. Is it a very Socialist mindset? Yes. Personally, I think the government should leave the RDW up to business owners and the employees. However, one of the problems with Capitalism is that a capitalistic economic model does not requlate greed.

While at this point I have no doubt that Obama will win the election, I have huge concerns over his economic policy. Is too much government control a good thing? It's up for debate.

Big Chance, Big Game!

Every 2 or 3 years a game comes along like the game this Saturday between USC and LSU. It's a game that two and a half weeks ago I wasn't really looking forward to given the play of our team. Granted, there's the ties between my father's fondness for LSU and the fact that LSU is one of the most talented teams in the country AND the defending National Champions. However, this year's LSU team is not the same team from last year and this year's South Carolina team is better than they were last year.

Two weeks ago this game was not a big game. Then, a funny thing happened on the way to a 4-3 record for South Carolina and a 7-0 record for LSU. South Carolina found a player in Jason Barnes, Kenny McKinley returned from injury and an expected split between Ole Miss and Kentucky turned into two victories and a 5-2 record. Carolina's offense started to move the ball. Carolina is now averaging one punt per game. 3rd down conversions are tops in the SEC. Had it not been for 4 costly turnovers against Kentucky, a team that only gave up 17 points against Alabama the previous week, Carolina could have beaten Kentucky by two or more touchdowns. Is the tide turning? Is our team starting to come together? Who knows.

Photo from The StateOne thing we've known all year is that our defense is as good as advertised. While they've slipped a little in the first halves against both Ole Miss and Kentucky, they've bucked down nicely, giving up a total of 3 points in the second halves of the past two games. Our defense is ranked 1st in the SEC. If our defense continues to play the way they've played through the first 7 games we will continue to be in every game with a shot to win.

LSU on the otherhand....well, they are LSU. They are who we think they are. However, this year's LSU team is not as good as once thought. They have struggled on offense and their defense was rudely exposed by Florida in a 51-21 beat down last weekend. Their defense ranks 9th in the SEC and in general I think LSU lacks leadership on both sides of the ball. They have talent....actually, they have more talent than most every other team in the country. However, talented or not, without sound leadership you're going to have an uphill battle each and every week.Photo from NOLA

The big question is "How will LSU respond after such a big loss to Florida?" Well, at this point, check in with me late Saturday night. (Actually, you could probably check in with me about 9pm EST and I should know something.)

How will this thing play out? Will the ghost of Joe Morrison show up, roam the sidelines closely watching over the psyche of the Gamecocks? What does the greatest offensive mind in College Football have up his sleeves? Does he finally have the players to let his offense go? Can our defense rise up to the challenge and disrupt LSU's fragile offense?

Somewhere in Lousiana tomorrow night, on a farm out in the middle of nowhere, Billy Cannon may or may not turn on the TV and watch the game. Maybe he'll go out to his shed, listen on the radio for a while before retiring back into his solitude. Somewhere, Paul Dietzl will be watching. A man who coached both LSU and South Carolina. Dietzl coached LSU to a National Championship and Billy Cannon to a Heisman Trophy. At Carolina he removed us from the ACC. An often argued and sore subject for the ACC Big 3, Clemson and South Carolina. Depending on who you ask, you'll get a completely different response. Nevertheless, in my eyes corruption in the ACC's Big 3 was all too similar to the people of South Carolina and just like they did in 1861 they Seceded.

Tomorrow night is the game I've been waiting for. The build up this week reminds me of 2001 when USC went up against a talented Florida team, coached by the great Steve Spurrier, only to have our boys fall back to mediocrity. Will history repeat itself or will a new chapter be written. 2001 was a long time ago, we have more talent and better coaches now. Our schemes are better and the playing field has been leveled. Time'll tell. Tomorrow we'll know just how good we are or aren't. Tomorrow hopefully victory awaits.

Crazy day in Tigertown!

Wow! Didn't expect it to happen so soon. I thought the king of the quivering lip would get to finish the year out before getting the boot. However, it appears that the boot kicks quickly in Clemson, South Carolina these days. Terry Don Phillips laid it out last night apparently telling Tommy that unless he took his team to the ACC Championship in December he would not return. Both agreed that they would not get there and today Tommy begins cleaning out his office.

Couldn't have happened to a bigger jackass. I've heard stories about dirty recruiting where 17 and 18 year old kids were sold a bill of goods and pressured into committing to Clemson. I remember when Tremaine Billie, a long time Gamecock commitment, decommitted from Carolina to go to Clemson. Billie was a running back in high school. A good one! I saw him play a few times and he racked up 300 yards rushing both times. Anyway, Billie wanted a shot at RB in college; however, due to his build Lou Holtz told him he would not play RB at Carolina and would be better suited for the defensive secondary. Along comes Tommy Bowden.....he recruits Billie as a RB and tells him he'll get his shot. Billie decommits from Carolina and commits to Clemson. Billie never played a down on offense and was immediately inserted in the Clemson secondary where he had a solid college career (when healthy). A Bill of Goods.

What happens from here on out is anyone's guess. Apparently some of Clemson's bigtime recruits are jumping ship. The word is some of the players supposedly had a celebration dance at Howard's Rock this morning when told that Tommy was gone. Bowden was always the underachiever. He oversold and underdelivered.

I said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not a Clemson fan, but I have friends and family that are and I'm happy for them. They wanted him gone and they got their wish. In my opinion Clemson is loaded with talent and as a Gamecock fan, it's now a good time to start worrying. With that talent and a good coach a lot of good bounces could go their way.

Experiments in Socialism: Bailout Package

There's an interesting read in the Daily Telegraph today titled: "We're All Socialist Now, Comrade."
Financial Crisis: We're all socialist now, Comrade

While it's an opinion piece it's also along the lines of my very thoughts regarding so many country's governments bailing out their financial institutions. Just this morning George Bush and his posse notified the media that they're considering buying up stakes in U.S. banks to "help" them recover from financial turmoil.

Our country has never wanted this much government involvement in private or publicly traded businesses, yet due to the reckless actions of many CEOs government action seems unavoidable. As a matter of fact, a move along these lines is so UN-American that it's almost as if we're witnessing one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the United States of America.

I have mixed emotions about this. I studied Economics and I know that in theory Socialism is a much better economic model than Capitalism. However, when in history has a Socialist structure/Country ever turned out for the better? I know that right now China is thriving, but it hasn't always been that way and China politically is still a very unstable country.

I guess the upside to all of this is that if the banks want to buy the shares back from the government they can, essentially removing them from the equation. However, I can't help but wonder if the government, after buying a stake in these companies, will prance their holier than thou "gurus" into the Board Room and expect their voices to be louder and their opinions to be final.

"Viva Mother America!"

Crossroads

Accord to Wikipedia the word Crossroads means: "an intersection of roads. This meaning is used metaphorically as a place where other things - both physical and abstract - meet."

Apparently Robert Johnson came to a crossroads near Dockery's Plantation in rural Mississippi and sold his soul to the devil in order to become a great blues musician. Crossroads.

When I think of coming to a crossroads I think of that rural setting in Mississippi. I picture a young Robert Johnson standing there in the black of night with nothing to accompany him but his guitar, the clothes on his back and the nightly, ghostly sounds of the Mississippi Delta. I picture fear and uncertainty.

Crossroads can mean many things and anything to anyone. In my mind, crossroads are where you decide to take the road less traveled, or to follow convention. At a crossroads one determines whether they have the courage to follow their dreams, or to follow expectations. No one knows how many times one comes to a crossroads. Yet, everyone comes to them and everyone has to decide what is in the best interest for them and/or if they have the courage to go against the grain.

Do you take the risk and set out on that uncharted course in hopes of finding something you've always longed for? Or do you stay the course, always wondering "what if?"

"What if?" haunts me.

Latest Observations........

I've been busy and haven't had much time for Thoughts from the Southland the last few weeks. Therefore, here's a quick snapshot on what's on my mind:

1. Tommy Bowden is done at Clemson. Or, Clemson's administration is completely out of touch with the boosters and they keep him around from yet ANOTHER disappointing year. I don't really care for Clemson, but I know a lot of people who do am I'm confident that they've seen enough.

2. Winning at Football is about playing smart and playing more physical than the team you're playing. If you want to see a great example of this pay attention to what Nick Saban is doing at Alabama. If you want to see a good example of what your offense will look like if you don't run physical practices in the preseason and durning weekly practice's see what Steve Spurrier is doing at Carolina. Carolina's Offensive Line was pushed around by the 117th ranked defense on Saturday night. They cannot run the ball effectively and they cannot dominate a team offensively. Thank God we have one of the top rated defenses or this season would be uglier than it already is. At least we're 2-2 and not 0-4.

3. I watched the last half of the first debate on Friday night. I wasn't that impressed with either candidate. I thought McCain was reaching a little bit, trying a little too hard to make Obama look like a flip-flopper. And I thought Obama was rude and arrogant. He often interrupted McCain (who impressively talked right through Obama's interruptions) and seemed to make arrogant, sarcastic remarks when McCain said something he didn't agree with.

My hope is that the next debate actually accomplishes something. I really have no interest in the "He said, She said" tactics.

4. The first round of the Government Bailout plan has been voted down. Stocks have plummeted as a result. I'm trying to decide if now is a good time to invest?

5. Along the lines of the Government Bailout....here's my beef (and understand that I haven't formed an opinion either way yet): Reckless companies have made poor business decisions. However, because of the negative economic impact these decisions have on all of us these companies are getting "a little" assistance from the Government. As a result, the Government gets more control over these businesses. Honestly, it sounds a lot like Socialism, but the question is, because our Capitalistic system has gotten so reckless is a Socialistic reaction necessary?

Next, the Golden Parachute.....Are you serious! You're going to run a company into the ground, yet you think you deserve a Golden Parachute so you can live happily ever after while my tax dollars foot the bill for saving your ass? You know, that Golden Parachute would go a long way to helping YOUR company bail itself out of all the bad investments that you oversaw.

Is too much government involvement a good thing, or a bad thing? I heard an interesting point today that is worthy of repeating. If you look at the most unhappy people in this country....the folks most angry with the system and angry with the government who are they? Are they the ones that are self sustaining, or are they the ones who are most reliant on Government Programs? I think you know the answer. So, why, if these people are so unhappy with the government and the system, why are they so supportive of more Government involvement?

Gas Prices and Hurricane Ike

Well, here we go again. Yesterday a bunch of local gas station owners jacked gas prices up more than the $1 per gallon on fears that Hurricane Ike may cut distribution from the Gulf. Funny, I thought we got most of our oil from Terrorist countries?

You know, had the stations owners not said anything or started raising prices people would have gone about their business and the 20 deep lines at gas stations around South Carolina would not have happened last night. Nevertheless, any opportunity to gouge your neighbors for an extra buck seems to be the plan for these crooks.

Just like the rest of you, I want to know where the government is during all of this gouging? They have to know what is happening and who's responsible, yet no price freeze, no reassurance......interesting......two questions come to mind:
1. Do oil companies have politicians so firmly in their back pockets that there's no way in hell that the people that represent us will fight for us?
2. If you're a gas station owner or big oil executive how do you look at yourself in the mirror each day? Does it suck when the neighborhood throws a cook out you're the only one that doesn't get invited? How does it feel to be UN-American?

The American spirit has always been about coming to the aid of your neighbors. However, the oil industry does the opposite. When our neighbors are in need, or ensuing crisis is on the horizon they raise prices. Again, where are our fearless leaders? At what point will they jump in and say, "FREEZE!"?

I'd write my local representative but apparently they don't seem to care (See Martha Alexander). I know this because I've written them in the past and they haven't responded. So, aside from Pork Barrel spending and earmarks what good are they?

As an aside, I really need to know if Martha Alexander believes that dinosaurs walked the earth 4,000 years ago. That's really important to me.

Seven Years Later......

Seven years ago today our Country came under attack. Most of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing. We remember the aftermath and how people reacted around them throughout the day. We couldn't wait to get home and be together, sitting around the TV just watching, waiting, hoping......

Now, seven years later, even though many if not all TV stations will no longer show the footage of that day the images and the feeling of complete and total helplessness still rings fresh.

Eventually, my feelings turned to anger. I was fresh out of school as were a lot my friends. A few of us talked about enlisting in the service. We knew our country would not let this attack go unanswered and we wanted in.

After initial sadness and the initial pain, the measure of an individual is determined by what they do next. We took a huge sucker punch on that fateful day and when we answered, WE ANSWERED. People cheered and high-fived each other at the site of our military going after these terrorists. Up from the rubble and the destruction America grew stronger and we felt more pride than we had ever felt.

In such a terrible time, it was great to be an American.

Today, all politics will take a break and hopefully celebrities like Matt Damon will not use this anniversary as a forum. Hopefully, all Americans will stop their propaganda and do nothing more but be a united America, remembering those heroes who lost their lives.

It's a sick and sad world out there and we learned that so painfully on September 11, 2001. We're very fortunately to be Americans and today is a day to remember the sacrifices many have made.

God bless us all and may God mercy on the souls of those who harm us.

Obama and the O'Reilly Factor

So I watched a little bit of The O'Reilly Factor last night with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News. While you may be rolling your eyes at the mere mention of Fox News (I do that with MSNBC), hear me out first.

First off, I came away impressed with Obama in this interview. O'Reilly, while respectful, did not hold back and asked Obama some very pointed questions about his affiliations, background and record. I've gotta give credit when credit's due....Obama was very honest and straight foward with his answers. In the past, he's sort of tip-toed around questions he doesn't like and has also not really shown an ability to talk coherently unscripted. Last night was different. He and Bill had a very straightforward conversation and Bill I thought did an excellent job from a journalistic standpoint of asking tough questions, but being fair.

Apparently, Obama had the same type of interview with the NBC folks and they threw softballs at him all night. I don't know for sure who the interviewer was, but my quess would be either Andrea Mitchell, Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermann.

Regardless, Obama's still not my guy because we seem to have fundamental differences on what the people of this country need. Nevertheless, I'd love to sitdown, one on one, unscripted with Obama and give him to opportunity to set the record straight.

Palin's Spending in Alaska under scrutiny

Dear One or Two readers,

I noticed today on Msn.com that Sarah Palin's expenditures are being scrutinized. If you read it, and develop a negative opinion of Governor Palin and consider this "typical" for Republicans then please read my "Considerable Waste" blog post from July. I believe Mary Easley has set the bar on wasteful spending.

Russell Brand Part 1

I'm going to get into this more later. However, uneducated individuals like Russell Brand make it easier and easier everyday to vote for John McCain. Besides the fact that Brand is Brit and really has no place in U.S. Politics, it's equally as shameful that an entertainment entity, MTV/Viacom, allows this type of garbage on an awards TV show designed to entertain people. Instead of Jack Black, MTV now gets second rate idiots like Russell Brand who come on national television insulting our country and telling us what HE thinks is in the best interest of Americans. Funny, last time someone from Britain did that we started our own Country.

Of course, this all speaks to the liberal media and the influence, or lack thereof, that MTV has on the country these days. MTV used to be all about the music; however, they never show music videos on their station anymore and like many others, I stopped watching MTV a long time ago. I will say this though, today is probably the most attention MTV has gotten in a long time. Unfortunately for them it'll probably do more harm than good.

For my one or two readers who are anxiously awaiting my gospel, more to come later.

Briefly: Back to Politics

A few notes after watching the RNC last night.

- If there was ever any doubt about Sarah Palin's ability I think she answered those last night. She had to come out, be firm, charismatic and confident and she was all of these.

- I was definitely moved to see her on stage holding her new-born child who has Downs Syndrome. Regardless of politics, the realness of her and her family became evident as they stood there. I have a friend who has a child who is in a similar situation. I have and will always admire them knowing the challenges and battles they go through on a daily basis.

- I miss Tucker Carlson.

- I like MSNBC's format and presentation, so I primarily watch their coverage on events like the RNC and DNC. However, their liberal bias is painful to watch. Last week they were the media cheerleaders after each key-note speech at the DNC. However, this week they have refuted much of the speeches given at the RNC. Watching Andrea Mitchell interview Republicans on the floor is just painful. She is so spiteful and so cynical that MSNBC would be better served to remove her from the RNC. If I'm wrong, correct me. However, she clearly does not like Republicans and is trying everything in her power to degrade them when speaking to individuals from the floor of the RNC. It's really sad to see MSNBC be painfully biased. I wonder how Tim Russert would react if here were here today. I'd like to think that he would force his team to maintain journalistic integrity. Last night, Pat Buchanan tried to give a more conservative opinion on the night and Chris Matthews quickly tightened the leash, cutting Pat off in mid-sentence. Chris did the same for the one of the other panelist (Sorry couldn't find the MSNBC bios to give you her name). It's sad and painful. If you're going to cover an event and profess yourselves as a news leader then report the NEWS, not biased editorial BS.

- I hope the Republicans do a better job of aligning themselves with traditional Conservative environmental groups like Ducks Unlimited, CCA and The Wild Turkey Federation (to name a few). Many individuals that vote Democrat do so because of the perception that Democrats are more concerned about the environment. That's simply not true. All of my friends are Republicans and we are all members of DU, CCA and other conservation organizations. Much of the world's corporate CEOs, COOs, Presidents and so on are members of these same organizations. You typically don't see "Sportsmen for Obama" signs, but you always see "Sportsmen for McCain" signs. Maybe it just because I'm in the South, but every Sportsman and/or Steward of our natural resources and environment that I know is a Republican. Bottom-line, we need to do a better job of promoting our involvement with our Conservation Organizations.

*It's gameday. Carolina plays Vanderbilt tonight in the first SEC match of the year. Last year, we lost badly to Vandy. Tonight, I am hoping for revenge. Go Cocks!

Smelley to start, Bowden makes questionable call(s)....

-While this is not Breaking News, Coach Spurrier has decided to start Chris Smelley at QB this week in place of banged up Tommy Beecher. Given the way Chris moved the offense on Thursday night against NC State it's hard not to give him the nod. Plus, the Vandy misery from last year seemed to be Chris's undoing for the rest of the season. The Gamecocks are thinking revenge after doing everything in their power to make Vanderbilt look like the number 1 team in the country.

As with last week, this game could go either way. It could be close, or we could beat Vandy easily. We have the potential, but with a suspect O-Line it's hard to know for sure until the game starts.

-So word got out yesterday that Tommy Bowden has been calling other coaches to ask what he needs to do to help his team improve. While I admire his humility and willingness to reach out to other coaches it also raises a huge flag about his abilities. Tommy's been at Clemson for 10 years and makes a boat load of money. To me, a phone call like this is something that I'd expect an inexperienced coach to make. Not someone like Tommy Bowden. Nevertheless, coaches talk all the time and trade ideas. This situation was probably nothing different aside from the fact that Tommy actually came out and told the media he did so.

-Seems like everyone is coming down on Clemson in the state of South Carolina.

Many of the CU fans have had enough and are ready to start looking for their next coach.

Last night, "Sports Talk" out of Columbia made a few comments about CU's football program and the way in which Clemson manages information coming in and out of Tigertown.

Thinking about it now, after hearing it last night, the idea of controling how information is and is not presented to the public and the media is a lot like the way Socialist Countries operate. They tell you what they want you to hear and sugarcoat the things they don't want you to hear to sound often more favorable than they really are.
-Case in Point: One caller last night called into Sports Talk talking about the Clemson Coach's Show. He joked that as far as the Coach's Show was concerned Alabama never scored a point and all they showed was the positive stuff that Clemson did (which wasn't much).

Enough for now. More later.

Cheers!

Week 1 Thoughts.....

So, in staying with my theme to skip on the politics for a while I'm going to keep in line with something that actually hits my passion: College Football

First off, being in Columbia Thursday, with all the usual crowd and tailgating just like we always have was great. Then being in the stadium, sweating our asses off in the student section while Tommy Beecher threw 4 INTS was a bit challenging, but we hung in there and when the 4th Quarter rolled around things really started going. Our defense dominated the whole game, giving up 138 total yards and once Chris Smelley replaced Beecher things really started moving on offense as well. The 4th Quarter is what I expect of our team all year. An all around team effort in which we dominate both sides of the ball. We're 1-0 and hope is still eternal!

A few Observations:
1. I'm not kidding when I say that I watched College Football from about 11am on Saturday until after midnight that night. I ran a few errands throughout the day, but for the most part I watched football. I've waited more than seven months for this day to come and while it might not have been the most productive thing in the world, it was what I wanted and it's what I did.

2. Seeing Rich Rod lose to Utah was great. Sorry, but I just don't have much love for a guy that leaves his home state school, his school and his "dream job" in the dust for greener pastures. Serves him right that his team looked sloppy and unorganized. Meanwhile, WVU looked excellent as Pat White threw for 5 TDs and WVU rolled. Next up for WVU, Skip Holtz's surprise ECU team.

3. Speaking of Skip....Congrats to the whole coaching staff and players at ECU. Skip got a raw deal at Carolina. With all due respect to his daddy, he took the fall for his dad's deficiencies at Carolina and has rebounded nicely. Plus, he has Phil Petty on his staff which further deepens the ties to between ECU and Carolina. While I like WVU and will find myself pulling for them throughout the year, you're crazy if you think I won't be pulling for another big ECU win this weekend.

4. Clemson. Let's see....what can I say that hasn't already been said? My guess is when Tommy got home late Saturday night (Early Sunday morning) he probably wasn't surprised to find a bunch of "For Sale" signs in his front yard. Tommy has soooo much talent at Clemson. Yet, he can't get them to play as a team. Seriously, he's been there for 10 years, has some of the best talent in the country and CANNOT coach these guys into consistent winners. Tommy either better get his team to rebound and rebound in a hurry or this year will be his last. There are way too many coaches that get more out less talent just waiting for an opportunity like Clemson. Tommy better watch his back.

5. Dammit Tennessee.....You had'em right where you wanted them and you "LET'EM OFF THE HOOK!" Seriously, UCLA was BEAT. How do you lose to those guys? Now we probably have to listen to the PAC 10 say they are on the same level as the SEC. After the weekend we had as representatives of the SEC (less MSU) you had a chance to but an exclamation on the dominance of our conference and you dropped the ball.

6. I thought Virginia might have had a shot to keep it close against SoCal. I thought wrong. By the time Virginia finally woke up the game was over.

7. The ACC is soft. UNC almost lost to McNeese State, Virginia got smacked by SoCal, NC State only managed 138 total yards against South Carolina, VaTech got beat by ECU and Clemson, well Clemson dropped the biggest bomb of them all. The good news is the ACC basketball schedule came out last week and Midnight Madness should start in another month or so. By the way, the class of the ACC this past weekend was Duke and Wake. How would've ever imagined that?

8. Seemed like defense was really the theme this past weekend. Saw a lot of sloppiness on the offensive side of the ball and saw a lot of heads up play on the defense side. The Bear would be awfully proud.

Finally!

If you hear Christmas music tomorrow when you awake it's not a mistake. While I know I'm reaching a bit here, I believe that tomorrow all will be right with the world. No, it doesn't have anything to do with Barak Obama or John McCain. We will not have found Jimmy Hoffa.

Tomorrow, every Southern Man will awake to know that the College Football season will officially begin at 8:01 pm Eastern Standard Time.

We wait all year for this. At this point, my team and your team is undefeated. Hopeless dreams run amuck and visions of greatness fill the air with optimism.

Tomorrow night, my Gamecocks will take the field against the Wolfpack of NC State, renewing an old rivalry from the old ACC days and even from the 80s when Todd Ellis lead the charge. We last played NC State in 1999. Lou Holtz's first game as the coach at Carolina. That game was played in the middle of a hurricane in a torrential downpour. We lost that game, 10-0, and afterwards Coach Holtz said it was the worst conditions he had ever played in. Remember, Holtz is a pretty old fella and he's seen a lot so saying that these were the worst conditions says a lot.

I digress, tomorrow, I will pull out my cooler, my chairs, my car flags and my Garnet Polo and with the stroke of noon begin the pilgrimage to Columbia where the most wonderful time of the year will officially begin. From here on out, for the rest of 2008 football will dominate my Saturdays, my TV and my life. And in case you're worried, I'm very much okay with that.

This year should be my 8th straight year of not missing a single home game in Columbia. I can't wait, I won't be able to sleep tonight and when the morning comes the air will smell like evergreen and "Jingle Bells" will play.

The only question now is what to drink.....Bourbon and Ginger, Bourbon and Diet, or Beer. Tell you what....let's not make this any harder than it has to be. I'll drink a little bit of each and when the pregame clock hits zero, know that I'll be in my place, right there in the heart of Williams-Brice Stadium waiting anxiously for that low bass to drop. Goose bumps will come over me, my emotions will take over and 2001 will play. Shed a tear? I'd say there's a good chance.

Go Cocks!

It's Been a Few Weeks, Hasn't it?

Well, maybe it's because this blog is seldom if ever read by anyone other than the author (which is my own doing since I've done nothing to promote my useless ramblings), or maybe it's because I've grown weary of politics and am now switching my focus onto the upcoming Football Season. Nevertheless, it's been a few weeks since I've had anything to say that I felt like saying.

So.....I'm thinking about packing it up and turn my back on the political system and the politicians that irritate me. It's not because I don't care, I do. However, it's becoming more apparent each day that politicians have lost touch with the rest of the country. They are driven by big money special interest groups and their touch with the common man ended some 100 years ago when our worlds were much less global and possibly much less greedy.

My biggest problem with politics is that regardless of how often a politician slights me, ignores my concerns and/or blows me off I still have to pay taxes. Talk about a taxation without representation feeling.

Eitherway, I find myself relating more and more to Samuel Clemons. I'm a "you do your thing and I'll do mine" Southern thinker. I am suspect of the government, much in the way that my forefathers where hence leading to our Lost Cause. I find it more and more troubling with each day that my taxes support leaders that have lost touch and clearly forgot about my best interest the minute the last election ended. In this, everyone's to blame. Personally, me as a Republican, I lay the blame on the Democrats. They claim to care about the everyday commoner, yet over the past three years, under their leadership in Congress and Senate, taxes have increased, our economy has gotten worse and energy cost are skyrocketing. Personally, I'm still waiting for the part when they actually do more than promote themselves as the savior for the commoner. It's time to PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

Now about that moving my concerns onto something other than politics thing......Next time, I promise!

Russia vs. Georgia

Can't say this whole deal isn't very troubling. However, it's also hard to figure out exactly what in the hell is going on too.

Here's what I think I know:
1. Georgia invaded a section of their country that was considered an allied area of the Russians.
2. Russia retaliated (Honestly, can't blame them)
3. The U.S. disagrees with the way in which Russia goes about retaliation and immediately sides with Georgia.

What I'm not clear on is who is the aggressor here? Is it Georgia or is it Russia. Is the fact that the U.S. sided with Georgia the reason why Russia has so much dismay with us?

While I object to both Georgia and Russia's actions, you certainly can't blame Russia for fighting back and defending the innocent if Georgia is indeed at fault. Therefore, I'm not sure what the U.S. Government is up to. What's fact and what's propaganda here?

Does the oil line running through Georgia have anything to do with the U.S.'s interest? Does the oil line running through Georgia have anything to do with why Russia has a problem with Georgia?

Here's what I believe. George Washington, the father of our country, said that it would serve the best interest of America if we simply worried about America and did not involve ourselves in the affairs of other countries. I certainly can't blame him for saying this and aside from doing everything in our power to defend our country I think he's absolutely right. The only rub to Mr. Washington's insight is the changed scope of our world. In Mr. Washington's day the world was a much bigger place. Now, the world is at your fingertips. Thanks to the media and the Internet, access to places like Moscow are instant. It's a tough call, I honestly think we should worry about self-dependency and rely less on foreign countries for our resources. These countries are so volatile and temper mental while traditionally we as Americans are anything but volatile. We want to live our lives in peace and harmony yet we rely on such non-harmonious countries. It's seems our economy should mirror our lifestyle. Sometimes it seems like we should get back to basics, support our own economy first and work towards self dependence while doing everyting in our power to following Mr. Washington's advice.

Democrats are Leading our Economy into the Ground

I find it interesting that the liberal media and all of those people out there looking for "change" seem to immediately point the finger at George W. Bush when it comes to discussing the problems in with our economy and energy issues.

Honestly, Bush is not much different than The Queen of England. We are not lead by a Monarchy. Granted Bush has veto power; however, the bills and the decisions our Political Leaders make on a daily basis are managed and voted on by two groups, The Senate and Congress, both of which are controlled by the Democrats. Therefore, to place the blame on Bush is simply an uneducated move by those who honestly don't know what they're talking about. Our country is suffering from economic woes and an "Energy Crisis." What is the Democratic controlled Senate and Congress doing about it? They're running the show, yet our issues with the economy and energy shortfalls keep getting worse. When you really think about it, who is really to blame?

First he writes "Southern Man," now this!

"Just because I'm famous doesn't mean that I work for the audience. I'm not obligated to do anything. I'm an artist. I will do what I want to do. Whatever the consequences. ... I certainly hope that it's a civilized reaction." — Neil Young.

Neil Young is one helluva songwriter. He has an amazing method about his music and in many ways he's very much a pioneer in Rock n' Roll. However, while I've always had my doubts about the size of his ego, I don't have to doubt anymore. Turns out that he is an ungrateful, arrogant ass. Much like Paul McCartney might I add.

Tell you what Neil...Next time you want to turn up and play your music for the common man, play for free. If you don't owe anything to the audience and you do it all for yourself then why ask them to pay? I mean, you're an artist right? It's not about the money, it's not about paying the bills, it's about singing your songs and telling the audience to "Fuck Off!" right? Hell, you can do like all of the rest of us do, you can go out, get a real job and every year you can hope an pray that your boss gives you a raise so you can keep up with inflation. Then, and only then, will you know what it's really like to live and work in the real world.

Do yourself a favor Neil. Get out of that fantasyland bubble in L.A. and join us out in the real world.

Can We Officially Say Football Season is Upon Us!?

The Panthers started practice this past weekend in the hotbed town of Spartanburg. The Mighty Carolina Gamecocks, with possibly some of the best talent they've ever had since 1984 will start practice on Friday. My friends and I are starting to plan for the tailgating ventures and needs. Anticipation is starting to build.

The first game is Thursday night, August 28th, Carolina vs. NC State!

Time to devise a plan for sneeking airplane bottles into Williams-Brice Stadium.

Go Cocks! Fight! Win! Kickass!

You Might be Smarter than your State Representative if....

So I recently emailed my local State House Representative, Martha Alexander (D), to ask her what the State House of North Carolina is doing to try and help the growing economic situation and the effect gas prices are having on the economy.

Here's my exchange with her:

Me (Sent on July 15, 2008):

Representative Alexander,

You and I have had some communication regarding crime in and around our area of Charlotte. Also, as my local representative I wanted to contact you before contacting other state representatives.

My email to you concerns gas prices. What is being done on a state level to curb this problem? I know on a national level talks are beginning that might consider regulation of the industry a little more since prices are being driven up due to commodoties speculators/investors. However, on a state level what are you all working on? For example, I believe there is currently a $.24 per gallon state tax on gasoline. Is the House working on anything to help North Carolinians alike (possibly reducing the tax)?

Thank you for your time.

So, after not getting any response from her I sent this email to her on July 22nd:

Representative Alexander,

I sent the below email to you on August 15th and have yet to get any sort of a response from you. I would appreciate it if you would read my email and follow up with a response. Thank you.

Finally, today (July 24, 2008) I get this back from her (or maybe one of her staff members):

Dear Mr. Chandler,

Just a quick note to let you know gas prices are regulated at the Federal not the State level.

Representative Alexander

Okay, nervous yet? So, tell me, when did the government start regulating the price of gasoline? Also, if gas prices are regulated on the Federal level why is the state charging a $.24 per gallon tax? Ladies and gentlemen, this is what 1/3 of your paycheck goes to. I'm sure Martha Alexander is a wonderfully nice individual, but I find it troubling that a State Representative of North Carolina(who represents the citizens) doesn't know anything about the Gasoline industry; therefore, making herself look complete out of touch and completely un-educated on the issue.

Oh yea, and my response to her:

Thank you for your note.

What about the state's $.24 tax on each gallon of gasoline (Or am I wrong that the state does not charge a sales tax on each gallon of gas). Also, If gas prices were actually regulated by the Fed. Gov't wouldn't they be the same price in each state? Right now, I can buy gas in South Carolina for an average of about $3.87 per gallon and in NC the average price is about $4.00 per gallon.

If you think I'm being too hard on her then grow a pair. 1/3 of my check and $.24 per gallon of my gasoline goes to pay for this garbage. Hell, she didn't even answer the question and because her response was so far from the truth I had to educated HER on something that she should fully be aware of.

Vote Democrat, Socialism works!

Okay, so I'm half kidding, but I had this idea early today and it got me to thinking....

I've been reading a good bit about China lately. National Geographic and Golf Digest have both recently done large pieces on China in their most recent issues. A few interesting pieces have come out of this and it got me thinking about America versus China.

China is a Socialist society. They are strongly regulated by Government and much like the Democrat ideals in the U.S. they have established a system in which their citizens are largely dependant on the Government in the way of Government programs and handouts, like Universal Healthcare.

It is estimated that China will surpass the U.S. in many respects in the next 10 or 15 years. In China the average annual income is somewhere around $2500/year or something similar, while in the U.S. my guess is that the average American income is roughly $40,000/year. America loses jobs to China daily. China's economy is booming and their job market is a hotbed for opportunity.

So....what's my point.......?

Well, as we learned in Economics school in theory Socialism is the best economic system. You see, people are greedy by nature. We always want more than we have and we are always looking for something better (Just look at the Commodoties market and the price of gas). In the U.S., a free society, that thrives on Capitalism, your dream is your dream and it's ultimately up to you to make it happen. If you work hard, you can provide yourself with a roof over your head, food on the table and hopefully a comfortable life. In China, you work in most cases for a fixed wage, the Government covers much of your standard day to day expenses; therefore, you can get by on maybe $200 a month. When you translate that to producing in the U.S. vs. China it's no wonder many companies are shutting down in the U.S. and moving their production over the China. Economically it makes sense and economically it's a great example of Capitalism vs. Socialism. Currently, it's interesting to see who's winning the fight.

While the Democrats will refute this until their blue in the face, everyone knows that Democrats are very much into Big Government. Further, with Obama being from Chicago he is no stranger to Socialist theory. He was a Law Professor at the University of Chicago, a school notorious for its strong Socialist leanings. Also, Chicago has long been known as the Socialist Capital of the U.S.. You see where I'm going with this? I'm not kidding when I say this, Socialism, from an economic standpoint is extremely efficient....much more so than Captialism. There is heavy regulation and wages are normally sustained and sufficient. Of course, the problem with Socialism (and Capitialism) is it is easy to fall victim to corruption. However, in a Socialist society you are not necessarily granted the freedom of speech to call out your Government when they extort money for special interest or their own wellbeing while you suffer.

Think about it....

Considerable Waste

Here's some interesting insight. In looking over my paycheck I was taxed 1/3 of my income for Federal, State, Social Security and Medicare. Now, explain to me why I shouldn't be outraged?

Just this week it was reported that Mary Easley, the NC Governor's wife, spent over $100,000 to travel to Europe to hopefully improve diplomatic relationships. She stayed in $800 per night hotels, ate $500 per night meals and hired a Chauffer to drive her around in a Mercedes SUV at a cost off about $25,000.

So, this week I took home 2/3 of my earnings while 1/3 of my earnings go to make sure Mary Easley can live the high life in Europe for a few weeks.

Tell you what Mary....I've never been to Europe. Would love to go, but because you took 1/3 of my paycheck I'm going to take what I got and use it to make sure I have food to eat, gas in my car and a roof over my head. Mary, instead of trying to improve diplomatic relationships why don't you spend more time in your own country and state trying to encourage your husband to do something about the State of North Carolina's &.24 per gallon tax on the purchase of gasoline!

Of course, with $100,000 trips to Europe to try and lure loaner art for the NC Art Gallery I can see why you need 1/3 of my weekly income. Those trips are expense!

This is the Southland

Welcome to the Southland. Welcome to the land where the traditions of the English Country-side still survive. Welcome to a mindset that is more than day to day. Welcome to the Lowcountry, the Blue Ridge, Sand Hills and Swamps.

This is my land, this is my place. Come and go as you please, but leave it as you found it.

We gave you the Drive By Truckers, Avett Brothers, Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic and so many more. We built Charleston, New Orleans and Savannah. We've been burned to the ground, homes lost and lands foreclosed. Yet our culture and traditions still remain.

The South is football, hunting, fishing and drinking. It's Bear Bryant, Steve Spurrier, Peyton, Eli and Archie, Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson. In the South we know that sweet tea is still the coldest and best drink on a hot day. We cook whole hogs, half hogs and shoulders too. We rarely travel without a cooler full of beer, bourbon and mixers. The Good Ol' Boy Network is not what you think it is, but is everything you hoped it would be.

"I wish I was in the land of cotton/
Old times they are not forgotten/
look away, look away, look away, Dixie Land"


This land is part of us and we part of it. And, as has been the case through the teachings handed down through the generations that came before us. We respect the land, we do our best to preserve the land and in doing so, it will preserve our culture for generations to come.

I hope they burn in hell!

Here's two prime candidates for the death penalty. I know one of the liberal political arguements against the death penalty is that it cost too much and in most cases costs more than life in prison. However, the problem is not with the penalty, it's with the idiots who decided to make the death penalty so complicated that the cost is extrodinary. These two animals deserve the same consideration that they gave Eve Carson. And the fact that they're allowed to keep breathing while Eve's family and friends continue to suffer is beyond me.

Autopsy: Eve Carson Shot Five Times


Nevertheless, I'll save the remains of my arguement for another day. Today is about keeping the friends and family of Eve Carson in our hearts and prayers as many of them for the first time learn how such a promising, innocent individual was brutally murdered. My only hope is that her impact and vision will continue to live on in the memory of those who knew her and even those of us who didn't.

It's about damn time!

Hat's off to the Legislative Branch of Government! Until consumers can realistically fill their cars with something other than gasoline I've always believed that the price of gasoline should be regulated to keep speculators from driving up prices.

And imagine that, speculators don't think this is a good idea...go figure: Yahoo Article/CNN Money.com "Democrats offer another bill to curb oil speculation"

Forest Fires

In no way am I trying to be insensitive or unsympathetic to the homeowners in California being displaced due to the fires currently burning out West. I'm not. I can't imagine how helpless one must feel to see all they own risk going up in flames.

However, I also think it's a misused term by the media to say these fires are "awful" or "devastating." As far as our environment's concerned these fires are far from devastating. They're actually part of our environment's natural progression to reinvigorate itself. You see, I tend to believe that Mother Nature has a pretty good idea of what she does and does not need to thrive. And, these fires are part of Mother Nature's efforts to clean out the overgrowth and excess that hold her back.

Again, I don't want to see someone lose their home or business, but I also think it's important not to get in Mother Nature's way and in this particular case, this fire is part of the natural progression of our earth to refuel itself. I think we as humans forget how much this land has given us. Sometimes we need to shed the selfish "me-me!" mindset and give a little to recieve something in return. I think this might be one of those situations.

In the South there are organizations out there working to restore the South to its natural habitat in which the Long Leaf Pine thrives. They've done this by burning much of the woodlands in an effort to remove the non-natural trees and brush. The end result has been a revitalised ecological system in which many of the South's natural habitat, long-sense gone, has begun to return. For more read: The Long Leaf Pine - Garden and Gun Magazine, January 4, 2008

Words to live by.....

"Remember, it ain't too late to take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got

It's great to be alive"

-Patterson Hood/Drive-By Truckers

A few thoughts on a beautiful Thursday

-There's nothing quite as rewarding as a mild summer day in the South. So far today is one of those days. The temperature is more like a summer day in Salt Lake or Jackson, Wyoming. Today would be much better spent out on the tailgate lot drinking with friends and getting ready for some Gamecock football than sitting in an office, but you do what you gotta do.

-Why is it that everytime I go to the gas station I feel like I'm helping to fund terrorism?

-I couldn't be more impressed with the grace, class and composure of Luke Russert over these past few days. If you have yet to watch his interview with Matt Lauer, do yourself a favor, take 15 minutes, go to www.msnbc.com and watch the interview.

-The one bright spot regarding our rising gas prices is that we're starting to see many companies go to 4 day work weeks. This is an idea I've always favored (even when gas prices weren't so high). Why is it that we spend 5 days a week working and only 2 days a week living? I never understood this yet now many people are getting a chance to find balance in their lives by having 3 day weekends. Personally, I have always subscribed to the idea that your work to live not live to work. 3 day weekends seem about right to me. If you're one of the lucky ones, thank you boss and enjoy the extra day. Hopefully this will become a national trend and the powers that be will endorse a permanent change.

That's it for now. Cheers!

The luck of the Irish!

The past seven days or so have been awfully rewarding I would think for the Irish. Just last night the Boston Celtics won their 17th championship over the hated Lakers. However, I'm not sure what's more impressive, the fact that the Celtics dominated the Lakers from beginning to end last night or the fact that TV didn't cut off Kevin Garnett's impromptu rant in which he even thank his "Baby's Momma." Nevertheless, what an amazing performance. Congrats to those guys.

Second, and on a more serious and truly Irish note, last week the citizens of Ireland narrowly defeated the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

While I'm more observer than participant, I agree that this rejection was not a rejection of Europe, but more a statement than anything else. You see, Ireland was the only country that gave their citizens the right to vote on whether to adopt the Lisbon Treaty or whether to remain on their own. The EU is suppose to be about Democracy and in a Democracy the people are the ones who make the decisions. Therefore, I believe Ireland sent the message that Democracy will only be successful if it is done right and doing it right is giving the people the right to voting.

Clearly, the EU wants Ireland to join them. Due to low corporate taxes Dublin has become the town and place that many Western companies have pegged as their home base in Europe. There's no way the EU wants to pass up on the opportunity to tax those companies and get their piece of the pie! I applaud the people of Ireland for using their voice to now force the leaders and the members of the EU to go back and reconsider their process.

Drinks are on the house! Cheers!

Before Introductions...a word about Tim Russert

I wrote often in my youth and since leaving those days behind I've often wanted to return to writing. Writing was something I enjoyed, but nothing I ever wanted to tie me down. Over recent months I toyed with the idea of starting a blog as a way to voice my opinions and ideas. However, it wasn't until the tragic passing last Friday of Tim Russert that I finally decided to embark on this adventure. I didn't know Tim personally, and I've never satdown to watch Meet the Press. However, like so many others I felt a connection to Tim. Tim Russert had a way about him. In most cases he was unbiased and in every possible moment he strove to hold our leaders and national figures accountable. However, as it has been so evidently clear in recent days Tim was so much more than a member of the media. He was a true American, a great father, husband and a remarkable friend. His personality was infectious. When you watched Tim on TV you felt as though you were watching a close friend. I took Tim for granted and it was never more apparent than this past weekend. Friday, June 13, 2008, America lost a truly great individual that found a way, even through a subject as tense as politics, to touch us all. God bless you Tim. You will always be missed.