Work From Home? GREAT Idea...as Long as the Technology Works.

Work from home...

Save money...

Great option for businesses...

ABSOLUTELY!

Distance learning...

Cyberschools...

Online classes...

FANTASTIC!

...just as long as the technology works FLAWLESSLY!

If it doesn't, you need a tech wizard at a helpdesk to make sure downtime is minimal. If you've got someone that needs to check with someone else, then figure out what's going on, then create a workaround, and maybe there's a software upgrade that has to occur, or the system is getting hacked by idiots that don't have anything better to do....you're (since my "Lewis Blackian" urge to scream an obscenity is kicking in here, I'll move on).

My wife has just spent an hour responding via email to extremely important issues that would require days to get everyone around a table for a face-to-face meeting to discuss...and no one's received the emails. They're not in her sent file, they're not in her outbox, but they are in her drafts file - but only the original emails that she's responded to...her responses are nowhere to be found on the document.

Anyone want to tackle this one, because her helpdesk can't help...making it just another "desk" at this point.

What Are We Doing Wrong?

This is why this blog is called, "Supwiddat?" since that's what I say (as do others) when they read what's here.

Banks get bailed out by the U.S. Government (read, US!), automakers get bailed out by the U.S. Government, and STILL - employees in the financial industry are slated to get bonuses totalling billions of dollars.

Here's an idea - if you work for a bailed-out institution, and are slated to get a bonus of, as some reports say, in the millions of dollars, some (if not all) of that bonus has to go to Ohio and Michigan. Or, perhaps, back to the federal government. Either way, "US" gets it to help reduce the debt you got us into in the first place.

Then, NBC admits moving Jay Leno to prime time was a mistake, and moves him back to 11:35 PM - for a HALF hour. Something tells me he's not going to receive half his salary for working 50% less.

I must say, though, that I really don't have a problem with Mark McGwire using steroids. My son and daughter use steroids. They have asthma - and if they didn't use steriod medication, they wouldn't be alive today.

There's a difference between use...and abuse.

I Will Never Buy a Chrysler Product Again

After having a 3 Chrysler vans (a Plymouth Voyager, a Plymouth Grand Voyager, and a Chrysler Town and Country) and a Jeep, I will never buy another Chrysler product. I received word that Chrysler was extending the warranty to cover an air conditioning repair that proved problematic - AFTER we had it fixed at our own expense.

But, that's OK - mail the proof that the service was done, and we'll refund you the money. So, I send the receipt from the service center that did the repair. I get a call from Chrysler today saying that they need proof I paid the bill...so I have to send them THREE credit card statements - one that shows that the charge was applied, and the next two to show that the entire bill was paid.

I'm glad I pay my credit cards off every month (or, at least every other month), or there's a chance that I wouldn't receive reimbursement.

The entire American auto industry needs to take a lesson from Honda, Nissan and Toyota. An American showed them how to streamline their processes and build world-class cars. 30 years later, we need to be retrained.

After Watching the First Half Hour of MTV's Music Video Awards -

...I shut it off. Kanye West has outdone Senator Joe Wilson for the "Most Inappropriate Comment at the Most Inappropriate Time" Award of 2009.

If tonight's show is to honor Michael Jackson's vision of love, then it's time America showed Kanye West to fame's exit door.

Cash For Clunkers Program Clunks?

I just saw a news headline regarding the impact of the US Government's "CARS" program, affectionately known as "Cash For Clunkers."

Ford posted a 17% increase in sales, while GM and Chrysler posted double-digit losses.

Doesn't it seem logical that a company that refused a government bailout, gave away stock in its company as an incentive to the public to buy their cars, and has logically consolidated its distribution chain on its own has posted an increase in sales?

GM still puzzles me. It made sense for 6 automotive companies to come together to form GM if they could share platforms, parts, and service knowledge. However, once GM decided to do away with several nameplates to cut costs and delineate their product lines, it would seem no longer necessary for GM to exist as the parent company to the distinct vehicle lines. Rather than having four nameplates under one company, just split into four individual companies. Such a strategy would also eliminate the need for a whole slew of executives with executive salaries.

But that doesn't mean that GM would disappear. AT&T had to do it, and then has kept reinventing itself. Perhaps it could be the service arm, while the design and manufacture of vehicles could be the responsibility of the suriving nameplates.

Maybe that's what's going to happen...after all, I mentioned something about GM needing to be brought down after they made Saturn just another division of GM, and I also mentioned something about GM selling cars on ebay just nine days before they made the announcement that they were going to pursue that.

Wealth Management

Seems to be oxymoronic, doesn't it? If you have wealth, then why would it need to be managed? Perhaps it's because wealth does indeed need to be managed, since, if you have it, you believe that you can do anything, and then are shocked when you find out that monetary wealth can't buy things like peace...righteousness...or correct decisions.

Through this time of economic turmoil, I've learned three things about wealth management:
1) Even if you try to manage your wealth, you have to make the decision that you will not live beyond your means.
2) The stock market works for wealth accumulation as long as you keep your money there and don't move it or pull it out, and everyone else does the same.
3) There's no replacement for hard work...there are only blessings. Get rich quick schemes make somebody else rich.

I Need to Stop Sharing Ideas...

...because they become reality. On July 1, I wrote to NPR to comment on a news story that stated car sales were down again for the month of June. The reporter sounded saddened that the month ended with a loss again, as experts were hoping for signs of a turnaround as they had seen in the housing industry.

I wrote and commented that this was NOT a news item, simply because it was not news. Car manufacturers do not sell cars to people - they sell them to dealers. When Chrysler and GM tell dealers that they will no longer be dealers, THEY'RE not going to buy cars from them. And, if you drive along various rows of dealers that are continuing to be associated dealers, you'll see their parking lots are filled with cars already, so THEY'RE not going to buy a whole lot of cars either.

I suggested that if manufacturers would come up with some kind of new distribution channel, like selling cars on ebay, then that would be news.

July 9, 8 days later, GM emerges from bankruptcy, and announces that part of their restructuring plan includes selling cars on ebay.

Wish I could pick lottery numbers like that...

H1N1 NE1?

If I hear another news story about the H1N1influenza (since we can"t call it Swine Flu anymore), I shall no longer listen/watch news stories from that outlet. I just came from Mass where the woman standing next to me would not shake my hand at the sign of peace for fear of the H1N1. Folks, 36,000 people died in this country this past winter from the strain that hit us during "flu season," but we don't hear anything about that. However, let 100 people contract a virus in Mexico, and it's a pandemic. Speaking of pandemics, how's that eradication of HIV going? And I wonder if anyone is doing anything about the smallpox vaccine I got when I was a kid. It's apparently worn off too.

I Have To Be Careful About What I Write About

It's very scary. I read that the Spring Hill, Tennessee plant that produced Saturn's "Different Kind of Car" was shut down several years ago, and retooled to make the Chevrolet Traverse. It was at that time I heard the whisperings that GM was considering launching Saturn, just like the rocket it was named after, since it was no different than any other GM brand anymore. I remember saying that I hope GM got what was coming to them since they took a great idea that had respected their customers and created customer enthusiasm and ground it into the ground like a cigarette butt because it was unprofitable. Greedy executives....

And look what happened...

So after reading that American Express has been downgraded, if anything happens to them, that would leave the new "Big 3" to be MasterCard, Visa and Discover.

In this era of credit crunches, I wonder what would happen if those companies would disappear...being forced by the government to give consumers a break from unscrupulous interest rate hikes could make it impossible for them to stay in business.

I'm old enough to remember the days before MasterCard, Visa and such. Department Stores had their own charge cards (not credit cards) to be used in place of cash, rather than instead of cash. You had to save for a downpayment on your house. The stock market was a place where the rich invested their fortunes.

The Walmart Credit Card is already here, issued by GE Money Bank. Something tells me it'll soon be issued by Walmart Bank.

The Problem With the Economy...

...is the same problem that private and faith-based schools have when it comes to trying to keep them afloat...



It's all one big system.



Indeed, it IS the system that needs to be fixed. But we don't know how to do that. We like to work linearly. We need step-by-step instructions. When embarking on new projects, we like to take them one step at a time so as to not cause a lot of feather-ruffling, and then, when things settle, take the next step.



But today, everything is interconnected. Some local news programs have done outstanding features on how a laid-off worker on one side of the country affects another worker on the opposite coast. In simplistic terms, it's like the fairy tale which deals with the old woman and the pig. As the woman was taking her pig home, it came to a fence, and the pig wouldn't jump over it. So, she had to ask a stick to beat it, but it wouldn't...so she asked fire to burn the stick to beat the pig...but it wouldn't...so she asked water to quench the fire...but...well, you get the idea. It finally comes down to giving a mouse a small piece of cheese that starts the whole chain reaction in motion.



But we don't have a word for that type of thought process. Some call it "Systems Thinking," while it exists in a more formalized version called "Chaos Theory." Such actions were played out in the movie, "The Butterfly Effect." Chaos Theory, however, seems to put a negative spin on the concept. So, realizing we need some positive news out there, perhaps we should call it, "Systemicity," and the study of it "Systemicism." Don't bother looking up those words....they're not in the dictionary. Therefore, I claim them (Systemicity (TM) and Systemicism (TM)).



It's been said that once we can "name" something, we then know what it is, and can communicate the idea to others - which is the first step to solving the problem.



But for those who still think that "Linear Thinking" and the Scientific Process will pull us out of recession, stagflation, depression, or whatever word you'd like to call it, I'll point to the Stock Market as a problematic point of focus.



President Obama signed the nearly one trillion dollar economic stimulus package. Someone should have told someone on Wall Street that he did it, because it didn't stimulate anything - the stock market dropped almost 300 points.



Let's look at 3 things that are "wrong" with the Stock Market right now.



1) How many companies were publicly-owned in the 1940's? the 1950's? the 1960's? I'm sure you'll see that the number has increased exponentially. While more business is good in terms of growth, more places to invest takes away from others. Someone can do some research here to see how many privately-owned companies there are that don't do business on the stock market. How are they doing today? It's been said that most of our economic growth have come from small businesses. While these companies are not publicly traded, they're the first to feel the pinch (or sledgehammer) that comes from stockmarket volatility.



2) In the past, how many people had access and the knowledge to know what to do in the Stock Market? These people used to work for others as stewards of funds that were entrusted to them..NOT for themselves with Internet trading accounts, where people get in to make a quick buck, then get out. When I was a little kid, only the "rich" owned stocks since they had funds to invest; the working folk SAVED their pennies so that they could afford the things that they really wanted. Kids worked lemonade stands, did yard jobs, shoveled driveways, delivered newspapers to instill the work ethic into them. Now, we just open an account on line, buy some stocks, see what they do, take the money out, find others companies, put money in - it's like the new bank...which is why people have lost trust in banks...because some think they don't need them anymore when they're playing in the Stock Market. You want people to save? Stop online trading. Let the brokerages do what investors are trained to do, and let's focus on long term investing (since short-term investing is an oxymoron). The manfestation of the problem - the stock market now reacts to the daily news - rather than investment strategies.



3) In the past, bad economic news used to be good news for the Stock Market. Layoffs meant that companies were being prudent and watched their bottom line in response to stockholder's wishes for higher company earnings. Good economic news, such as a drop in the unemployment rate, meant stocks declined, because companies were growing, and some of the funds had to be used for improvements rather than distributed as earnings.



That's all out the window now.



The old system provided some checks and balances. Now, bad news means lower stock prices, which is more bad news which means lower stock prices, which means more bad news....you get the idea. It's a vortex that will keep sucking the life out of the economy.



So, something had to be done to shock the system. But we don't know what the results will be.



Here are some considerations for simultaneous stimuli - because it's systemic -



1) Create a new status for hospitals and schools not run by religious organizations. Maybe a "half-tax."

2) Ban on-line stock trading by the general public

3) Allow a generous tax credit (not just a deduction) for charitable giving



One last item - and this would be bold, because it would test the strength of our justice system, but it would adhere to the principals our nation was founded on. Everyone has to be part of a religion that gives praise to God. Our nation was founded on the principle of freedom of religion - that we could worship God however we saw fit. Now, we dance around the definition of God, what should be worshipped, and how political party ideology doesn't necessarily mean personal commitment (as in, "Well, personally I believe that that's wrong, but I shouldn't let my personal convictions interfere with representing my consituencies.).

We need representation that will "Do the right thing" and take personal responsibility for their actions, rather than shirking it. The blame game put us into the mess we're in. It's time to stop it.

Random Thoughts for January's Posting

Ford giving shares of stock as incentive

It's the Party - Not the Person - That's the Problem

Evan Almighty is one of the best movies ever.

Parking needs to be: safe, abundant, convenient, inexpensive

Your job: "What's Your Passion;" not "What's it Pay"

There's NEVER a good time; NOW is the acceptable time.

The Old Woman and Her Pig

Blogging once a month seems like it's something that's easier to do than once a week...so while there are things that make me go, "Supwiddat?" sometimes more than once a day, the opportunity to digest, reflect and then consider whether or not it's really worth talking about is much easier on my plate these days.

So what makes me go "Supwiddat" today - those car bailout talks.

First, where were the bailouts for Trans World Airlines, or Pan Am? Or Allegheny Airlines or Eastern?

Second, where were the bailouts for the Atlantic-Richfield Company, Standard Petroleum or Esso?

Third, where were the bailouts for Packard, Tucker, Studebaker, Deusenberg or American Motors?

These companies merged or simply disappeared.

But I understand the reality - letting these companies disappear today would bring our unemployment levels to 10% or more, causing our recession to slide into a depression. We've learned from history. So something needs to be done. Here's a little folk story to remind us of the fact that it's ALL systemic.

An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. “What,” said she, “shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.”
As she was coming home, she came to a stile: but the piggy wouldn’t go over the stile.
She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog: "Dog! bite pig; piggy won’t go over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the dog wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said: “Stick! stick! beat dog! dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the stick wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met a fire. So she said: “Fire! fire! burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the fire wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met some water. So she said: "Water, water! quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the water wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met an ox. So she said: “Ox! ox! drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the ox wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met a butcher. So she said: "Butcher! butcher! kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the butcher wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met a rope. So she said: “Rope! rope! hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the rope wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met a rat. So she said: “Rat! rat! gnaw rope; rope won’t hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the rat wouldn’t.
She went a little further, and she met a cat. So she said: “Cat! cat! kill rat; rat won’t gnaw rope; rope won’t hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home to-night.” But the cat said to her, “If you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.” So away went the old woman to the cow.
But the cow said to her: “If you will go to yonder hay-stack, and fetch me a handful of hay, I’ll give you the milk.” So away went the old woman to the haystack and she brought the hay to the cow.
As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat.
As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig in a fright jumped over the stile, and so the old woman got home that night.

From service technicians to parts manufacturers (remember the movie, "Tommy Boy?"), to lot attendants to sales professionals - local dealers are already shutting their doors, some after being in business since the brand they represented appeared in the marketplace.

It's been said that greed is what has driven the car companies to the fix that they're in. Indeed - but it's not the greed of the senior executives. Everyone thinks that these are the guys responsible for the situation the car manufactures are in - and, in once sense, they are. But it's not their greed that got them in trouble - it's the greed of the stockholders who want to turn a profit. It's also the case of not realizing a conflict of interest when you see one. A corporate executive who gets a profit sharing bonus by getting company stock as a bonus has bought into the greed machine. If the stockholders vote on the board members, and the board members approve the executives, but the executives are stockholders, something ain't right there.

In the case of General Motors, let's take a look at Saturn. This company was launched as a fully-owned subsidiary (not a division as all the other nameplates are) to fight the imports, to bring new technologies to General Motors and make it a world-class car company once again. I know - I sold them. Customers created cult-like enthusiast clubs that drove to Spring Hill, Tennessee to see where their cars were made and picnic on the company grounds. The union contract was unlike any other UAW contract, based on performance rather than seniority. Employees were governed by a set of values that became a mantra for any company that aspires to excellence. The problem - the company didn't make money for the stockholders. Go into a Saturn dealer (we used to be retailers) now - you'll see rebates, first time buyers cash and incentives that have made it like any other car company, and probably the first to be jettisoned by GM in any type of reorganization.

So, let's follow the old woman and the pig storyline - who are the stockholders? Indeed, many of the executives, but also mutual fund managers and those folks who use Ameritrade and any other online personal stock trading service. I wonder if, in the final analysis, these are the folks that can be blamed for the collapse of the market, since most are in it to make a quick buck, rather than for the long haul.

Then there's the other branch. Did you buy your Chevy from Chevy? You might think you did, but you actually bought it from a dealer. Chevy, as every other auto manufacturer does, sells their cars to a dealer, and the dealer sells them to you. Auto companies are losing money because the dealers can't buy the cars from the manufacturers. And following the Old Woman and the Pig again, the dealers can't sell the cars if people aren't buying them. People may want to buy, but if their credit isn't stellar, then they can't. And, who's going to buy a car now if they know that the company that they buy it from might not be around down the road?

A buyout of some type is necessary to increase consumer confidence, and credit markets need to relax so that those with need can once again participate in the free market system.

So who's going to pay for all this? Seems we've stopped worrying about that for quite a long time - since the 60's when we went off the Gold Standard. Whomever decided that our nation needs to do that bears the ultimate responsibility for all that's come after it.

Anyone have some hay?

It's 2 days before Election Day - I have to post this...

Please vote on November 4th...but, in a country that has its basis in 2 principles - an informed electorate, and individual moral character - just remember that Scripture tells us, "I set before you life and death; choose life, then, so that you and your descendents may live."

Remember that there are those out there that are stating the truth, but they package it in confusing ways. I just found a Web site called www.howdidthishappen.org, which blames the failed Bush policies for the predicament our naiton is in.

While no human is perfect, the text goes on to state that laws passed in 2000 started the downward spiral of the economy.

Um, I don't know if anyone remembers 8 years ago, but if a law was passed in 2000, it was signed by then-President CLINTON, not Bush. Indeed, the sub-prime mortgage market was opened up by actions put forward by then-President CLINTON in 1999.

How did this happen, indeed. The truth is stated on the site, but the conclusions aren't based on that truth. Further, when you have Democrats with a majority in Congress and a Republican in the White House, all kinds of stalemates will happen just because of voting along "party" lines.

Folks - it ain't no party no more. We keep looking for a way out - so let's look up - and do what God wants us to do.

Lots Of Thoughts As Our Stomachs Are In Knots

Presidential election...wall street melt down...war...and were trying to solve the problems "by ourselves." Since our money still says, "In God We Trust," and since our Pledge of Allegiance says we are "One nation, under God," how about we just consider one verse of the Bible - Matthew 19:26 - "With God, all things are possible."

Once we do that, and acknowledge that, then we'll be able to bring some solutions to the table.

But here are some other things that I've recently heard, which caused me to say, "Supwiddat?"

A commercial/public service announcement for a group concerned with building playgrounds so that children have a safe place to play cited childhood obesity as an epidemic. It went on to say that playgrounds are needed so that children can exercise at least 3 times a week. Hmmm - here's an idea: bring back recess.

In the midst of a newscast decrying the Wall Street meltdown came a commercial for one of those credit card counseling companies. All these do is allow people to shirk their responsibilities. Maybe if people paid what they owed and took responsibility for their actions we wouldn't be in this mess. Then again, if people took responsibility for their actions, we wouldn't have as many single parent families as we do today. Now before you rant about that, remember that responsibility is a conscientious decision, and a good conscience is formed with - yes, that's right...see the above Gospel verse. But government leaders have tried so hard to take God out of everything that that we see they have can instill no responsibility either. So the American family is "X" amount of dollars in debt; the American country is 10 trillion dollars in debt.

Speaking of 10 trillion dollars, here's today's news from the Associated Press (updated 7:34 p.m. ET, Wed., Oct. 8, 2008)

CHICAGO - The bear market that is ravaging investor portfolios is now one of the worst in modern U.S. history and has wiped out more than $7 trillion in shareholder value, with no bottom clearly in sight. When it stops and how far it drops, no one can predict with any accuracy — a painful uncertainty underscored by Wall Street's giddy mood at the moment the steep descent began. A year ago Thursday, Wall Street was celebrating the fifth anniversary of a bull market that had created $10 trillion in shareholder wealth since 2002. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index hit all-time highs on Oct. 9, 2007.

Hmmm - we created 10 trillion dollars in wealth? Then why couldn't we pay off our country's debt last year? We give money to other non-profits...why not our nation? I'd rather pay down our nation's debt than give it to guys to sling mud at one another because they want to lead our nation. Then what do we get? A mud-slinging leader.

Speaking of blame - who's to blame for this whole sub-prime housing market debacle, allowing people to purchase homes with little credit history or bad credit or no down payment? That would be the Clinton administration. Check it out - September 1999. Fannie Mae started to make mortgages available to low and middle income families that usually were not able to get a mortgage. This action was taken at the urging of the Clinton administration to help individuals in these socioeconomic groups.

A commentator was heard on the radio speaking of the "cautionary" mood of investors. "Cautionary?" I thought it was "Cautious." Since we're making up words, I lay claim to two - "Epiphancity" (the state of being most commonly described as the "Aha moment," where a person has revelation regarding a problematic situation); and "Systemicity" (the state of being which describes something which happens in a system. Because things function in a system, where the actions of one part of that system affect the actions of another part of a system, events (significant or insignificant) can occur which result in intended or unintended consequences to a system that is linked to it, or which is not directly linked to it, but is linked to other common systems). To make sense out of that, just think of our financial crisis - adjustable rate mortgages recalculate causing payments to go up, causing defaults to happen, causing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to almost collapse which causes AID to almost collapse and Lehman Brothers to go under in the matter of a weekend which causes banks to come precarious close to shut down to the point that a company can't get the short term loan it needs to make payroll so it goes out of business, putting the guy that just got hit with a mortgage APR increase out of a job. That's systemicity.

The lower the tax rate structure is, the more economically prosperous our country is. Remember when individuals who made lots of money were taxed at the 70%+ rate? It was that way in the 1960's. Then the highest tax level was lowered to 50% and the economy grew. Today, the highest tax rate is 35%. Heck, God asks us to tithe (give 10%). If it's good enough for God, it should be good enough for our government. Oh - sorry - can't do that. Most of our jobs have gone overseas. It started with NAFTA...even though it was negotiated by then-President George H. W. Bush, it was signed into law by President Clinton...and people say the Democrats know what's good economic policy. No, they know what socialism is - nationalized health care plan, unemployment compensation, etc. While social security and unemployment shows a "caring commitment" to those less fortunate, it has no place in a capitalist society. Social service in a capitalist society should be left to the churches, or non-profits who are in business to provide those services.

The latest edition of ISTE (The International Society of Technology in Learning)'s monthly publication asked if students respect intellectual property. I just laughed like crazy. Of course not. These are the people that share files, music, Myspace codes, photos, etc. They probably don't even know what intellectual property is. If you tell them what it is and that it can be protected against copying you'd probably hear the class explode in laughter. To respect something you must learn about it and treat it properly. Children learn from what we adults do. We don't respect much - we argue with the police (as least we see that on TV all the time), we blaspheme God ("Let's remove the 10 Commandments from government buildings," even though they were the "laws" that the Israelite nation used to govern themselves.), and we parody our nations leaders -just watch Saturday Night Live, and also watch who comes to your door this Halloween. The costumes will be unbelievably scary this year - Obama and McCain!

In an interview on the radio with a Frenchman, one of the local talk show hosts heard him say, "To 'take care of all' is foreign to the American psyche." Indeed it is. See above. "Taking Care of All" is called socialism.

One last thought - just remember that our financial system is NOT breaking down...it is breaking open!!