Concerto Conpendium

On the lighter side...a synopsis of concerts attended by yours truly...subject to my very faulty memory...

Later: my memory was far worse than I realized (by definition maybe?)...I had to return to the original concert tickets, conveniently stored in an old graduation beer stein, for bands, dates and prices. Some are out of order chronologically because I changed the dates after looking at the tickets. Price changes speak volumes about the changing business model of the industry.

Mark Knopfler - 04.17.10 - $127.50/ticket - 5th row/center section - Pantages Theatre (small venue) - Los Angeles - Fantastic concert!  Eight piece band, six of whom played over 40 different string instruments at least part of the time; also pipes, flutes, keyboards...very talented group of musicians.  Knopfler (formerly of Dire Straits) is one of the top ten greatest rock and blues guitarists ever.  He finger-picks and plays complex, crisp and beautiful riffs.  I love seeing great musicians and listening to great music!

U2 - 360 Tour - 10.12.09 - $98.19/ticket - Cowboy Stadium - Arlington, TX - Muse was back-up band - good band, poor accoustics (stadium closed due to weather); worried about U2 - ended up a fabulous concert in too large of a venue. The Edge is one of the top-5 rock-n-roll guitarists in the world...Bono was great...even the somewhat over-the-top politics was cool - every cause that Bono spoke of was righteous...not PC...and the music and the staging and the video was great...danced and drank and had a good time all night long! Nice surprise!

Neil Diamond - 01.04.09 - $139.65/ticket - Riverside County - my wife loves ND...so I had to get tickets. We had fun even though I was not expecting it.

Coldplay - 2008 & 2006; LA and Orange County, respectively - Orange County...outdoors...first time...awesome concert and venue; LA...indoors...accoustics a little disappointing...great band that puts on a great show.

Bright Eyes - 05.06.07 - $35.00/ticket - Walt Disney Hall/LA - unbelievable venue, ok concert.

Dogs Eye View -1998(?) - St. Louis - small venue, great band, great music...wish they had more staying power.

Mark McGwire's 62nd Home Run - 09.08.98 - $6.00 outfield seat purchased two months earlier - not a concert, but a great time.

Matchbox 20 - 08.22.98 - $22.50/ticket - St. Louis - back-up was Semisonic (I Know Who I Want To Take Me Home) - Matchbox was great - fun night.

B-52's and The Pretenders - 07.08.98 - Riverport/St. Louis - outdoor venue - I love Chrissie Hines even though she was somewhat past her prime. She did tell the audience to F-off and gave us the one finger wave...gotta love her!  I also still am a big B-52's fan.

Jim Stafford - 03.28.98 - Branson - I hate country!!!...oh the things we do for our kids - weekend trip with the boys after separation. Fun weekend. First, last and only time in Branson.

Live - 1997? - St. Louis - front row, center section - never made it!  I had to work on a big project for my boss (Thanks, Brandon!) and I gave my tickets away at the office to whoever was around at 6 pm.  I don't remember who I gave them to, but the next day they brought me two drum sticks the drummer had thrown off stage.  I didn't really have a very good sense of priorities as a younger man.

Alanis Morissette - 09.25.96 - $19.50/ticket - Riverport/St. Louis - good concert though I was pre-occupied - best birthday gift I ever received.

Hootie & The Blowfish - 07.09.96 - $22.50/ticket - Riverport/St. Louis - great concert - band did not have much staying power.

Chris Duarte Group - 01.16.94 & 03.17.94 - $10.50/ticket - Abilene - Ted Nugent was supposed to be a 'special' guest...did not happen. If you don't know CD, he is/was a great rockin guitarist, also legally blind. Fun night.

Jackson Browne and David Lindley - 08.15.89 - $22.85/ticket - Red Rocks/Denver - great concert - the very best venue - went rock climbing after the show with a friend and a bottle of Jack Daniels - had to get up two hours later and go to work - one of many great times with Mike A.

Grateful Dead - 10.20.88 - $17.50 - Houston - great concert...what Dead concert is not great...work night...I was good all night, until the end - we hung-out too long in Tent City. Management staff meeting the next morning (my Big Oil days)...suffice it to say that I was bright eyed.

Sam Kinison - 02.27.87 - $15.25/ticket - Iowa State/Ames - I know, not a rock concert, but Sam rocked. The funniest and most irreverent comedy ever...I will probably burn in Hell for liking it so much. Big loss when he died.

Mannheim Steamroller - 12.14.85 - $16.00/ticket - Des Moines - Christmas Show - nice.

Talking Heads - 10.25.83 - $12.50/ticket - Austin - Stop Making Sense Tour - fabulous - one of my top 5! David Byrne is a magnificent songwriter and performer! Danced all night!

Adam Ant and INXS - 05.17.83 - $10.00/ticket - Austin - very gay - ultimately was the genesis of my divorce in the late nineties (I was not yet married, but dating).

Jerry Garcia Band - 11.01.82 - $9.50/ticket - Austin Opera House - danced all night - great music - great guitarist - enchanted evening.

Stevie Ray Vaughn (with and without Double Trouble) - 1980 - 1983 - various small venues in Austin - 'Little Wing', 'Voodoo Chile'...the only guitarist who could play Jimi better than Jimi...saw Stevie several times in various bars...usually for less than a $5 -$10 cover...fabulous...what a loss...RIP...thanks!

Al Di Meola - 04.03.82 - $10.00/ticket - Austin Opera House - great performance - great musician.

The Rolling Stones - 10.31.81 - $18.50/ticket - The Cotton Bowl - Dallas - venue was too big...stormy weather...great band...'Sticky Fingers' is still one of the best.

Jaco Pastorius - 04.23.82 - Paramont/Austin - good concert...Pastorius' end in 1987 was tragic and a big loss to music.

Grateful Dead - summer, 1981 - Auditorium Shores - Austin - never made it!  My boss at the HEB (I was a bagger) asked me to work...it was a new job...I gave my tickets away...totally f'd-up priorities!

Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia - 04.26.81 - $8.75/ticket - Paramont/Austin) - acoustic concert...unbelievable and awesome.

Savoy Brown/Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - 11.24.80 - $6.50/ticket - Austin Opera House - Stevie rocked!  SB sucked - walked out.

Jeff Beck - 09.12.80 - $8.50/ticket - Austin - great, great guitarist...an idol...great show.

Triumph & UFO - 05.04.80 - $8.00/ticket - Austin - all buzzes and clicks?

Bob Seger - 04.11.80 - $9.00/ticket - Austin - he could still rock!

Allman Brothers Band - 1980 - $9.50/ticket - Austin - great band - good show.

Spyro Gyra and Midnight Angels (01.17.80) & Extreme Heat (04.21.80) - Armadillo World Headquarters/Austin - tight band - fusion jazz wave.

The Shake Russell Band - 02.18.80 - Free - Austin City Limits - good mellow band - good friends.

Arlo Guthrie and Shenandoah - 12.02.79 - $6.50/ticket - Armadillo World Headquarters/Austin - good show - I think one of the last show before they demolished Armadillo...big loss.

Stanley Clark - 09.21.79 - Austin - rockin bassist - good concert.

Charlie Daniels Band - 04.13.79 - Palladium/Dallas - met the parents...very uncool - went early and got drunk before they showed-up...very cool.

The New Barbarians - April/May.1979 - $10.00/ticket - Fort Worth - remember them...Ronnie Wood, Keith Richard, Stanley Clark, Ian McLagan, Bobby Keys and Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste. Good band.

Aerosmith (1979(?) - DFW) - Mark S. - we drove, we arrived, we discovered we had no money, no beer, no nothing...poor accoustics...rough and early night...live and learn.

Leslie West and Mountain - 1978(?) - some bar in Dallas - thus began my hearing loss...great rock n' roll though.

Johnny Winter - 11.25.78 - Palladium/Dallas - fun show - great venue.

REO Speedwagon - 07.14.78 - Dallas - ok band and concert - 10 years later to the day my first son was born.

The Outlaws - 1978 - $6.50/ticket - SMU/Dallas - whatever their most famous song was...the one with the three-lead-guitar-jam, took-up about half of the concert.

Leon and Mary Russell/Elvin Bishop - 02.03.78 - Dallas

Frank Zappa - 09.16.77 - Dallas - from KISS to Zappa in less than two weeks - Zappa was a virtuoso...traveled with a big band and had lots of new musicians with him. Very good concert and very excellent guitarist. R.I.P.

KISS - 09.04.77 -Fort Worth - 1st row/center - never was a big fan...but had some fun anyway. Much later enjoyed "Look Me in the Eyes" about the pyro-tech/Asbergian who worked for KISS...really good book.

Crosby, Stills and Nash...CSN - 1978(?) - $9.50/ticket - Fort Worth) - great band, great visuals...only concert I have ever been to where the band left the stage after the appropriate number of encores and came back after the lights had turned-up for 20 minutes...really unbelievable and a wonderful night of music.

The Who - 07.02.80 - $12.50/ticket - Dallas - Daltrey, Townsend...outstanding.

Pink Floyd - 05.01.77 - Fort Worth - Animals Tours - Top 5 - played everything from Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here (opening song) and Animals. At the time, PF had the largest mixing station I had ever seen. I expected that PF would not be able to replicate their album sound on live stage...was I wrong...tight band...tight show...Roger Waters...one of the greatest...memorable concert in a time when memories are hard to recall.

Yes - 1977 (Dallas - $7.50/ticket) - 10.01.78 (Fort Worth) - at least one concert-in-the-round - one time with Rick Wakeman and one time without - both times were great.

Santana - 1976 (?) - 03.21.78 (Fort Worth) - 02.13.79 (Fort Worth) - Top 5 - great guitarist...first show was the best. "Samba Pa Ti" still holds a special place in my heart.

Eddie Money - 03.21.78 - Fort Worth - back-up at one of the Santana concerts...not a big fan...good performer.

Leon Russell and Willie Nelson - 12.30.78 - $8.00/ticket - Fort Worth - Willie's pre-teen daughter belted out a song...really amazing. Leon was great. Good show.

Bob Dylan - 11.24.78 - Fort Worth - 'Hard Rain' - outstanding...my English teacher in HS, Ms. Sharon R, let me cut class to stand in line (overnite) for tickets, as long as I got her tickets...she was very cool and instilled a love of reading that remains today...and so was her yoga-teaching husband...great concert.

Led Zepplin - 03.04.77 - $9.50/ticket - Dallas - great concert...Robert Plant vocals were surprisingly authentic and the concert, from thje 13th row, floor section, was great. Funny story...getting ready to go to the concert with Chris C. (we were both 16) and a bottle of Chris' Dad's vodka...we got caught by Mr. C. - he was almost a total a..hole (even Chris C. admits this)...and he threatened to disallow concert attendance...and he confiscated the vodka...we did make it with vodka purchase post-Mr. C. (fake I.D. and lax liquor laws) as well as other accoutrements...a memorable evening and a great concert...oh by the way, our school buddy's Mom worked at Ticketmaster or some-such and we secured the entire 13th row, center section...very cool...very good viewing...Mark S. had a great ride home.

Jethro Tull - around 1976 - $8.00/ticket - Fort Worth - don't remember much- Ian Anderson entrance with cape and flute was classic. Big fan of "Thick as a Brick"...still today.

John Nitzinger - 1976(?) - The Electric Light Orchestra - Dallas - fake ids - lots of fun - good guitarist.

Head East - 1976(?) - The Electric Light Orchestra - Dallas - fake ids - 'Save My Life' (I'm Going Down for the Last Time)

ZZ Top - 11.27.76 - Fort Worth - great rock band - under-rated blues. Good show.

Ted Nugent - 1976 - $7.00/ticket - Fort Worth - my first encounter with the mind altering...Stranglehold Tour...WOW! I still love Ted! Here's to the Second Amendment!

Jerry Jeff Walker - 1975 - SMU - "Pissin in the Wind" - Jerry was so drunk he forgot a chorus or two.

The Babys - 11.11.77 - Dallas - kinda gay.

Black Oak Arkansas and various - 1975 - Texas State Fair - Dallas - first concert ever - outdoors - Mark S. - dropped-off and picked-up by Mom - blue jeans, no beer, 109 degrees F - live and learn.

On the Eve of Childbirth

On the eve of the birth of my sixth child, I am sitting at ‘Kids Concepts’ watching my two girls, Holland and Coral, and two neighborhood girls, Cassidy and Pip, exploring the labyrinths of the humongous playscape. Cassidy is eleven and is in charge of the whole affair, I am just the ride. In the few days prior to the birth of all of my children, I have always found myself in situations that did not quite seem to rise to the propriety of the birth of a child. It is even hard for me to imagine what might be an appropriate activity that could build towards the momentous event of child birth.

I have few vivid memories of my life because my memory is terrible. I tend to remember how something made me feel rather than the something itself. That said, I do have vivid memories of the birth of each of my children simply because it is such an intense and amazing thing (and I am just the Dad). In each case, we did not know the sex of the baby and I had the joy of announcing it to my wife. The first three were all boys and the second round of two has been girls (soon to be three).

The genders have worked out well so far from my perspective. My boys moved back in with me at a time in their lives when a little more discipline and maybe some male mentoring were required. It was also at a time when I had the energy and awareness to provide some guidance. With my girls coming at a more ‘sentimental’ phase of my life, they dote on Dad and by the time they are old enough to start doing stuff that would really worry me, I am likely to have at least a somewhat diminished awareness of the dangers that lurk. Plus, by then my wife will likely have had it with me and I will still have two (maybe three) women who still love me…imperfections, old age and the rest.

As a father, my role is limited by nature to the fun part at conception (which should require a great deal more practice than it does) and then later; say, around three months, when baby starts to have a shred of awareness beyond the breast. A good father, at least by today’s standards, shares as much of the child-rearing duties as is possible and sympathizes with his Wife when sleep deprivation and the overwhelming responsibilities of Motherhood overwhelm the Mom. Otherwise, keeping a low profile and trying to stay out of trouble are the best course for a new father. There is no currency in the travails of fatherhood because they pale in comparison to the travails of Motherhood.

My two young girls have reminded me what I forgot, and in some cases missed because of too much work and travel, when my three older boys were very young. The ages between approximately six months and five years would be impossible to imagine if not experienced first-hand. This time period, for me, best illustrates the complexity of the human mind…the rapid formation of intellect, the emotional development, the genesis of a nuanced sense of humor, socialization, testing and re-testing the rules to establish the limits of individual expression, and the overwhelmingly rapid establishment of a personality that is almost always vastly different from siblings conceived and raised by the same parents. This period of development is a most amazing experience.

I have experienced, at least in part, the portion of parenting a baby through getting the teenager out the door. My oldest son is in college and either Navy or Marine-bound and my second son lives on his own taking a less certain course. With the new one, we will still have 4 in the house under tutelage. I say that I have experienced this part of parenting partly because I was separated and divorced when my three sons were six, seven and eight. At that point, even the most involved Dad is a part-timer and misses a lot of the day-to-day grind that ultimately is the rich experience of raising kids to adulthood. In round two, I am fortunate to still be married, work and travel less, and have the financial wherewithal to make life a little easier. All of that at least partly offsets the disadvantages of being an older Dad; namely, that I am at a significant disadvantage to my kids in the ‘energy-level’ department and the slow realization that I will never retire (at least not by my own choice).

There are many ways to experience life, some more joyful, some more meaningful, some more fun. An adult lifetime of raising children, with all of its joys and agonies, is my path, more happenstance than chosen; although, I would not choose otherwise now. I suspect most people move on to a new phase of life when they hit their fifties. A phase that might involve a little downtime with a spouse, more travel, and maybe the pursuit of other interests like golf or reading or writing or whatever. Call it the quiet phase before the quitting phase. If I move on to that new phase, I will have to live into my seventies, a prospect that is far from a sure thing even in the best of circumstances, which circumstances do not apply in my case.

I now look at my children, particularly my older ones who are close to traveling their own paths, and I am dumbfounded and amazed that I played a significant role in making these humans. I see some of myself in all of them and it is rewarding. And, I see enough differences that I should pause, for at least a moment, and question my claims of fatherhood.

Planning has never been my forte, and having kids was never part of the Master Plan because there never was a Master Plan. Life involves trade-offs, and on balance, I can think of far worse ways to go and not too many better ways. Somehow, life works out. I can’t wait to meet the New One!

Fort Hood

There is not anything I can add in terms of an original thought. My heart goes out to the soldiers and patriots killed so senselessly. It is even more disheartening that they were killed at home and not on a battlefield. My thoughts and prayers to their families...thank you for your sacrifice. I am sorry for your loss.

I can not sign-off without saying that I am pissed-off that we can not have a discussion (in polite society) about the religion of the perpetraitor [sic]. Instead, we are subjected to the drivel and speculation regarding post-traumatic stress (pre-trauma I might add); the stress placed on the military by multiple wars; etc. It was almost painful to listen to some of the contortions that so-called news analysts and reporters had to go through to avoid speculation that religion could have had anything to do with this blood-lust attack.

I do believe that it is too early to jump to conclusions; but, it is not to early to make a list of likely motives that should all be investigated with an open mind. I am afraid that as more evidence emerges about the state-of-mind of the shooter; it is going to be evident that PC (political correctness) contributed to the slaughter of these good and innocent people. If the FBI, the military hierarchy and colleagues had evidence that Hasan was profoundly against our presence in Afganistan and Iraq, then he should have been drummed-out of the military.

The peaceful followers of Islam face a difficult question - how does a devout Muslim 'integrate' into Western Civilization that is (generally) classically liberal in it's philosophical approach to the relationship between individuals, government, religion and science? A similar question, which as yet can not even be asked, at least in the PC establishment square, for non-Muslims: "how do we deal with a religion whose devotees (the more devout, the bigger the problem) are asked to wage jihad against the non-believers? Unfortunately, the sad truth is that we are in the midst of a clash of cultures...pick your side...they are not compatible.

You may view me a 'red-state rube' (even though I currently reside in CA); but address the following questions:

1. How do you 'square' your belief system with one where martyrdom (young men, women and children) in the service of killing civilians, is celebrated by a significant population of believers (and tacitly approved of by many more)?
2. How do you resolve the systematic repression of women's (basic & human) rights, gay rights, abortion rights (whether you are for or against), etc. that are obviously and evidently supported by establishment-Islam with the concepts of diversity, Islam as a religion of peace, live and let live, and on and on and on?

You can ignore it; you can play 'twister' explaining it away...I view it as a elemental clash of cultures, or if you prefer, a fundamentally different philosophical approach to the human condition. Not unlike the clash between communism and democracy.

A better society would at least allow discussion and debate, and our Fort Hood soldiers may have died in part to get us closer to the day when we can have that discussion and decide, as a democratic society, how to address the new reality of threats that endanger our way of life and kill our brave soldiers.

It's Been a Long Time

I have not posted comments in a while...so, I have many things to say and not enough time to say it all (at least right now). So here are my stream-of-conscious observations:

My new mantra for the times: "Workin' harder, makin' less money"

Here's a good idea: let's give the government a larger role in health care...after all, look how well they done controlling costs and improving the quality of...

1. Public primary school education...Federal Department of Education founded in the early 70's under the Nixon administration...big improvements since then in the cost and quality of our public schools...'nuff said.
2. Higher Education - the federal government funds a significant portion (through loan guarantees and grants) of college and post-graduate education and viola, the costs of higher education have gone up roughly double the rate of inflation in the last 30 some odd years.
3. Medicare - whatever you think of the quality, the program has an estimated future unfunded liability (deficit) of 37 Trillion Dollars.
4. Medicaid - has wrecked several state budgets (I live in CA - worst case) and will take down many more in the years to come.
5. Postal Service - I waste more stamps every year than I use since the first class stamps I carry in my brief case are always a few cents short of the CURRENT price of a first class stamp (I am dating myself - I actually remember a time when the price of a first class stamp stayed the same long enough that most people actually knew what it cost).
6. AmTrak.

No system is perfect, so we choose paths that provide the best trade-offs. If you want to improve health care, cost and quality, then...

1. Equalize tax treatment of employer-provided health care premiums and individual health care premiums.
2. Allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines. This would allow people to find policies that meet their needs rather than be forced to buy policies that are loaded with state mandates for coverages individuals would otherwise choose not to insure for.

What to do about pre-existing conditions? It is not an easy problem...probably need to create a high-risk pool (similar to auto insurance in many states); but, the disincentives or penalties need to be severe to sufficiently discourage people from waiting until they are sick to purchase insurance.

Health insurance costs have risen above the rate of inflation for many years now. We get more for our health care dollar every year (in the form of new medicines and procedures) and health insurance is mandated (by government) to cover more health care procedures (chiropractic, substance abuse, etc.) every year. Health insurers do not make usurious profits (if they did, more companies would offer health insurance)...you get what you pay for.

Glad to be back...I enjoy the ranting.

Nature

Excerpts of a response to a Ben Stein article published in the September 2006 edition of "The American Spectator" (my 'headline' summary of Stein's comments is in parenthesis):

The future is largely unpredictable; particularly in cases where excessive gloom or excessive exuberance are involved. ‘Nature’ has ways of re-balancing (also human nature).

(Well-Financed Muslim Terrorists)
Muslim terrorists are well financed and well armed…so were the commies. In spite of all the dour things happening in the Middle East and the so-called fact that the U.S. is increasingly inflaming the Muslim street and feeding radicalism by our involvement in Iraq, etc.; we have committed ourselves to fighting terror and viola, no attacks on American soil since 9/11. Some think it is mostly luck, I do not.

(Mainstream Media Anti-Americanism)
Mainstream media…does anyone still watch the network news? There are many media choices, including great conservative media outlets. I suspect you consume some of them. Diversity of opinion and news delivery has improved significantly in the last twenty years and continues to get better every year.

(Dysfunctional Education System)
I am the least optimistic about education because of entrenched interests. However, I can imagine the law of unintended consequences doing their magic on teachers unions and school boards…it has happened to the automakers (jobs have not moved overseas, only to the non-union South). While it may take longer with public entities, we already see individuals and private enterprise working the margins.

(Immigration Challenges to our Infrastructure)
Immigration is a challenge, but not as big a challenge as a declining work force. Most of our immigrants are economic migrants, which mean they have one good trait…a work ethic. In addition (do not forward this email), if Hispanic immigrants start procreating with Asian immigrants, we could be at the early stages of creating a master race.

(Corporate Managers Greed)
Stein’s comment about corporate managers’ greed is one of the few times I think he has bought into the mainstream pabulum. Capitalism is the greatest economic system known to humankind and it relies on greed as its central article of faith. However, like all ‘systems’, it re-balances from time-to-time. Hence, we go from robber barons to Jeff Skilling. Lets hope we keep our greedy instincts…the world will be a better place.

(Deficient Political Leadership)
Ditto above for politicians. Agree or disagree with him, Bush is leading. So did Reagan. Two good examples that are recent.

(Entitlement Crisis)
We will find solutions for entitlements. We are still the richest nation on the face of the earth…and we are talking almost every election cycle about the impending entitlement crises…and conservatives (and more importantly, their ideas) are gaining in prominence (there will always be some set-backs along the way).

(Balance of Payments Crisis)
I will admit to not fully comprehending the balance of payments crises. Having said that, I would rather hold equity (in the form of capital – intellectual and money) than dig ditches or make widgets.

(Underfunded Military)
I would not trade our military for any other in the world…not even close.

I live in California and thus should be in the best position to be gloomy about the future. All of Stein’s comments apply in spades out here (and several not mentioned). I do believe the United States is unique in the history of nations and cultures. While no culture is invincible forever, I think we are at least on par with the Romans, which should get us through several more generations.

What is unique that pertains to survival and even the continued thriving of our nation? We have embedded in our culture resourcefulness (entrepreneurial instincts…the ability to adapt and thrive, creative destruction, et al.); a strong work ethic (Americans still work longer hours than most others); strong ‘belief’ systems (religious faith; belief in the righteousness of the American way); and finally, a strong belief in individualism, which keeps government in check and will hopefully stave-off the natural inclinations that societies have to become more socialized over time.

A radio talk show host here is fond of saying that living in America is like winning the lottery…everyday. I agree.

Big Labor - Big Management - The Fat Cats Sleep Together

GM has a lot of problems beyond labor, but labor is their biggest problem and consequently, GM is shrinking (i.e., losing jobs) while Toyota et al., are growing (i.e., adding jobs, in the U.S., almost all non-union) – who would you rather work for?

Big Labor and GM management, particularly labor leaders and GM management in the 80’s and 90’s, made a devil’s bargain a few decades ago that is now coming back to screw GM’s workers. To wit, Big Labor agreed to ‘moderate’ pay hikes in return for large, and unreasonable, hikes in pension and retiree medical benefits. Big Labor leaders benefited by showing workers that they were negotiating huge increases in total compensation (most of it deferred to retirement) and GM management benefited by making FUTURE promises they knew they wouldn’t be around to pay for…and they saved current labor dollars because cash raises in hourly pay were modest.

So, the fat cats in Labor and Management made promises their bodies couldn’t keep. Who’s left holding the bag? GM workers who, though wildly over-compensated for their relatively low skill levels, nevertheless believed they were going to retire with certain benefits that will now almost surely not be there. Why? Because companies that don’t make money (profits) can’t pay workers, period!

The crux of the problem with the U.S. Labor Union model is that it ‘pits’ labor against management in an adversarial manner, which ultimately hurts the ability of a company to pay more workers more money. It is the reason that Labor Unions share of the PRIVATE work force has been in decline for three decades…it does not work. Conversely, Labor Unions have been growing in government, since government typically has a monopoly in whatever it does and funds whatever it does with money that is involuntarily confiscated (taxes, under threat of loss of freedom) from the private sector (the productive part of the economy that provides all of the money (means) for all the various social programs that liberals, err, I mean progressives, love).

As an aside, a good deal of the ‘rich’ pensions negotiated by Big Labor and agreed too by irresponsible managers, will ultimately be paid by tax payers (e.g., corporations and private sector workers) since the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is under funded by tens of billions of dollars (projected to grow to hundreds of billions). It is ironic, to me at least, that Big Labor pensions are being subsidized by my tax dollars through the PBGC.

The real lesson is not to rely on someone else, like the government or a large corporation, to take care of you. Save your own money, in your own account, so that nobody (except the government through taxes) can take it away from you.

Cheers!

Free Our Children!...The Intelligent Design Debate

People much smarter than me have already weighed-in on the merits and de-merits of the evolution vs. intelligent design debate, particularly as it relates to teaching the competing views side-by-side in science classes. My views on evolution and intelligent design are not relevant to this particular editorial.

The reason we are having a national debate on this topic is the same reason we debate school prayer; pc (politically correct) education in all kinds of subjects, particularly literature, history and the humanities (and now science); and racial and ethnic bias in standardized testing...et al. Stakeholders in education, literally everyone in this country, rightly believe they should have a voice in the content and construct of the education our children receive. The result is government bureaucracies (school boards), fearing giving offense or more likely, lawsuits, dumbing-down and sanitizing education to the point where critical thought, diversity of ideas, and in too many cases, factual accuracy, is lost.

This debate adds to the multitude of good reasons to get government out of the education business. Let parents choose where to send their kids to school. Let parents choose an evolution or intelligent design (or both) education. Keep the government out of the debate.

Some will say that there will be children who will be left behind because their parent will make poor and uninformed school choices. This is true. While minimum educational standards can be established by local and state representatives, regulations and laws can not fully protect children...against many bad decisions that parents may make. Such is life. The vast majority of children will receive a better education. As importantly, the diversity of education, of ideas, will add immeasureably to our collective well-being as a nation of diverse, inventive and entrepreneurial peoples.

In the false political religion of 'leaving no child behind', we leave all children behind (except those with enough money to escape public education). Large bureaucracies do not contribute to excellence, they impede it. Although there are always those who want to impose their enlightened views on the rest of us, government is not in a better position than parents to make decisions about children.

Education is on a downhill trajectory and the I.D./evolution debate reminds us of this fact. Get government out of education. Free the children!

PC & the Education Establishment

No reasonable thinking person can be opposed to removing government from education. Only the stupid (or ignorant), teachers unions, politicians and others that derive their living, or power, or whatever else from the education status quo can still believe that government provides any benefit to educating children and young adults.

Every year we pour more money in the system and less comes out, except, of course, more teacher pay and benefits. It seems that as time passes, and we become a richer nation, we inevitably hurtle towards a more sanitized and sensitive approach to enlightening young minds. Our fear of offending anyone has led to the absurd circumstance of an education establishment that allows no diversity of thought; suppresses logical thought by disallowing reasoned opinions; and most of all, represses creativity.

Let parents educate their children the way they choose...the same way upper-middle and upper income parents choose. Teachers, as a group and an establishment, are racist because they insist on locking poorer minorities out of the opportunities that a sound education provides.

Ever note how many D.C. politicians send their kids to the D.C. public schools. They believe that only the poorest and least powerful in our society should be condemned to that fate. The hypocrites.

Would more children receive a much better education...Yes! Would fewer children be left behind...Yes! Would a few children be sent to way-out schools and receive whacked-out educations...Yes! Some would argue that to save the few, we should condemn the masses. Absurd!

Get government out of the education business. Promote diversity of ideas and creativity by unleashing the power entrepreneurship and parental freedom to choose. Those who are easily offended can send their kids to P.C. schools.

Cheers!

Conundrum #1024 & #1025

The Solon Slant is a blog created to allow me to vent in a somewhat more positive way than say, going postal (if I may borrow from a government offering to our vocabulary.)

I observe and report that some of the very good intentions (to be too kind) of government, politicians, do-gooders and the like end up having an almost perfect, and symetrically opposite effect; to wit (short list):

• Health care - government involvement vis-a-vis our wonderful (and I might add, simple) tax code has led to a health care system that delivers horribly uneven care delivery; the absolutely delicious irony that the uninsured (and often under-employed or unemployed) are billed for medical care and pharmaceuticals at higher rates than the insured; no portability; some employees subsidizing others due to family and health status; and on and on and on.... Contrast this to auto insurance, including the government-mandated high-risk pools, where most have required, and affordable, and portable insurance with relatively little muss and fuss. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE - being unemployed for a 1&1/2 years and uninsured for 1 year of that time; and, owning a small business with a mix of employees that both consume alot of health care and some who opt not to take any insurance.
• Public Housing (and dare I say, Race) - the lofty and highly moral goal of providing affordable housing to all almost brings a tear to my eye. Our government of do-gooders built high-rise public housing that has condemned generations of mostly black families to poverty by placing families in war zones that denied them safe dwelling, any education, anything resembling dignity, and in many cases, life (or anything remotely resembling life.) PERSONAL EXPERIENCE - living in Chicago within 1/8 mile of Cabrini-Green; which at my time was 3/4's torn-down and still was scary to drive through in the middle of the day...a real war zone...or at least a real post-war zone, complete with young black men (soldiers?) in wheel chairs (the lucky ones?) (Funny aside...civil rights organization, which one I do not remember, in the mid-nineties, expressing 'outrage' that not enough subsidized housing was being built on the North Shore, which of course was the most expensive real estate in greater Chicago and where the poor would have felt right a home, and the rich would have welcomed them with open arms.)

More later...much more. Cheers!

New Orleans 09.04.05

Quick Comments:

1) Someone should put the state and local officials of Louisiana & New Orleans under the klieg lights. It seems to me that the volume of their criticism of the Feds response to Katrina (which was admittedly too slow...the bureacracy thing again) is directly proportional to the level of their culpability in not preparing for a disaster in the first place...like evacuating the place among many other preparedness issues!

2) We should question and debate the extent to which New Orleans is re-built. Maybe most of the city should be razed and used as a 'natural' barrier (marshland? levees? et al.) to protect key historic and business districts. Keep residences to a minimum and let people commute in from the other side of Lake Ponchatrain.