Best Letter To The Editor

Some blogs post a regular feature they refer to as "the week's worst letter to the editor". I think I will try a variation of that and post the "Week's Best Letter To The Editor". Here is the inaugural winner from a Kate Kane of Chesterport. She wrote into the New York Post and pointed out the stupidity and waste of money when the school district spends vast sums of time and money to translate documents to languages other than English. Good Job Kate! (Sorry but there is no prize yet for the winner).

Best Letter To The Editor(from the New York Post on 01/28/06):
Dear Editor:
As a bilingual social worker in a NYC public school, I protest the City Council's plan to translate school-related documents so as to engage more parents in their childrens' education. The schools already translate many documents for parents. In addition, a bilingual staff is available to help parents with translations and specific school issues.

Since non-English-speaking parents are able to get jobs, apply for welfare, make airline reservations and obtain apartments, they are clearly able to function in New York City. The parents who are not involved in their children's education choose not to be involved.

Kate Kane
Centerport

How Long Has Ex-CNN Anchor Believed This?

I never cared for Aaron Brown, the former CNN anchor. Thought he was too much of a wuss and was better suited to be one of those soft spoken NPR jobs.

Now that he is an ex-anchor for a cable channel, Brown is freely sharing his deep thoughts and big ideas. Below is what he said recently about the world today:

"Truth no longer matters in the context of politics and, sadly, in the context of cable news," said Aaron Brown, whose four-year period as anchor of CNN's NewsNight ended in November, when network executives gave his job to Anderson Cooper in a bid to push the show's ratings closer to front-runner Fox News.

And I think Brown is still being paid by CNN at least until the end of his contract.

Phoenix Real Estate

Saw this item about Phoenix real estate and specifically John McCain's attempt to sell his mansion. I was out in Scottsdale about 4 months ago and wondered then if it could be a good market to open a 2nd office. Don't think this is a bubble yet. Below is the link if you want to read.

http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060126-040731-5248r

What You Might Call "Thinking Outside The Box"

The NY Knicks GM is being sued for sex harrassment by a former Knicks employee.

In these types of cases, all kinds of claims and accusations are thrown against the wall in the hopes one claim will stick (against the deep-pocketed defendant like the Knicks). So the lady included the claim that Isiah Thomas wanted to schedule more games at noon because he planned to try to to get the opposing team's players drunk the night before at area clubs. If this is a false claim, I suggest Thomas should claim (off the record of course) it's true because it's a pretty crafty scheme- what I call thinking outside the box.

Below is the actual quote from the news story. "The lawsuit also alleges that Thomas told Browne Sanders he was pushing for more home games at noon on Sundays. His plan, according to Browne Sanders, was to have opposing players go to certain clubs, including strip clubs, that Thomas had connections with on Saturday nights and get them drunk so they would be sluggish for the game the next day.

"The Antique Media"

Below is the link to an excellent article called the Antique Media by Thomas Lifson. I think he nails what has occurred to the MSM and what lies in their future.

I wholeheartedly agree with his statement that Watergate led to the MSM taking a sharp left turn. I believe Watergate actually ruined the MSM. After Watergate, the average media employee evolved from having an ordinary lower to middle class background to being an Ivy League rich kid bound and determined to emulate Woodward & Bernstein and take out a president too.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_25_06_TL.html

This Is Just Plain Wrong

Here is a NY Post story about how some Port Authority cops are making mucho dinero in overtime in 2005. The story listed five policeman and how much they made includng overtime:

Sgt. Rienzie $249,000
Sgt. P. Ryan $228,000
Ofc. P. Callaghan $210,000
Sgt. R. Keith $225,000
Sgt. L Goldberg $210,000

And I guess a good year like this makes their pension check that much fatter!! Pretty good for a civil servant, huh? Below is the link to the story if you don't believe me....
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/61643.htm

90% Of Homeless Victims Were Drunk

In a story about the extreme cold in Europe, this sentence caught my eye.... "About half the vistims were homeless and 90% of those were drunk." Now is that an estimate and can it be accurate? Did they actually test the corpse's blood alcohol after it thawed out? Or did the writer mean to say the homeless victims were alcoholics which would be a very different statement with different meaning (the "90% were drunk" would never get past an American editor who would be troubled about appearing politically incorrect)?

BTW, every winter in Alaska, it is routine to hear about a few people who have died from severe exposure after exiting a bar (the night before) in a drunken stupor and passing out in a snowbank before they could make it to their home. Below is the link to the story re the European frost if you want to read.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/23012006/323/eastern-europe-freezes-killer-cold.html

Walmart, Government Employees & Other Questions

The Maryland State Legislature just passed a law requiring Walmart to pay a minimum of 8% of Walmart employees’ payroll towards health insurance for the employees.

I don’t support this type of legislation because it really targets and singles out one company. And I am just not convinced Walmart is evil though I am aware that idea is the current conventional wisdom being spread by the left-leaning political class and its grass-roots lapdogs.

But if you drill down deep enough, you will find a substantial chasm between what the state legislators are requiring of Walmart and what taxpayers “contribute” towards health insurance for state/local government employees (a group which generally includes state legislators). And few are discussing this chasm because it is not part of the news du jour.

Statistics show the average government employee is paid significantly more than the average non-government employee and their benefits cost considerably more than the average non-government employee. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (published in USA Today on January 17, 2005):

• The average state/local government employee is paid $24.52 per hour and gets health insurance worth another $3.82 per hour. That totals $28.34.


• So, the state/local govt. employee’s health insurance is 16% of his hourly pay.


• The average non-government (private) employee earns $17.23 per hour and gets health insurance worth another $1.66. That totals $18.89.


• So the private employee’s health insurance is 10% of his hourly pay.


• The cost of health insurance for govt. employees is more than TWICE the cost paid for the average private employee ($3.82 vs. $1.66).

As I said above, the Maryland legislation requires Walmart to pay at least 8% towards employee health insurance.

Whether you agree with the legislation or not, it is fair to ask why the legislators require only 8% when taxpayers pay 16% for its beloved government employees and private employers pay only 10%. And you may also ask why does the average government employee’s health insurance cost the taxpayers so much? Depending on how well you like the answer to that question, it could be time for a change!

(In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I am self-employed and pay100% of my own health insurance premiums.)

Cold In Russia So Get The Monkeys Drunk

It;s been very cold in Russia, so the monkeys at the zoo are getting what I assume is special care because I saw this quote in a news story on Drudge..... "At a zoo in Lipetsk, south of Moscow, zoo director Alexander Osipov said monkeys would be given wine three times day, "to protect against colds," the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. I bet the monkeys like this daily regimen of forced drunkenness. Could give a whole new meaning to the phrase "monkey business" but I suspect PETA will launch a protest soon.

(Non-profit) Ambulance Company Finances Are Probed

One of my pet peeves is when a non-profit does not spend a sufficient portion of its income on its primary and stated mission (like the PU which spends maybe 5% of its total net worth), or serves to greatly enrich those who control it (like this ambulance company apparently), or one which spends "charitable" funds on programs that may not be charitable efforts (like the PU which is spending $50Million or so to move an art museum).

So today's Inquirer has a story about a Philadelphia area non-profit ambulance company whose unpaid executives may have diverted a good part of donated funds to some non-ambulance purposes. These included remodeling one's home to the tune of $70,000, buying two jet skis for $14,000 and paying the tab at several strip clubs. Jeez, how do you expect these hard-working volunteers to unwind? Here is the link if you want to read the whole story.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13657697.htm

911 Truce Offer on 119

Is it concidental that OBL has broadcast a truce offer on January 19 (or 119)? I think it is a poignant moment and provides proof we have Al Quaeda turned around and on the run so that 911 is now signified by their de facto surrender and we will one day celebrate this day as 119! Let's hope I am right.

Somewhere His Former Employer Is Breathing A Sigh Of Relief

Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, is said to be a former executive for a cable company. Do you think that company misses him?

TV Star Did Not Own A TV (and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you)

Don't you want to smack a TV star when you hear them say they don't watch TV or don't even own a TV? Because when you hear this, you are actually spending your own valuable time watching this faux snob on your TV.

The reason I bring this up, I saw a little of the Golden Globes the other night and a star of the show, LOST, was being interviewed. Her name is Evangeline Lilly and is a up and coming star accoring to the news media. Lilly was asked about her career, etc. and in one response, she claims that prior to being on the show, she did not have nor watch TV. I am skeptical when people or actors claim such nonsense and suspect they think the public will view them as some sort of intellectual.

They should have asked Lilly (CORRECTION) about her two castmates being arrested for DWI about 3-4 weeks ago and within 30 minutes of each other. Now, that would have been interesting.

A Tale Of Two Idiots

The Arizona Republic wrote a story today about a young Glendale couple who have an annual income of over $120,000 per year, pay $208 per month for health insurance and can't seem to get ahead.

The paper called the story "Benefits Drive Choice Of Jobs" and that's not really news anymore. But if you read this story, I suggest a better title would be "Crying Poor With a Loaf Of Bread Under Each Arm And One In Her Mouth" or perhaps "A Tale Of Two Idiots". For your reading pleasure, here is the link. It will make you want to strangle these two dopes. And if the paper was aiming to harpoon the healthcare industry or corporate America, its aim was way off the mark.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0116HCR-kanitsch.html

I Propose The Pew Charitable Trust Change Its Name to The PU Charitable Trust

If The PU agrees to my proposal, I will lend my support to its unbelievably dynamic and wonderfully unique and creative idea to change the name of 30th Street Station to Ben Franklin Station. And the PU must also modify its brand by adding a smelly but small skunk to its logo and letterhead.

PU Charitable Trust Announces It Will Never Lack For Ways to Waste Its Charitable Funds

The PU Charitable Trust is behind the idea to change the name of Philly's Amtrak station from its current name of 30th Street Station to "Ben Franklin Station" in honor of his 300th birthday which I believe is today. And what a coincidence it is that Mayor Street and Philly's Government's Official Tourism Agency Head (Meryl Levitz) now support this idea. Hell, Levitz went so far as to write an OPED for the INquirer touting this wonderful groundbreaking idea.

Now keep in mind the PU Charitable Trust is officially named The Pew Charitable Trust. AND it is willing to pay as much as $3Million in expenses to Amtrak to cover the estimated cost of changing the signs,etc to Ben Franklin Station. I can believe it is very expensive to change those little revolving and clicking signs you see at train stations. But is this the true work and mission of the PU Charitable Trust??

What would you think if a church or other charity had this idea and offered to pay for such a low (IMHO) priority initiative? I am a firm believer the government should just take 10% of the PU's money (they have more than $4 Billion) each year or tax them like a for-profit company.

The story contained a funny quote from the Philly Weekly regarding PU's wasteful proposal...Philadelphia Weekly this week joked that the proposal "shows the Pew Charitable Trusts is running out of ways to spend their money."

Here is the Inquirer reporter's slightly cynical (IMHO) outlook on the PU idea: " The charity maintains more than $4 billion in assets. Redoing all the signage at the train station is expected to run a mere $3 million". Good for Inga Saffron, she is one of the paper's best writers and she successfully belittles the PU proposal without being too obvious.

Addicted To Our Tax Revenues

The Philly news stations and talk-radio have been buzzing about a plan by the state legislature to enact a sales tax of 6-7% on health and fitness club dues. They are going pretty nuts asking why they want to tax something that is so good for you.

The answer is the political class is addicted to tax revenue. They claim they want to reform property taxes so they raise the sales tax and hope no one notices. They rarely reduce government expenditures and that is the root of the problem.

Blogosphere Asks Congress To Heal Itself Or Else

Read the mission statement from some bloggers who are appealing to the current Congress to clean up its act or be voted out. Here is the link below:

http://www.truthlaidbear.com

Speaking Of Felons (Michael Milken)

It's easy to forget but Philly is known for a few more things than just soft pretzels, Rocky, saying wodder instead of water, and corrupt politicians. Here is a list of the Top Ten Life Sciences markets as ranked by an investment organization named after a convicted felon (I think). Philly is #3!! The Top Ten as ranked by Milken Institute Life Sciences Composite Index (June 2005 list) below (and don't ask me what the score in parenthesis means):

1. Boston (100)
2. Greater San Francisco (98.4)
3. Greater Philadelphia (97.1)
4. Greater New York (94.6)
5. Greater Raleigh-Durham (91.1)
6. San Diego (90.7)
7. Greater Los Angeles (87.0)
8. Minneapolis (77.9)
9. Chicago (75.9)
10. Seattle (70.9)

Limit Political Campaign Contributions To The Average Weekly Wage

I saw a report yesterday that the average weekly wage in the largest metro markets is $751. And I thought it would make sense to limit lawful campaign contributions to the size of the average American's weekly paycheck.

So, let's hear it for a campaign contribution limit of no more than $751 (one week's pay) to a single candidate and no more than the average year's pay ($751 x 52 = $39,052) for a candidate to donate to himself. But, let's be nice and allow immediate family members to give no more than 4 weeks pay (4 x $751). These limits will prevent super-rich candidates like Jon Corzine from buying their way into office by funding their own humongous campaign chest.

This sound reasonable to you? Oh and only eligible voters can make contributions; that means no more corporate nor union nor PAC nor felon's money allowed!