Predators Skate of the Union

Even though we are a long way from the start of hockey, the Nashville Predators organization gave their fans an opportunity to interact with several players and with management at their annual "Skate of the Union" address. The event has expanded with a public skate and a lengthy question and answer session with several players and management and the ownership group as well as an update on various business and off ice activities of the Predators.

One question that has hung over the Predators organization since the signing of Shea Weber to the second largest contract in NHL history has been, "Will the Predators have the resources necessary to sign other players that can contribute to the continuation of their success?"

That question was addressed by General Manager David Poile as he announced that the team had signed Mike Fisher to a two year contract extension. That announcement was received with rousing applause by those fans in attendance.

The formal proceedings started with a question and answer session with five players: Mike Fisher; Paul Gaustad, Colin Wilson; Hal Gill; and Chris Mason.

The radio team of Tom Callahan and Stu Grimson handled the questioning of the players.  Here are some of the highlights of the players comments:

Paul Gaustad

"We can win here. This team will be in the hunt for years to come. After the season was over, I knew I wanted to come back here."

Hal Gill

"I wanted my family to be in a good spot that they would enjoy living in and would be good for them. Nashville is certainly that place. Important for me was to be in a place where we had the ability to win. We can do that in Nashville."


Gill talked about coming to the team in February and getting on the team plane and looking across the aisle and seeing Shea Weber. "Here is a guy who is a stud, the best defenseman in the League, and he is playing a video game. And I realized he is a 'vidiot'." (According to the guys on the panel, Shea really enjoys playing his video games).

Chris Mason

"I have been in Nashville longer than any other place in my career. There is a trust and familiarity that has been built over the years. I want to win and play for a winner, and we can win here. My role is to be able to come in and give the team quality starts and give Peks some rest."

Colin Wilson

Wilson jokingly said that he wasn't going to sign a contract extension unless the team signed Hal Gill because he needed someone that would make fun of him in the dressing room. Wilson said that his off ice training has been rigorous. "I have trained at Jonathan Toews' gym for a while but am now going into a phase of extensive on ice training. That is where the intensity really picks up, and I am going into that phase of training now."

Wilson was excited and pleased with the contract extension that he signed in the off season and the faith the organization has shown in him and his development.

Mike Fisher

Mike spoke about some of his off season activities, including some time he spent in Sydney, Australia. Mike also spoke about some of his charitable endeavors and continues to be very involved in the community.

Watching the players interact with each other, it is apparent that there is a strong sense of camaraderie among these guys. They are not just team mates, but there is a genuine appreciation for each other as people. And newcomers Gaustad and Gill fit right in with their team mates. Gill in particular is gregarious and laughs easily, and it is obvious why the players in the locker room look to him for his leadership.

The SOTU then moved to a panel discussion with management and the coaches. In this group was: Tom Cigarran, Team Governor and President of the ownership group; Jeff Cogan; President; Sean Henry, Chief Operating Officer; David Poile, General Manager; and Peter Horachek, Assistant Head Coach. The panel was moderated by Predators Play by Play announcer Pete Weber.

Here are the highlights of their comments:

Tom Cigarran

"The last season was the best in franchise history. For the first time, the team went through the entire season without any mention in the national hockey press about the franchise possibly relocating. For the first time, the local press didn't mention hitting the 14,000 mark in attendance. The team averaged over 16,000 in attendance, at 97% of capacity not counting the playoffs. Bridgestone Arena is ranked 6th nationally in terms of venue usage and revenue. And we are going to get better as a team. We were disappointed to exit the playoffs in the second round, and we think we can go farther. Our goal is simple, we want to bring the Stanley Cup to Nashville."

 Jeff Cogan

"Our season ticket base will be over 10,000 for the upcoming season, and we have very good momentum with ticket sales. We have made significant inroads into the corporate community as well. Two years ago, we had 60 corporate sponsors. Today, we have 100 and are working to add more. Some are very significant. Bridgestone has extended the naming rights on the arena for an additional 5 years. Nissan has expanded their corporate sponsorship."

"We are no longer striving to survive. We are competing both on and off the ice."

Sean Henry

"The new lease that has been signed by the team and the City of Nashville is significant because it shows the City believes in what we are doing. The way we are running the arena is good for Nashville, and the cornerstone of the lease is to bring more people into the arena  not just for hockey but year round."

"We are partnering with the City to build another rink. When that is successful financially, we will work on building another rink to meet the demand for ice time."

"We are working to make the arena the best it can be for hockey. We are installing humidifiers and a new HVAC system so that we have good ice. We are spending $6 million on upgrading the arena, not just for the fans, but for the players as well."

"To that end, we have constructed a new shooting and skills facility in the arena for the players. This facility will be for their use even when the ice is not down. They can work on their skills or their shot and not have to be on the main rink. Our goal is to make this a top flight facility for the fans and for the players."

Henry also talked about the work of the Predators Foundation and the generous support that the fans have provided. "Last year, the Foundation made grants and charitable gifts in the amount of $750,000. Our goal is to double that."

David Poile

"This is a more veteran team. We have 19 players returning that played significant time for us this past season. That experience is invaluable. We also have lots of depth in our system, with some very talented players in Milwaukee that can be contributors if they are called up. We have talent in our system that is continuing to develop and this is good for the organization. The core of players that we have in Nashville is good enough to win in the NHL. We are not surviving, but being very competitive."

Peter Horachek

"The depth and experience among our 13 forwards is very good. The experience that some of the young players got this past season is going to lead to improved play. Some of the younger players are going to impress you. One is Ryan Ellis. He has been training hard and is ready to make an impact. The experience a player like Gabriel Bourque got will be good for him."

"You can't replace a player like Ryan Suter, but we have the depth and talent to do so by committee. Roman Josi will take up some minutes.The coaches will have to get players on the ice in the right situation and with the right combinations."

While they could not specifically discuss the on going Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, Poile said that the team is preparing as normal for the start of the regular season. They would adjust, Poile said, if the start of the season is delayed.

For the fans in attendance, this was and informative and entertaining evening.

And all of us hope that David Poile is right.

And that the season starts on time.

Predators Sign Scott Hannan

The Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Scott Hannan to a one year contract. Here is the press release from the team:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed defenseman Scott Hannan to a one-year, $1 million contract.

Hannan, 33 (1/23/79), has amassed 197 points (33g-164a) and 522 penalty minutes in 908 regular-season games and 15 points (1g-14a) and 89 penalty minutes in 82 playoff games with San Jose, Colorado, Washington and Calgary since the 1998-99 season. The 6-1, 225-pound blueliner enters the 2012-13 season having played more games than any NHL defenseman in the last 10 seasons (798). Hannan dressed for 75-or-more games for the 11th consecutive season (78), and averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons (20:21) with the Calgary Flames a season ago.

The Richmond, B.C., native was drafted 23rd overall (first round) by San Jose in the 1997 Entry Draft, and was part of the gold medal-winning Canadian squad at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He joins captain Shea Weber as Kelowna Rocket alums in the Predators organization, having posted 139 points (46g-91a) and 339 penalty minutes in 235 games with the club from 1995-99.

With the Hannan signing, the Predators now have two defensemen with more than 800 games of NHL experience for the first time in franchise history (Hannan, 908gp; Hal Gill, 1,070gp). Both veterans – in addition to top-four blueliner Kevin Klein – also perennially rank among the League leaders in average penalty kill time on ice and blocked shots. That trio joins the two-time Norris Trophy runner-up Weber and talented, offensively gifted under-23 NHLers Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, giving the Predators both three left shooting and three right shooting defensemen among their balanced top-six corps.

Predators Skate of the Union Schedule

The Nashville Predators have set the date and the schedule for their annual Town Hall Meeting known as the Skate of the Union. The Predators do a very good job with these events by allowing questions from the attendees and a frank and honest discussion from all involved. If you have not had an opportunity to attend a SOTU, I would strongly encourage you to do so.

The schedule for the SOTU on Monday, August 20th is as follows:

• 4-5:30 p.m. – Open skate


• 4:30-6 p.m. – Photo opportunities with select players

• 5-6 p.m. – Player autographs on concourse

• 6:15-6:45 p.m. – Q&A with select players on stage

• 6:45-7:45 p.m. – Town Hall meeting with Tom Cigarran, Jeff Cogen, Sean Henry, David Poile and Peter Horachek. Questions may be submitted online via social media and at main doors of event

The meeting will be held at the Bridgestone Arena and the Predators are providing free parking in the 6th Avenue garage attached to the Arena (corner of 6th and Demonbruen).   Leading up to the SOTU, there will be a chance to select your seat for season tickets, discounts at the Pro Shop, auction items for sale, and a demonstration of the Smashville rewards program.   Questions for the players, executives, and coaches can be submitted at the door or via social media to the Predators.   Players scheduled to appear are Mike Fisher, Paul Gaustad, Hal Gill, Colin Wilson, Craig Smith, Brian McGrattan, Chris Mason, and Jonathan Blum.   The event is free.

My View

Random ruminations from you resident curmudgeon...

One of the loudest and most consistent mantras from the Obama administration has been that so many of the problems that we face today were inherited, that they were the fault of former President Bush and that Obama has been working diligently to get us out of this mess. Oh really? As you know, your faithful curmudgeon is not afraid of the truth and certainly not afraid of exposing the lies of those in Washington. So let me ask you, do you remember January 3, 2007? That date is important because it was the date that the Democrats, as a result of the mid-term elections during the second term of President Bush, took control of both houses of Congress. For the first time since 1995, the Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate and exerted great influence and control over the federal legislative process. Let me refresh your memory about a few things. In January 2007, the GDP for the recently completed 4th quarter of 2006 was 3.5%; unemployment was 4.6%; and the U.S. had just completed a record 52 straight months of net new job creation. Also in January 2007, Barney Frank took over leadership of the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over leadership of the Senate Banking Committee. Under the leadership of these two men- both Democrats-  within 15 months the financial services industry melted down and created a recession from which we are yet to recover. The last budget that was passed by Congress- again under the control of Democrats- was in 2009 with the passage of a massive omnibus spending bill that included "stimulus dollars" that turned out to be mere payouts to the allies of the Democrats. No budgets have been passed by Congress since then. Oh, and that unemployment and GDP? Unemployment is now 8.2% (real unemployment continues to hover around 16%) and our nations economic output as measured by GDP has shrunk to an anemic 1.5%. Many of these problems are the making of the current administration or the exacerbation of existing problems that are now much worse. Remember that when you hear the current administration say they inherited these problems.

Sometimes I wrestle with my inner demons. Most of the time, we just hug.

We are now finding out that the bailout of the auto industry is going to cost the U.S. taxpayer more than was originally projected. A lot more. The current estimate is now $25 billion, according to the Treasury Department. That is an important number for two reasons: obviously it is money that you and I as taxpayers must bear since those dollars are coming out of the public fisc; but here is the other interesting thing about that number. According to labor researchers James Sherk and Todd Zwywicki, the Obama administration redistributed $26.5 billion more to the United Auto Workers than that group would have received if they had been treated as any other creditor in normal bankruptcy proceedings. When Chrysler and GM were bailed out, the bankruptcy proceedings were anything but normal, as the administration interjected itself into the process and manipulated the law to favor one group of creditors. Even Obama's "car czar" Stephen Rattner has admitted "We should have asked the UAW to do a bit more. We did not ask any UAW member to take a cut in their pay." No, and they certainly favored the UAW over other workers. 20,000 Delphi non-union employees lost heir pensions while the unionized employees were made whole. Fair? Equal treatment under the law? Absolutely not. And this administration confiscated your tax dollars to pay for this travesty.

They say that managing people is ultimately about the carrot approach or the stick method. I try to play it safe and use carrot sticks.

If you are not brave of heart, you may want to avoid this next item. If you earn one more dollar of income next year, what is your marginal tax rate? Your marginal tax rate is simply the tax assessed on earning one more dollar. Now all of use want to see a raise and have more money in our pockets, and if we get that raise, how much of it will disappear in taxes? Why don't we do a little exercise. Many taxpayers are in a 25% tax bracket (oops- there goes 25 cents of your raise right off the bat). Next, we have to factor in the Social Security and Medicare payroll tax of 13.3%, of which 5.65% is removed from your paycheck and your employer pays the remaining 7.65% (here is what you need to know: you are really paying that 7.65% because without it, your wages would be that much higher. The payroll tax does not affect the cost of labor. Oh yeah- if you are self employed, you are paying all of it anyway). So now with income taxes of 25% and payroll taxes to fund Social Security and Medicare, we have given up 38.3% of our new dollars we obtained in our raise. Wait... don't forget state income taxes, which nationally average 4.82%, bringing our total to 43.12%. But wait- in January, that 25% income tax bracket is going to automatically rise to 28% if Congress doesn't extend the current tax rates, and the payroll taxes are scheduled to rise from 13.3% to 15.3%. Now we are looking at just over 48 cents of every new dollar you earn beginning January 1, 2013 being siphoned away in taxes. Go back and read the item just above this one. Now doesn't this make you concerned about what Washington is doing with your hard earned dollars and angry about why they keep asking for more?

I told my wife I would go through anything for her. She said, "How about the door?"

And that, my friends, is my view. 

A Conversation with David Poile

I had the opportunity to join several of the outstanding bloggers that cover the Predators for a round table with Predators General Manager David Poile for a wide ranging discussion of various topics that covered the gamut from player development and negotiations on contracts to the impending expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

Poile answered questions frankly and was candid about his assessment of the team and individual players. Here are some of the highlights:

On the Predators as a team

"Last year, we were one of the youngest teams in the NHL. This upcoming season, we will still be a young team, but more experienced. That experience, plus the presence of veterans like Hal Gill, Paul Gaustad, and others will benefit the team. When things go bad for a young team, it takes a while to get their confidence back. Veterans can provide the guidance to younger players to get them through those rough stretches, and this squad has a good mix of youth and experience."

"When you look at a player like Hal Gill, other players on the team gravitate to him. He is a great leader; he is steady and has seen it all. He is the only player on the team that has a Stanley Cup ring, and he knows what it takes to win the ultimate prize. That experience is invaluable to our team. Plus, he is a solid player. Having a veteran like Gill in the line up is important, especially with the departure of Ryan Suter."

The departure of Ryan Suter

"Right or wrong, I reacted when he called and told me he was going to Minnesota. I was emotional. When we discussed the variables about his decision, family was not mentioned as a critical factor. That was surprising."

When asked whether he had been mislead by Suter, Poile responded, "that is in the eye of the beholder."

Poile was asked if he would have done anything differently in his negotiations with Suter, he said, "No regrets. I really thought we were going to sign him. Our negotiations were positive and open."

"Now, it would have been better for the team if we could have gotten Suter and Weber signed earlier in the process, because the team was in limbo and could not go after other free agents that were on the market. As it was, they were our priority."

The effect on the defense

"Without Suter, defense combinations will be rotated to situation and to manage ice time. It will be up to the coaches to determine Weber's defense partner. It could be Roman Josi. Perhaps it will be Ryan Ellis. The team has the talent to replace Suter with current players, but we are still in the market for a veteran defenseman.

"This is a great opportunity for Ryan Ellis. If he is ready, he can secure a spot in the starting line up. He has to show the coaches that he is ready."

"Jonathan Blum has been in Nashville all summer working out and is looking to get his game back on track. This is a big year for Jonathan and it is time for him to prove that he belongs here on a regular basis."

"Joonas Jarvinen is a big body with potential. Mattias Ekholm can be a player for us. We made a mistake with Ekholm last season. We tried to force him into an NHL role even though we agreed when we signed him that he would go back to Sweden for another year because of his age and another year of development was needed. He played very well once he went back. His development will probably take him to Milwaukee first."

Anders Lindback and Chris Mason

"Lindy asked to be traded to a team where he would have the opportunity to be a starter. That was not going to happen here with Pekka. The trade with Tampa was good for us because we got draft picks back, and since we had traded draft picks for our acquisitions, it was important for us to re-stock our picks. We felt like we got good quality in this draft and we had the quantity of picks we needed."

"Having a veteran like Chris Mason is good for the team. He wanted to be here, he is familiar with the organization and many of the players, and is a good teammate. Last season, Pekka played 73 games. It is up to the coaches, but I would expect Mason to get in the neighborhood of 25 starts to keep Pekka fresh."

The Radulov/Kostitsyn playoff incident

 "You just look at that incident and ask 'Why?' I wish it was something that never had happened. And you have to look at what occurred and balance the morals of the welfare of the team with a win at all costs mentality. We handled it in the way we thought was appropriate.That incident didn't cost us the series. We outplayed the Coyotes in several of the games, but Mike Smith did what a goalie is supposed to do- he won some games for them."

The impending expiration of the collective bargaining agreement

Poile had to be careful about what he said here, since both sides are in the negotiation process. His sense was that the CBA needed some "tweaks" to continue to make it workable for the players and all teams. He said that there was no sense that these negotiations were different from previous CBA negotiations, and that everyone was waiting to see the response from the NHLPA to the owners proposal on Tuesday (8/14). 

Agents

After recently completing two high profile negotiations, Poile was asked about the team's relationship with the agents for players around the League.

"Agents know Nashville and how we operate. Sometimes, you can get a reputation, such as not having resources or a willingness to spend. At one time, that was how we were perceived. We don't have one owner with big money, but our ownership group has given me the resources necessary to build the team. Agents know that and that we are competitive when it comes to contracts."

On Shane Doan

"We all want to see Shane sign with the Coyotes. If that doesn't work out, though, we are definitely interested and in if he is available. And Shane has told us that Nashville is a team that would be on his short list."

The experience of Poile as the General Manager of the Predators is a lot like the veteran leadership that he referenced with the team. Having over 30 years experience means that he has seen most of the ups and downs that a can affect a team. His steady hand is a benefit to the franchise in managing not only the current roster but in developing young talent in place that will develop into NHL caliber players.

Thanks, David, for your time and your insight into what is happening with the Predators.
 

My View

Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...

Have you heard of "baby hatches"? As the debt load of countries and individuals has exploded across the Eurozone, these devices have popped up in 11 different countries. A baby hatch is a box where an unwanted infant can be left anonymously, typically by a family that can no longer afford to raise the child. Once the baby is placed in the box, a sensor notifies authorities and a caregiver is sent out to retrieve the child, who then becomes a ward of the state. Currently, baby hatches can be found in countries such as Germany, Italy, and Portugal. In countries where baby hatches are prohibited by national law, the number of infants abandoned at hospitals and churches has also risen. According to SOS Villages, a European charity that works with families with children that are encountering dire financial hardship, 1,200 children were abandoned in Greece last year and 750 in Italy. I mention these two countries in particular, because they are the furthest down the road to financial disaster in the European Union. In particular, Greece now has 27% of its population that is facing bankruptcy and poverty. So what do baby hatches have to do with Greece, Italy, and other countries and their economic policies? The economic policies of any nation are often theories about how certain actions will affect growth, inflation, or a host of other financial measures. But the reality is that economic policies intersect with the lives of real people and have a dramatic impact on them. Profligate spending got the Eurozone in dire financial distress, and as they attempt to work out of it, painful austerity measures have collided with families and their means of support as jobs have been lost in startling numbers. One result is the advent of baby hatches and the practice of abandoning children because they cannot be afforded. So the next time you hear a politician talk about economic programs, government spending, raising taxes...whatever, understand that these actions can have real and damaging consequences. Maybe not now, but ultimately, there is a price to be paid for our spending and lack of discipline. And often that price is a human toll on society.

Unfortunately, there is no 12 step program for stupid.

As we get closer to the national election, campaign ads get more untruthful and vicious. Lies, half-truths, and political spin dominate the airwaves, but you, my friends know that in this blog, I deal with facts and always cite my sources. Now here is a fact that you will not hear from the mainstream press or the Democratic Party...wait, I repeat myself. Anyway, here you go: in the 2010 mid-term elections, 17 states elected new Republican governors, most of whom campaigned on reducing taxes, regulations, and putting their citizens back to work. How have they fared? Every single one of those states- EVERY ONE- has reduced unemployment . The average drop in unemployment in all 17 of those states was 1.35%. Three states that has been dealing with intractably high unemployment- Michigan, Florida, and Nevada- saw their unemployment rate fall by over 2%, according to data compiled by the Examiner.com. There has been no magic to these results. Instead, these 17 governors have freed local businesses to begin hiring again and new businesses to start by lowering taxes and getting the state government out of the way of these job creators. Seeing these kind of results and comparing them to what is happening nationally leads me to believe that our elected national leaders should sit down with these governors and take some notes. Because what is being done in Washington to stimulate the economy and create jobs is failing miserably.

Some say life is like a box of chocolates. I rather think it is more like a jar of jalapenos- what you do today may burn your ass tomorrow.

Want to see what government looks like when it claims absolute power? When it positions itself as the only source of knowledge and decision making? Hang on for a few absurdities. In Europe, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that if a worker gets sick during their 4 to 6 week annual vacation leave, they are entitled to take another vacation. The Court ruled that the purpose of a vacation was to enable the worker to enjoy a period of rest and leisure, and that an illness compromised that enjoyment. So, the workers can claim illness and receive additional time off for the time they were sick. Never mind what it does to an employer and trying to schedule workers around ever growing vacations. Or consider in the U.S. where the EPA requires that oil refiners use a substance- cellulosic ethanol- in the refining process. The only problem with this requirement? Cellulosic ethanol doesn't exist. Yet refiners are having to pay fines for not using a product that has not been commercially produced. In fact, the Congressional Research Service says that cellulosic ethanol will not be commercially available until 2015. The absurdity of these situations is laughable except for the fact that it is costing taxpayers and businesses millions of dollars in fines, taxes, and fees. And the root cause of these laughable and ludicrous situations is the arrogance of those in power, divorced from the realities of daily living, who think they know best what you and I need.

I went to a general store this past week, but they wouldn't let me by anything specifically.

And that, my friends, is my view.

Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...

One of the negative aspects of socialized medicine that experts (and your humble blogger) have warned about is rationing. With limited dollars and growing demand for services and medications, the only way to make a socialized health care system work is to ration. Even though Obamacare has not been fully implemented, rationing is beginning in the U.S. health care system. According to Kaiser Health News, 16 states have now set limits on the number of prescription drugs that they will cover for Medicaid patients. This is significant, because under Obamacare, more patients will be forced into Medicaid as their primary insurance program. For instance, Illinois has limited Medicaid patients to four prescriptions as a cost cutting move. Drug costs make up a significant portion of the total costs of Medicaid, and this push is a necessary reaction to limited dollars covering a larger number of patients. Many states are also moving patients to generic drugs, which may not have the same efficacy as certain brand name drugs. As you can imagine, this puts doctors in a quandary with their patients, as they may be forced to prescribe drugs that have limited effect or forced to decide which drugs are going to be prescribed due to limits of coverage. The simple economic fact is that when there are limited dollars available under a government program and a growing number of participants, rationing is the only way to keep the system solvent. Government interference in our health care system is dangerous to our health, and will only be more so as time goes by.

I can start a fire with two sticks. As long as one of them is a match.

The latest unemployment numbers show that unemployment continues to hold steady at over 8.2% and a real unemployment rate (the U-6 rate) at over 16%. Unemployment seems to have become an intractable problem in the U.S. But is it? Are there steps that the policymakers in this country can take to reverse this toxic situation? I'm glad you asked. According to the Index of Economic Freedom, published by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, Hong Kong has the number one economy in the world for growth, growing at an average annual rate of 7%. The U.S. is number 10, with an average annual growth rate of 1.9% One of the reasons is that the top corporate tax rate in Hong Kong is 16.5%, compared to 35% in the U.S. That is the highest corporate tax rate of all the industrialized countries. Hong Kong has a zero tariff rate which encourages free trade and foreign investment and a regulatory environment that according to the study, is "highly supportive of business efficiency." By contrast, the U.S. has some of the highest tariff rates in the world and a stifling regulatory environment. Additionally, our deficit spending is a drain on our economy. In 2011, the U.S. ran a deficit of $400 billion, which was financed by foreign investors buying our Treasury securities. Put another way, the U.S. borrowed $400 billion from foreign investors, which all of us would agree could be better used in our country. If we want to begin to effectively create jobs in this country, there are three steps Washington needs to implement: make corporate tax rates more competitive; reduce the excessive regulatory burden on all businesses; and begin to get our fiscal house in order by reining in the prolific level of government spending. Until Washington recognizes that jobs are not created by government and gets out of the way of the real job creators, we are going to continue to struggle with high unemployment.

How can my mirror and my camera have such a different idea of what I look like?

Have you heard about Green Jobs, Green New York (GJGNY)? This is a company that created "shovel ready", environmentally friendly jobs that was in the sweet spot of President Obama's stimulus funding. Stimulus that has added markedly to the burgeoning debt in our country. James O'Keefe, he of the Project Veritas undercover video renown, went undercover and asked how effective is GJGNY in creating productive jobs. GJGNY is heavily tied to labor unions, and according to the video, John  Hutchings, Director of the Laborer's International Union of North America (LUINA) New York State Laborer's Organizing Fund (NYSLOF) explained, "You know, the Green Jobs, Green New York, between us, a lot of it is bullshit." Uh...say what? Why would he say that? Because GJGNY is basically an environmental program that basically digs ditches and then fills them in again. Hutchings goes on to say about GJGNY, "Well, I think the key thing is, even if it's bullshit, I think as long as people are working, that's not bull, you know what I mean?" Not exactly. On the surface, it sounds good that people are working, even if it is doing nothing but digging holes and filling them in again. But here is the problem: your tax dollars were confiscated to transfer funds to unions and their workers who are almost unanimously ardent supporters of Democrats who continue to "reward" their union voting blocs with more confiscated tax dollars. This vicious cycle does nothing to create new jobs- it rewards union cronies with make work projects- and it takes tax dollars from other productive sectors of the economy and re-routes them to low productivity sectors. This is one of the problems with the government trying to "create" jobs. The government decides who will receive the benefit of the confiscated tax revenues, and it always rewards those that will deliver votes. For the health of our economy, we must change this notion that government can create jobs and we must certainly stop the process where elected leaders reward those that vote for them.

My idea of curls is eating the cheesy kind.

And that, my friends, is my view.