It's a New Year

THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK
· For the fourth or fifth year in a row, one of my new year’s resolutions is to blog for an entire year. Sadly, and probably somewhat predictably, I have failed. Which puts me in line with 90 percent of the rest of the world’s new year’s resolutions. That being said, I am going to attempt my damnedest to at least blog once a week. I am using a format from the last time I blogged regularly. It probably sucks, but it helps arrange my thoughts in somewhat of a coherent manner. Feel free to criticize as you see fit. Haha

RANT OF THE WEEK
· This is fairly predictable if you know me. My rant of the week is centered squarely at the blatant bribery taken place during the initial health care debate in the U.S. Senate. Ben Nelson’s $100 million Medicaid payoff. Vermont and Massachusetts get a similar, although less generous Medicaid payoff over the next ten years. Christopher Dodd’s $100 line item for construction of a university hospital in Connecticut. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming will all see an increase in Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors because 50 percent of their counties are ‘frontier’ counties. Funny I thought our country has already been settled. And Mary Landrieu’s $300 million Louisiana Purchase. Now some people may say this happens on every bill and maybe they are right. And IF that is true, there is something fundamentally WRONG with our country. This is NOT how good legislation occurs. And people wonder why Congress routinely has one of the worst reputations around. Instead of having one of the best. Go figure…

SPORTS NEWS OF THE WEEK
Mike Leach – former Texas Tech head coach. Wow, never saw this one coming. Depending on which account you believe, Mike Leach had Adam James, senior wide receiver locked into a shed for ‘treatment’ of a concussion. There is very little excuse for this allegation and I don’t see how Texas Tech could have kept him as head coach. Where was the medical staff on this? Aren’t they in charge of injuries? And just to give a little nod to the other side of this, ESPN’s coverage of this event is appalling. Why? Because Adam James just happens to be the son of Craig James, a ESPN college football analyst. I don’t think Craig James should have been anywhere near an ESPN announcer during this saga. But alas, that is probably too much to ask.

COOL PERSON OF THE WEEK
Dafna Michaelson. – Dafna is the visionary behind the 50 in 52 Journey (see her website www.50in52journy.com) The Journey is Dafna’s way to showcase people across the country who are trying to make this great country a better place by making a difference in people’s lives. I saw a blurb on Dafna via a google search and am now completely hooked. News stories like these are what reinforce my belief in this great country of ours, and how there is still hope despite the struggles of so many people. I encourage you to check her out!

SCHLEP OF THE WEEK

Since this is my first blog in awhile, I am taking some editorial discretion and go back a couple of weeks. Janet Napolitano is this edition’s SCHLEP of the week. Let’s harken back to Christmas day. A failed attempt to blow up an airplane flying into New York. Some faulty explosives, and quick thinking by passengers on the plan averted a disaster. So what does Secretary Napolitano say? “The system worked really smooth.” WHAT?? What system is that? A terrorist boarded a U.S. airliner with explosives and managed to almost set them off. This is the system working??? And she didn’t just say this once. This phrase was repeated on the Sunday morning talk show circuit. Then a few days later after she was criticized repeatedly, did she declare that she ‘misspoke’. Whatever. And this is the person in charge of our homeland security. Ugh.