Reflecting On Great Advice

 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.¹⁴ Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” - Isaiah 29:13-14

I was thinking about some of the best advice I ever received - separately - from two men I worked with back in 1993 after I had been promoted to an Equity Analyst job.  Taken together, these two bits of advice have served me very well, and I find that when I have followed these pieces of advice, they have served me very well.  These two men were former bosses of mine:  the late Dave Anderson and Howard Jacobson.

The first thing Dave told me after I became an analyst was never take anything the Wall Street guys said at face value.  We did rely a lot on their research, but their recommendations had ulterior motives, and their supporting thesis always  was geared to support their recommendations and was not always to be trusted.  Howard told me to pay particular attention to those who said "Buy" when all others said "Sell" and pay attention to those who said "Sell" when all others said "Buy".  Combine these two sentiments and you avoid the madness of crowds.

At the time I didn't fully appreciate the wisdom of the advice.  But it is some of the most sound advice I have ever heard.  I am beginning to take on curmudgeon qualities because of this advice and I rather like it.  When I have followed this advice in virtually all aspects of life, it has served me well.  I have learned that life is not really lived following the conventional wisdom or the latest trends.  I have found that following the wisdom of the wise leads to maddening crowds, while the most interesting people following their own path.  They have chartered their own course to excellence, they have maintained their own standards as others have compromised theirs.  What I have ultimately found is that those who avoid the maddening crowds have generally achieved the greatest inner peace.


So, what is wrong with following the "wisdom of the wise"?  I will not tell you to never follow it.  I will tell you to question it first, and not follow it blindly.  Know who you are, your "true north" first.  Use your critical thinking skills.  Learn to ask yourself what assumptions come with the conclusions.  What viewpoint does the author or authors bring?  Where do you agree, where do you disagree?  You do not always have to be the contrarian, but when you find yourself swimming in the madness of a crowd and following the wisdom of the wise, question everything just a little bit harder.

The lesson for me is that my natural Midwestern skepticism is truly a gift from God.  Much of that skepticism is simply common sense.  People with fancy educations and big shot job titles do not impress me.  Bottom line results do.  Those who achieve have found their peace and are comfortable with who they are.  We are given brains that are capable of critical thought.  Question everything the experts say.  Follow your own course.  Do not believe everything you read (except what I write, of course!).  Never trust anyone who says "trust me."  Use what God gave you, apply a sack full of common sense, and that will lead to sound judgment, inner peace and a lifetime of happiness.

A Prescription For A New National Spirit and A New Economy

Often, I post blogs here, not because I know the answers, but because I am searching for them.  Writing helps me collect my thoughts.  Why I think about some of these things I have no idea.  This is one of those times when my thoughts turn to thinking that "there must be something better than this."

A New National Spirit
This country's leadership needs a complete spirit overhaul.  Liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, it all needs an overhaul.  Our leaders need to begin a new dialogue with the citizens of this country, and that dialogue needs to be heavy on words like "freedom", "liberty," and "opportunity."  We also needs liberal use of words like "family," "community," "work," and "faith."  Where did we so woefully lose sight of all these?  We need to go back to our founding ideals and start over.  Our leaders have largely abandoned the founding ideals of this country.  The word "freedom" is only hauled out on Independence Day anymore, then is promptly stored away and locked up until Independence Day the following year.  We have leaders in power now that are only interested in taking away our freedoms and increasing their own power.  Business leaders who are only interested in lining their own pockets.  Those businesses who treat their employees like family are few and far between anymore.

So how do we start?  First, communicate with each other.  This has really become a lost art as we have used social media to communicate at the expense of direct encounters.  Too often, social media is used more to destroy others than to build each other up.  Anecdotally, I do not know how many times I have seen highlighted articles headlined, "So and so destroys the other person's lies!"  How is this helpful?  It is not.  We look to find fault in the other guy, and we never stop to examine our own. My guess is that if we talk to each other, we have a better understanding of each other's viewpoint.  We do not have to agree, but we must learn to respectfully disagree and work from there.  We must know that there is a middle ground that works.  We might also learn a thing or two ourselves.

Sometimes I wonder if this wonderful technology is doing more harm than good.  And trust me, the irony of typing this up on my laptop to be published on the Internet is not lost on me.  I think the Internet is a great thing!  The Internet has put me in touch with old friends, and I have made many wonderful new friends because of it.  I can conveniently purchase many items from the comfort of home thanks to the Internet.  But, too often, I am seeing it used to destroy people.  To paint others unfairly, and to be highly judgmental.  To say "I'm better than you."  It is used to spread hate as well as love.  The Internet is a tool that has the power to do so much good, yet so much evil too.

So, we are back to where do we start?  It starts at home.  Start with the family.  Try to eat a home cooked meal together at the dinner table.  I have been woefully inadequate myself in this.  Communicate with your children.  Tell them about your day and have them share something about their day.  Emphasize the importance of education, laughter, family, and most of all, love.  Tell your children that you love them.  Let them know that you will still love them when they mess up.  Read.  Play.  Pray.  Teach your children that the best things in life are not things.

Set the example for your children.  Be a friendly neighbor.  Show compassion to those who need it.  Teach your children and teach yourself that sometimes bad things happen to good people.  And that is when we step in to help.  Show the importance of volunteering.

I think if we start with these things, we will become better people, and we will become far more interesting people.  Plus, I believe we will see a new national spirit!

P.S.  The prescription for a New Economy will come in a later post.

The Death Knell of College Athletics?

Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board, Region 13 in Chicago, ruled that football players at Northwestern University had the right to unionize.  The NLRB ruled that the players were not "student-athletes" but instead were "employees" of the University.  The end result of this ruling is that college athletics as we know it, including the NCAA Tournament, is done.


The immediate reaction from the NCAA, and all major conferences (and by extension, their member schools) was to condemn the ruling.  Of course, the major fear is that the players will strike at some point, or the athletic department will lock out the athletes.  There are certainly compelling arguments that the athletes are more like employees than students.  They put in many hours during the week, sacrificing study time and class time in order to practice extensively, travel, and perform at a high level.  Let's face it, many athletes' scholarship to the university is more often based on athletic performance than academic performance.  Too many straight A students likely means an inferior performance on the field, as practice time gets sacrificed for studies.  Coaches who graduate their kids, with many of them making superior grades, but lose on the field of competition will lose their jobs.  Meanwhile, coaches who win, win, win and do a poor, poor job graduating kids and preparing them for life beyond college will make millions.  Other goals for the college athletes' union are guaranteed medical expense coverage for sports-related injuries (especially concussions), and the freedom of the athlete to pursue commercial sponsorships, such as shoe endorsement deals.


For now, the recruitment of athletes to a particular university's team could also change dramatically.  This ruling, for now, is a huge possible win for private universities over public institutions.  The NLRB does not have jurisdiction over public universities.  Imagine a scenario where a highly sought after athlete is contemplating an offer from a public university and one from a private university.  The public university's pitch is something like this, "You can come to our school, with our great coach and contend for conference and national titles year after year.  We will help you academically with tutors as needed, and we will excuse you from practice if needed so that you tend to school work.  We will practice 17 hours per week (or whatever the NCAA allows), and you will also have study hall time.  You will be provided the cost of tuition, room, books, board and fees."  The private institution's pitch goes like this, "When you come to our university, you will not be a student, you will be an employee.  We will pay you $100,000 per year, and you are under no obligation to ever go to class since you are not a student.  We will practice 3 hours per day, plus you will be expected to be in the weight room another two hours per day.  You will play for Coach X, who has sent numerous players to the professional ranks.  If you want to enroll in any classes, we have an agreement with the university, but you do that on your own time.  You are here to play ball.  All that is required of you is to pay your union dues to remain eligible and we'd encourage you to pay your taxes to keep the IRS off your butt.  That is all."  Perfectly legal under the NLRB's ruling.  Which option do you think the kid will take?  Of course, I would expect this loophole to close very quickly.  Democrats would be all for welcoming in new union members and Republicans would have to grudgingly go along in support of their (oftentimes) alma mater.


At some point, this will ultimately lead to a break between a university and the athletic department.  The athletic department's number one function will be to prepare its top athletes for professional careers.  These people will never attend an actual class at the university.  Instead, there will be some sort of agreement to allow the team to wear the name of the university in exchange for some kind of consideration.  There will also need to be agreements on what to do about athletic facilities that sit on university property.  Will the university sell the facilities to the athletic department?  Will the athletic departments lease the facilities?  Who will own the parking lots?   Who will be responsible for maintenance?  Who will be responsible for insurance payments?  But I do ultimately believe that if this ruling stands, there will be a separation of the athletic department from the university.  And that will hurt the honest student-athlete.  And there are many student-athletes at any university, both in the minor, or non-revenue, sports and the major revenue producing sports.  What happens to the softball player, the tennis player, or the swimmer?  What happens to the student who truly wants an education, that comes under the supervision of a separate athletic department that is not interested in seeing that the athlete receives a solid college education?  These are the people that yesterday's ruling will hurt.


Finally, what happens to the NCAA in this situation and most specifically, what happens to the NCAA Tournament?  For one, the Tournament is too profitable to let sit idly by.  This Tournament does cover the majority of the NCAA's budget.  Remember, the football bowl games are not governed by the NCAA.  With athletic departments free to pay players, and not having to worry about their academic eligibility, the enforcement arm of the NCAA (which is its primary purpose) will no longer be necessary, and this will free up athletic departments everywhere from having to continue their membership in the NCAA.


Reminds me of that old saying:  Be careful what it is that you pray for.  You might actually get it.  Ultimately, I would like to see the NLRB's ruling overturned.  There are better ways to address the athlete's grievances without destroying college athletics. 

Hosting the Perfect Super Bowl Party

I will be the first to admit that I am one of those dorks who watches the Super Bowl because I want to see a football game.  This will be the last football game I see until late August (at the earliest), so I do want to enjoy it.  I do not care one bit for the commercials.  To  me, commercials are the time to refresh your plate or use the bathroom.  I do not care for the pregame either.  I do not really need to know which celebrities are at the game.  But, it is fun to get together with friends to watch the game.  However, I am some combination of utterly amazed and stupefied at the same time when I see all the websites dedicated to helping one (primarily women) throw the perfect Super Bowl party.  So here in this one space is my tribute to how men and women go about hosting the perfect Super Bowl party.  And yes, I know this is very stereotypical.  So shoot me, this is what this whole exercise is about!




How Men Host the Perfect Super Bowl Party
Really, it does not take much effort here.  Us guys are pretty simple and easy to please.  Just call up a few buddies a few days before kickoff.  Here is our idea of the perfect Super Bowl party:




1.  An awesome big screen TV, with 1080p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate.  This is obviously top of the line stuff.  This is just a suggestion, not mandatory, but it will not take much coaxing to get a few guys together if you have the awesome TV!  It can make your whole Super Bowl party one to remember.




2.  Beer and sodas.  It does not matter what kind of beer or what kind of soda (as long as it is not diet soda).




3.  Food A couple of pizzas, a couple of buckets of wings, and chips and dip.  The dip could be Pace picante sauce or you could make a rotel tomato and Velveeta dip if you're going all out.  And don't forget the ranch dressing if you're having wings.  If you do not have ranch dressing, go to the grocery store and get a bottle.




4.  A couple of nice couches would add a nice touch.  If not, a few card table chairs will do.




5.  A couple of extra items:  perhaps you could have the guys bring over some money for all the side bets you'll make with each other.  And make sure your toilets work!




How Women Host the Perfect Super Bowl Party
Guys, this could get painful to read. Be sure you have some time if you're going to read this!  The ladies get into this whole party thing more than we do.  And, I am not even sure they care that much about the game itself.  I have also added, parenthetically, a man's commentary.  Since I am single, I can say what all you married are thinking, but cannot say.  Here is a woman's idea of the perfect Super Bowl party:




1.  It starts with a theme (Huh??).  Since it is the Super Bowl, we will want to have the proper theme.  Are your guests all rooting for the same team?  Then you can have a theme around either Seattle or Denver.  Otherwise, if you have fans rooting for both teams, you will want to keep it to a simple generic football theme.   You will need to know your theme because it leads right into point 2:




2.  Colors.  (What the hell?)  If your guests are all rooting for the same team you can use that teams colors.  Otherwise, you will want to mix and match the two teams colors (blue and green for Seattle, blue and orange for Denver).  Or  you may want to use a neutral color if you think these respective teams have hideous color combinations.  You will need to know your colors fairly soon so that you can pick out matching plates, napkins and cups.  Since a Super Bowl is a casual occasion, paper plates, napkins and cups are all appropriate and it makes for easy clean up afterwards!  Having your colors picked out will also give you time to get your streamers and balloons all thought out before your big day.  Also, you will want to find the proper matching online invitations that you can email to all your invited guests.  Proper etiquette dictates that you should send out your invitations 13 days in advance, although 12 days should also give your guests plenty of time to make plans.




3. Food (finally the good stuff!).  You will want to keep this simple so let's start with chips and dip.  You will want to have a variety of dips, such as 7 layer dip, spinach/artichoke dip, homemade pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, and yes, even have the rotel tomato and velveeta cheese dip.  That should keep it simple while giving your guests plenty of choices.  You will also want to have a vegetable tray and a fruit tray for healthy alternatives to the chips and dip.  While the vegetable dip will likely be ranch dressing (use buttermilk for the best homemade ranch dressing), you can use yogurt for the dip to your fruit tray.  You can also use the Internet here to find some truly unique recipes to try with your guests.  You can find plenty of healthy choices here so that while you eat, you are also maintaining a healthy diet.  You can also try something a little different such as a potato bar at your party.  Or set aside a couple bowls of M&M's in decorative bowls, each with the teams colors in M&M's (blue and green M&M's for Seattle or blue and orange M&M's for Denver!).  Doing something truly different will add that little bit of festiveness to your party that your guests will talk about for a long time!  You will want to give yourself several days to put together your Super Bowl party menu. (Do we really have to do all that??)




4.  Drinks (how hard can this be, right?)  Of course, you will want to have plenty of drinks on hand to satisfy those thirsty guests.  You will want to have plenty of beer on hand, and here you can add your own unique flavor.  You can serve that really unique local brew to your guests, or the one with a truly one of a kind name.  Your guests are sure to get a kick out of trying something new and you are helping a small local brewer as opposed to the big national brands.  Plus, you will need to have a couple bottles each of red wine and white wine.  You will also want plenty of soda on hand for the kids or for your guests who would prefer soda.  You will need lots of diet soda for your girlfriends who want to limit their calorie intake and do not forget the bottled water.




5.  Seating Make sure you have plenty of seating for your guests.  If needed, a few extra card table chairs around the TV is a perfectly acceptable arrangement.  After all, you will want to have plenty of seating for your guests!  This will be especially true when the commercials come on.  After all, who doesn't watch the commercials during the Super Bowl? (Me!  That's who!).  Of course you will want to be able to discuss your favorite commercials in detail with the other ladies in the office on Monday morning!!




6. Housecleaning  Nothing can ruin your perfect Super Bowl party like a dirty house, especially the bathrooms (and I was thinking nothing could ruin it like over-the-top planning!).  The day of the game, you will want to go around to all the bathrooms and make sure each is spotlessly clean.  It would also be a nice touch to add a basket of some unique soaps, still in the packaging of course, and some decorative towels.  Just make sure to wash your hands at least a dozen times after you are done.  (Nothing like a little overkill to add to the drama!)




7.  Look fabulous for your guests!  Nothing tops off the perfect Super Bowl party quite like looking your very best and coming across to your guests like it was all very easy.  Your guests will marvel at how easily you pulled this off and soon you will be counted to throw the Super Bowl party each year!  How fun!!




Guys are you as completely dazed and confused as I am?  And what about that awesome TV??  Don't you need that too?  Did you just read that and realize that your own "honey do" list just grew exponentially?  I realize that about 80% of this is completely unnecessary.  After all, how many of our guy friends would walk away from our Super Bowl party and comment, "Boy, that Lou really knows how to decorate his house for a party!"




But, if your wife (or your girlfriend) is one to throw such a party, be sure to thank her afterwards.  It will mean a lot to her that you realized her efforts and took the time to acknowledge it.  And, in the end, you may realize how truly blessed you really are.

Ten Sentences, 272 Words

One hundred fifty years ago today, Abraham Lincoln delivered the greatest speech ever by an American president.  The speech was all of ten sentences and 272 words long.  It took two minutes to deliver.  Here is the text to that speech:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
 Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.  But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

Of course, this is the Gettysburg Address, delivered on November 19, 1863, on the same battlefield that was the sight of one of the decisive battles of the Civil War.  In this short speech, President Lincoln has brought forth every ideal that our nation was founded upon.  Liberty.  All men are created equal.  And representative government "of the people, by the people and for the people that shall not perish from the earth."

That day, the featured speaker was a man named Edward Everett, a former Secretary of State and famous orator of the day.  He delivered a two hour, 13,607 word speech that is not much remembered today.  His speech was to be the "Gettysburg Address."  After Lincoln's remarks, Mr. Everett himself knew he did not convey the full meaning of the day in two hours like the President had in two minutes.  Thank you Mr. Lincoln.

Did He or Didn't He Act Alone?

November 22, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination and I am already anticipating a slew of news stories on the conspiracy theories surrounding this murder.  About the only thing these conspiracy theories truly prove is that there a lot of people who had a motive to murder the President.  The most popular of the conspiracy theories is that Vice President Lyndon Johnson did it.  Other theories say it was Fidel Castro, it was the mob, it was the CIA, it was the FBI.  Still others say Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.  Of course, the Warren Commission that investigated the assassination concluded that Oswald acted alone and used the "single bullet" to prove its point.  However, in a recent poll, 59% of Americans still believe there was a conspiracy to kill the President.

To my untrained mind, the conspiracy theory that makes the most sense is that the CIA in conjunction with the mafia were responsible for the killing.  Seems an odd combination.  However, during the Kennedy administration, the CIA had reached out to Sam Giancana, the head of the Chicago Outfit, and enlisted the mobsters help in a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro.  The plot never came about, largely because the FBI, which was doing its own surveillance of Giancana stumbled upon some CIA surveillance equipment at his offices one day.  Normally, the mafia did not do hits on politicians of any kind (they would just buy them), especially national leaders.  But, Giancana's willingness to help out indicated that the mob would be open to the idea.  Further, the Kennedy's had double crossed the mob.  That was usually good for a death sentence, so the idea of the mob wanting to take out the President does not seem far fetched.

Sometime in either 1959 or 1960, Jack Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, approached Giancana and asked the mobster if he could deliver the votes necessary to carry Illinois for Kennedy.  In return, Kennedy promised the mobster that the government would get off his back.  The elder Mr. Kennedy also wanted Giancana to get the New York mob to cancel a contract that it had put out on Joseph Kennedy's life, too.  During the late 1950's, after New York state police exposed the mob as a national crime syndicate (something J Edgar Hoover denied all along until this bust), Congress went after the mob hard.  Giancana was subpoenaed to testify and during this testimony, a young Bobby Kennedy publicly embarrassed the mobster by comparing him to a school girl.  After Jack Kennedy was elected President in 1960, with Giancana doing his part, Robert Kennedy was named Attorney General and his pursuit of the mob intensified.  The mob had been double crossed.  So we can definitely establish a motive for the mob to go after Kennedy.

But what about the CIA?  Why would the CIA have been involved?  It all started with the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.  The Bay of Pigs invasion was to be conducted by Cuban nationals based out of Miami and trained by the CIA.  They would invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, and would receive US air support.  The Eisenhower Administration approved it.  My own thought on this was that this invasion was Vice-President Nixon's idea, and he would carry it out after he was elected.  Senator Kennedy was briefed on it - and I believe it was very brief.  Kennedy gave his go ahead, but when the invasion went badly, he pulled the air support.  Afterward, Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the wind.  The animosity between the CIA and Kennedy was short-lived.  Except in the Miami office.  They never forgave Kennedy for his desertion of the invasion.  And this could be where the plot was hatched.

The most prominent agents in the Miami office were Howard Hunt, the station chief, and Frank Sturgis.  President Kennedy's popularity among Cuban exiles and nationals was practically non-existent and the hate was very high.  Hunt and Sturgis obviously knew this.  And the CIA had worked with the mob before and could have contacted them to see about the viability of all this.

And even here, it starts to break down for me.  First, I believe that in the case of Hunt and Sturgis, their first loyalties were always to Richard Nixon.  Both would go on to work for President Nixon's "Plumbers" unit and Sturgis would actually go on to be one of the Watergate burglars.  How did all of this come about?  Who financed what part of the effort?  Who provided the arms?  Who really directed the cover up?  While I do not believe that Vice President Johnson was ever directly involved in the assassination, he clearly put himself in charge of the investigation.  Normally, the investigation would have been handled by the Attorney General, but with Robert Kennedy as the AG (a man Johnson hated even more than the President), there was no way Johnson was going to put him in charge of it.  Not with a cover-up to direct.  With the assassination occurring in Texas, it was easy for Johnson's people on the ground to do their part.  No autopsy was performed in Texas (going against Texas law), the body was immediately removed from the hospital and flown to DC on Air Force One.  Then Johnson appointed the members of the Warren Commission to investigate and the rest is history. 

In this theory, Richard Nixon would have been some kind of facilitator.  First, Nixon always had close ties to the mob.  Second, Nixon had a long friendship with Kennedy that went ice cold after the 1960 campaign.  Third, I have long thought that Nixon and Johnson were political soul mates.  Both ruthless, highly corrupt, power hungry.  I believe that Nixon could have brought the parties together and it was likely Nixon who informed Johnson of what was going on and it was Nixon who got Johnson's buy-in to the whole idea.  Nixon's team would do the job, and Johnson would direct the cover-up.  I have long thought that after he became President himself, Nixon referred to this assassination way too much, and he spoke way too authoritatively about it.  One place where this breaks down for me is the placement of Texas Governor John Connally in the same car as the President.  I'm sure Nixon assured Johnson that nothing was going to happen to him that day.  But Connally was in a dangerous position.  Connally was a very good friend of both Johnson and Nixon (especially Johnson).  In fact, Connally would go on to serve as Treasury Secretary for President Nixon.

Certainly, this theory has holes in it.  Yet it is the most plausible of all conspiracy theories to me.  I'm not sure I believe it.  Then again, I am not sure I believe that Oswald acted alone either.

Thoughts & (Hopefully) Some Perspective on Government Shutdown

Whew!  We made it through the first week of the US government shutdown and the world did not end.  However, I could not help but notice lots of talk about this on my Facebook page, particularly from my liberal/Democrat friends.  Certainly, there was plenty of commentary about how this shutdown was entirely the Republican's fault.  It simply isn't that easy.

 

A problem this big was not caused by one party alone.  Both sides share equally in the blame for this shutdown and both sides share equally in the failure to date to come to an agreement.  Neither side will talk to the other, which makes any kind of agreement impossible.  The tactics employed by both sides are disgraceful.  Find me one adult, find me one leader in this whole mess.  There are none.  The Republican strategy of defunding the portions of the budget that include the Affordable Care Act are simply delusional.  Whether you like it or not, it is the law of the land and should receive appropriate funding.  For the Democrats to blame Republicans for the shutdown while they refuse to even bring one continuing resolution to a vote to keep the government operating is equally reprehensible.  And the President's failure to talk with congressional leaders of either party is an utter lack of leadership, which has been a recurring theme in his Presidency.  There is plenty of blame for all parties, not just one. 

 

Regarding the Affordable Care Act, the Republicans are right to argue about it.  Why should they embrace this law?  This law was passed on a strictly partisan basis, with bought votes in the middle of the night in back rooms, and through legislative sleight of hand by the Senate Majority Leader.  They are right to question whether or not this will truly lead to higher quality, more affordable health care.  They are right to question all the law's selling points in light of American businesses, particularly small businesses, conducting their affairs in perverse and sometimes strange ways to keep themselves operating in light of this law.  To watch small businesses doing handstands and cart wheels to avoid this law's mandates is sad, and for this country's leaders to sit back, watch it happen and do nothing is inexcusable.  Remember when it used to be a milestone for a company to hire its 50th employee?  Now, it is a millstone to be avoided at all costs.  Company's big and small should not have to cut benefits, especially to spouses and children, cut employee hours or fire workers to avoid the high costs associated with this law.  But, that is what's happening, whether at the community bank or at companies as large as Walgreen's and UPS.  It is not a "settled" law as the President says, and my best guess is that it will not be settled and accepted for at least another 2 to 3 generations, largely because of the manner in which this bill was passed into law.

 

Republicans need to accept that this is the law of the land and allow it to be funded.  Democrats need to understand that this is a deeply flawed law that is hurting American business and is damaging the economy.  And maybe...a big maybe...both sides can be grown up adults, talk to each other and see if a solution can be reached.  I need to pause so that I can stop laughing at that last statement.  This is going to take leadership, something that is utterly lacking in Washington these days, and maybe a miracle or two.

 

What this means for 2014 Elections

Unfortunately for Democrats, the Republicans hold all the cards in the 2014 mid term elections.  Never underestimate the Republicans ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  But as of now, they are in a clear position of strength.  First, the party that does not hold the White House usually gains congressional seats in the mid-term elections.  They usually have the more fired up voting base.  Next, the Republicans are trying to do away with an unpopular law.  Every opinion poll over the past 3 1/2 years shows that over 50% of the people surveyed disapprove of this law.  The latest polls from CNN and the New York Times show a roughly 3-2 edge for those who disapprove of the law.  The strategy the Republicans are employing is numbingly stupid, but polling data shows they are on the right side of this issue.  Finally, the Republicans in the house are largely in very safe districts while the Democrats are quite vulnerable in the Senate.  Currently, the Republicans hold 234 House seats while the Democrats hold 201.  In a recent article, Sean Trende of Real Clear Politics noted that Republican incumbents only hold 17 House seats in which that district voted for Obama in 2012. In other words, lots of safe Republican seats.  The Democrats would have to win all 17 of these seats while losing none themselves to Republicans to regain a majority.  Not likely to happen, and I would be amazed if the Democrats gain as many as 5 seats.  Meanwhile, Democrats must defend 22 of the 33 Senate seats up for election in 2014, including 8 in states won by Mitt Romney in 2012 (7 of those states Romney won by a double digit margin).