Realizing you're not the best and implement President-Elect Barack Obama's plan to resolve The BCS fiasco

I had lived in North Carolina for a few months. It's known as one of the meccas for basketball. One day, a fellow classmate who was a little taller and stronger than me elected to play a one-on-one game during recess. Both of us had good range from the outside and made our shots. As the game progressed, he proved to be too much in all facets: silky smooth dribbling, rebounding, defense, and post up positioning. Chip was an outstanding basketball player and great guy. I was humbled, and this was the first time I just conceded that there's someone else out there who is better.

When living on the border of Michigan and Indiana, also two great states for producing great basketball competition, I wasn't really challenged. There was another guy my age named Andre who could dribble behind his back that left all of us marveling at his flashy abilities. My height proved to be too much for Andre though. However, this didn't take away the fact he was a better ball handler and distributor. My move to North Carolina and aging into adolescence was a stark reminder that my peers began to physically mature at a rapid rate.

My days of competitive basketball and tennis continued. I was humbled to play around a core of guys that won two straight championships and undefeated seasons. On this team, I was the sixth man to come off the bench. I was grounded once again, knowing those five guys out there ahead of me are just better. This didn't mean there weren't days when one struggled and the other had to carry the load. Essentially, sports provided me life lessons that continue today.

I want to be a great creative writer. Reading earlier works, I'm never going to surpass the works of those who transformed generations and still do to this day. One writer stands out to me -- Henry David Thoreau. During his time, reading was a luxury and considered entertainment. Today, it seems how many cool, trendy pictures posted on a Facebook page are most sought after. Thoreau was a voracious reader with a fastidious eye for nature. His writings were beautifully crafted and yes, I had to have a Dictionary resting next to me. He reminded me I will never reach that literary level. This still doesn't mean I'm going to quit, because I know my work speaks to how we interact today opposed to those in the 19th century. I'm not writing with the intent that my work will one day reach a broad audience and continued to be read long after my time here is gone. We move on. And so, I can accept my accomplishments or lack thereof will collect dust and wither away over time.

Barack Obama wants to see an eight-team playoff for The Bowl-shit Championship Series

My friends and I are passionate about college football. This is pretty much the first topic for discussion. Which team looks to be the best out of them all? Who matches up best for the national title game? Which conference fields the best overall teams top to bottom? And so on.

College football offers what the National Football League doesn't. Every week is a playoff game. Basically, if a team loses one game, its hopes for a national championship greatly diminish. These programs have some of the most loyal fans as well. I'm just tired of hearing my dad say, "They're rebuilding" when it comes to Nebraska's program the last several years since a drubbing to arguably the best college team ever, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

The college game, for the most part, provides you with players who don't have all the distractions of lucrative salaries, endorsements, and answering to franchise front office shenanigans. They take the field each week, knowing for many of them, it could be one of their last games. This is where the intensity greatly surpasses your average NFL game. At the end of the season though, we're all left with that same lingering question, "What if that one team who didn't get to play in the National Championship played the National Champion?" We won't know the answer to that.

Bowl games are really inconsequential. Only one truly matters. Sure, seniors and others still gear up and play hard, but it's really for pride and nothing more. I think Obama made a great point when saying we should have an eight-team playoff. Now, will this solve all the controversy? No. You'll still have a few teams who fans believe will be left out. However, if handled correctly, it could leave little doubt. Here's how I believe it should be handled.

Make the bowl games count. All the teams who qualify for BCS bowls play against each other. The winners of these games and those like your Utahs, Boise States, and Ball States this season who still finish undefeated should advance to a tournament format. Simply pit the highest ranked team, which is currently Alabama, and have them play the lowest which would be a Ball State-like team. The interest and intrigue will still be there. With this system, the human bias and questions on who has the toughest schedule subsides. You truly have the best team who stands out in the end. Then again, this is all hypothetical and more than likely, we'll be talking about this for years to come. It's whether fan interest and active participation can trump big Bowl contracts and endorsements that flow into these programs' athletic departments.

Tweedle Dingy Dee and Tweedle Dumb are great preludes for future Reality T.V. ideas

Joe Wurzelbacher a.k.a Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin are the gifts that keep on giving. On practically every T.V. appearance, these two reiterate how retarded the Conservative brand of the Republican Party really is. I want them to continue volunteering their two cents for media outlets. Why?

Joe the Plumber became an instant folk hero for McCain-Palin supporters when he said Barack Obama's tax plan sounded like "socialism" to him. Obama responded to higher taxes for Joe by saying, he "wants to spread the wealth." Mental gymnastics ensued. Joe don't know taxation distribution. If Joe read a history or political science-based piece, he would learn every Presidential administration has redistributed tax revenue and refined tax codes.

We all remember how lame McCain-Palin supporters were when Joe the Plumber became their instant folk hero. People gathered at the rallies proclaiming their average goofs just like Joe. It was a massive group therapy session. Please state your name and occupation. "I'm Carl the Periodontist." "I'm Jim the Taxodermist..." These were all reaffirmations they could accept one another despite their insecurities. Credit the unlicensed plumber, admitted back taxes owing, and morally and factually incorrect so-called average Joe for the shenanigans that ensued throughout the campaign.

It gets better for Joe. Latest gossip reveals he's in the works for a country music recording contract. First, it was a book deal and now, we learn he could be our next "Nashville Star." So far, Joe is 0 for 2 on his knowledge of tax policy and truth telling. This is his chance to redeem himself. Could he be our next Johnny Cash, or could we be so lucky to find him involved with a potential lip synching controversy when and if the album is distributed?

Last night, I tuned into watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Like Keith, I hadn't seen this latest viral video showing Sarah Palin interviewed in front of a few turkey grinders. We can only speculate why this was filmed where a guy was literally shown chopping off a turkey's head. I think Palin told the reporter and film crew, "Oh, this looks like a great spot. Do you guys want to do it here?" "Sure," the reporter responded. I hope you don't lose your appetite for Thanksgiving while watching this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-kjM1asH-8

Sure, Palin made several gaffes during the campaign. The Katie Couric interview was a disaster for her. Couric appeared to transform herself from a reporter to therapist in a matter of a few seconds. Palin was asked how she stays abreast on current events. She said she reads whatever is thrown in front of her. Couric asked what she read. Again, Palin said she just reads whatever she stumbles across. As a former sports reporter, you would think she could list a specific publication.

We also learned Palin didn't know what countries were involved in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Couldn't she have been given a hint like what countries comprise North America? And finally, there was that other infamous portion of the Couric interview when Palin couldn't list one Supreme Court case decision she opposed. All this said, these actions didn't stand out the most.

I have a younger brother with autism, so I empathize with Palin and her family raising a boy who has Down's Syndrome. It's a very trying task to raise a child with special needs. My sentimental feelings subsided when I continued seeing Palin and her husband hold this child like he was a football or rag doll. It was like these two were running with him to score the game-winning touchdown. But, this is one half the problem.

Palin pledged at her Party's convention she'll be a friend and advocate for others who live or work with those who have special needs. At a press conference, she was baffled that the French government was funding a genetic research project to study fruit flies and effects protein has on autism. Anyone who has taken a science class knows fruit flies serve as an indicator species. One of the genetic triggers researchers say causes autism is a lack of protein in a chromosome by one of the carriers. Oops. Palin did it again. She might provide a friendly voice, but she completely goes against her own interests for research that could even help her son down the road. Then again, what can you say about someone who believes the Earth is 6,000 years old?

I love Palin and Joe's actions, because they're reflective of the Conservative Party. Rational thinking doesn't apply for these people. They want to implement Draconian laws and return to the 1950s when they know they're not coming back. So, this all leads to a potential, hot new reality T.V. series.

The new reality show could be The Neanderthals. Small-minded people can participate. It's not a complex concept. These guys can be filmed blasting secularism, snarky comments about others who think and act different from them, and simply what their typical days are like. Who knows? Palin and Joe's comedy literally wrote itself. Comics everywhere couldn't script their spiels any better.

Laziness has taken over

This has been a very tiring week. I think I overextended myself at work. It wasn't busy, but I took it upon myself to finish as many projects as I could. The end result has left me completely comatose for large portions of each day, and thus, I haven't been in a writing mood. Here's a tune for ya' I enjoyed listening to this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo3ZnHJ0KTQ

No bailout this time and I'm now a Bowling God

My 1995 Ford Mustang V6 convertible is still running strong. This was a graduation gift/insurance money from an accident on how I received it. Compared to today's vehicles, it still gets good gas mileage. There were a few major repairs on it over the years, one that included replacing the engine after a few casket heads were blown. I take pride knowing its an American product, but my outlook on our American auto industry is completely different.

The auto companies asking for a bailout have been dubbed "The Big 3" -- General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. A few years ago, GM had an opportunity to receive a patent on the hybrid. Upper management said it didn't make "economic sense" to pursue one. The end result: GM lost a few billion dollars the next quarter. These companies, like our federal government, need a facelift. They're still operating with a 20th century mindset.

Congress will cave in to their whims. Trust me. If this is the case, here's what I want to see happen. The treasury has spent $290 billion to buy back what first was supposed to be bad assets. Now, Henry Paulson is saying it's stocks. There needs to be transparency and Americans are entitled to know in writing exactly what it is our tax dollars are being spent on.

I think Paulson is the fall guy, and the administration is responsible for how this bailout is being handled. If the auto industry is granted a bailout, there needs to be stringent conditions attached. 1.) Have these companies provide a comprehensive business model on how they're going to improve their products and services. 2.) Each company needs to provide a balance sheet on all expenditures and gains made. Is upper management spending too much on golf retreats? That needs to stop. 3.) There have been some recent improvements with designs and fuel efficient vehicles by these companies. Most important, they have to make necessary changes with their upper management. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these individuals are older and simply have out-of-date ideas. Bring in younger, idealistic minds that can deliver.

Conservatives blame unions for these problems with the auto industry's dire financial straits. Well, the CEO of Goldman Sachs whined to a Senate Committee recently that he and his cronies won't be getting their Christmas bonuses. Tough. This guy and those directly under him are earning over a billion per year. Do the simple math. The auto industry is no different. Unions aren't the problem here.

I'm a Bowling God

Robin and I joined eight of our friends Saturday night for bowling. I hadn't bowled in ages, so it was fun to renew another sport I enjoy. We bowled two games. The first game, I blew away everyone with a menial 138 score. It should've been higher, but I missed some easy spare opportunities. Drama ensued during the second game.

After downing a pitcher of beer, my muscles began to relax. I had too much of a carefree attitude as well. My good friend and also the guy I visit every Sunday for a few games of PS3 Madden 'o9 online, had a sizeable lead over me. I had to revert back to my old, competitive self. His lead dwindled, as he stopped marking in the later frames. I, on the other hand, began picking up spares. It came down to the 10th frame and naturally, he was giddy that he was about to win. I had to mark.

I placed my hand over the vent, grabbed my ball, and meticulously looked at the arrows below my feet. O.k. I need to stand between the second and third arrows. I rolled the ball hard down the lane where I wanted it; it was heading to the side of the head pin. The pins cracked and fell over except one. Damn it. One pin was left standing on the far left hand side of the lane. This won't be an easy spare shot.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. I grabbed my ball, meticulously looked at the arrows below my feet, and moved a little further to the left. I gently extended my arm, reached my hand out like I'm providing a hand shake, and placed some spin on the ball as it slowly moved towards the pin. Come on, come on. Yes. I made a direct hit smack dab in the middle of the lone pin. I just needed a few pins to secure a victory. My next attempt was a perfect strike. What a way to end the game and conquer my competition. As I let him know along with Robin, I'm now a Bowling God.

Would you like to see a magic trick? Don't blow it out of proportion. Watch this short clip:

I'm sure many of you have seen this film already. Honestly, I didn't enjoy the film the first time around. There were too many things I looked for and didn't receive. However, I was able to absorb everything that was happening the second time around and gained a much greater appreciation for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glWUlkgjg-c

Dr. Giggles is at it again

Georgia's 10th congressional district congressman, Republican Dr. Paul Broun and unfortunately my representative, was at it again yesterday. This is the first time I think I favor Nurse Ratchett's character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. "It's time for your medication, Dr. Broun. Medication time, medication time..." Based on my previous posts, Broun is out-of-touch on practically every single policy position and panders to the lunatic Evangelical Right. This is the makeup of this district's majority. Yesterday, in an interview with the Associated Press, Broun is the symbol of The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. Here is the article:

Georgia congressman warns of Obama dictatorship
By BEN EVANS – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist or fascist dictatorship.

"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."

Broun cited a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.

"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."

Obama's comments about a national security force came during a speech in Colorado about building a new civil service corps. Among other things, he called for expanding the nation's foreign service and doubling the size of the Peace Corps "to renew our diplomacy."

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," Obama said in July. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

Broun said he also believes Obama likely will move to ban gun ownership if he does build a national police force.

Obama has said he respects the Second Amendment right to bear arms and favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he'll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault weapons and concealed weapons. As an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on firearms generally.

"We can't be lulled into complacency," Broun said. "You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential."

Obama's transition office did not respond immediately to Broun's remarks.

O.k. This is just completely absurd to compare anyone to Adolf Hitler. Obama said this statement to help rebuild America's infrastructure and repeatedly has used the Peace Corps as a gateway for those wanting to attend college. Here's the gotcha' part. This wasn't the first time Broun made these statements about Obama.

It was reported hours after Broun made these statements, he issued an apology and used the old: I didn't mean it, my comments were taken out of context, or I regret my harsh comments and look forward to working with President-elect Obama. This is the same as a child getting caught lying to a parent. Back in July, Broun spoke to his sheep at the Augusta Rotary Club and made these same statements. So, it's scary he truly believes this. He can try all the mental gymnastics he can muster and believe he's scoring 10s from this point forward. His colleagues should ignore his extremely out-of-touch mainstream views.

Oh, the 2nd amendment reads like this: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I don't see individual right used in this original text. It was written to protect Americans from the British militia. Broun is on an island of his own along with Justice Antonin Scalia.

Yes, Broun made it on Olbermann's Worst Persons in the World last night
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27669754#27669754

Barack Obama and Ronan Harris are two guys I'd have a beer with and moving to An Age of Tolerance

My Republican friends were very gracious and optimistic about Barack Obama after his historic victory. They did share their concerns, and we discussed them at length. I love these guys, and we've been there for one another through difficult times and transitions. We agree that we share an unabated enthusiasm for football, music, and hot chicks.

Barack is a symbolic representation of tolerance. In a time when interracial marriage was frowned upon, Barack gained an appreciation and understanding of his parents' backgrounds. He has fought many battles as a community organizer and civil rights attorney to ensure Americans are given equal opportunities. His victory, along with an increasing majority of Democrats in Congress, still hasn't completely sunk in yet. I'm optimistic he represents the best qualities of all of us.

Ronan Harris

It's strange how I discovered Ronan Harris' band, VNV Nation. It's eerily similar to how I discovered Live. I hadn't heard a single song by the band. The album cover of Mental Jewelry attracted me. First, mental jewelry to me meant how the mind is very precious and can contribute so much to others. Second, Ed Kowalczyk is shown bare-chested with his arms folded as a cross burns in the background. Finally, my symbolic interpretation was moving forward from all the divisiveness narrow-minded people use. The burning cross was purposely placed in the background to demonstrate the past and Ed's picture in the foreground served as a promise for moving ahead with a humanitarian mindset. Sure enough, the music and lyrics were like nothing I heard before and did touch on my initial interpretations.

One day, Robin wanted to look around inside Hot Topic, a trendy clothing store in the mall. There was a small rack for CDs. A few were on display for shoppers to listen to with headphones provided. By coincidence or fate, I was attracted to the band name, VNV Nation and its album entitled Truth+Matter+Form. I listened to a few tracks and was immediately hooked. There was a great mixture of melodic sounds meshed with hard dance rhythms.

My creativity has been greatly inspired by my subconsciousness. Dreams are a perfect example. Some early poems I wrote focused on postmodern architecture I saw in these dreams. These buildings often were made out of glass and slanted from its base to apex. Ronan touches on this similar observation and other creative outlets that has inspired him to write beatiful music and lyrics. Here's a link to an article written several years ago. Yes, there's poor grammatical usage in it, but it's easy to overlook:

http://www.mk-magazine.com/interviews/archives/000117.php

Olbermann's Special Comment

Like Keith Olbermann, I don't have any gay friends. However, one of the core principles of liberalism is tolerance. Keith delivered a powerful special comment last night on religion's divisiveness and how it dilutes simple kindness to EVERYONE. This includes the gay community. Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y04wYfgWxeA

Fear, Fear, Fear

Our country is faced with enormous challenges. Based on what I've learned about many Presidents, George W. Bush can arguably go down as the worst President ever. He has served with the utmost incompetence and arrogance. Now, Joe Biden delivered a very powerful statement a few years ago at a breakfast held somewhere in New England (might've been New Hampshire but can't remember): "When George Bush fails, my country fails."

People around me with varying opinions have expressed their fear about an upcoming Obama administration. It doesn't help they're Republicans, but that's not an excuse to end our friendships. Here are samples of what I've heard: "He's just going to give handouts to other blacks." "How is he going to help homeowners? You had too many sorry people who bought homes and couldn't afford them." "There are still too many racists out there. If someone shoots him, you better get ready to buy a gun."

I'll try my best to convey exactly how I responded to colleagues and friends who shared the aforementioned sentiments. Let's start with the first statement about handouts and welfare. NAFTA was an unpopular policy passed during the Clinton administration. This wasn't the main problem though. During his final years, corporate welfare continued to take a front seat, as Clinton pandered more and more to the Republicans. More and more jobs were getting shipped overseas and unions increasingly lost their memberships. I still pull out the Noam Chomsky line: "The wealthy elite are always first in line for public services." Look at how much we recently spent on corporate welfare.

In Augusta, the consolidated government is divided half black and half white. They answer to their churches and communities first and Augusta as a whole last. This is dysfunctionality at its worse. On this first point, I kept reiterating how Barack will reward teachers with higher pay for performance. He's also asking for self-reliance similar to John F. Kennedy. Government can't solve all the problems. His ad nauseum stump speeches reiterated this when he continued saying parents (or guardians) are going to have to put away the T.V., computer, and video games and get their children to do their homework.

The mortgage meltdown is the second concern. Barack pledged he will go back to the recent economic bailout bill and revise it so taxpayers will be given breaks. Also, he's proposing to have a 90 day moratorium on those facing foreclosures.

Yes, the economic bailout was widely unpopular. We've still seen CEOs and top executives spending lavish amounts of money through their pensions on our dime. And yes, part of the blame can go to some who were in over their heads and reckless with their finances. The blame also goes to many unscrupulous lenders who deliberately juxtaposed the language in the contracts to obtain higher commissions.

Finally, I'm scared to death something tragic might happen just like the next person. Ronald Wilson Reagan -- 666. Six leters in each name. Some nut thought he was the antichrist and tried to take Reagan's life. There were plenty of poor decisions made during Reagan's administration: Failing to acknowledge how AIDS is contracted and informing what the virus was for nearly three years that led to mass hysteria for people thinking it could be contracted by simply touching someone who had it, war on drugs and giving users outrageous prison sentences when it was spread to the streets by corporate titans and other influential people, enormous tax dollars spent on the military industrial complex, and empowering the Religious Right who continue to defy Jefferson's vision of our Democracy.

I was told Barack will side with the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Barack is much more sympathetic for gay rights and rights for all than Jackson and Sharpton. I spoke with Jackson and interviewed one of Sharpton's chief surrogates. They don't represent Martin Luther King's vision. Sorry. Include the late Coretta Scott King. MLK and Coretta believed in equal rights for all. Unfortunately, Sharpton's chief surrogate was reluctant to acknowledge rights for the gay community when I spoke to him. This was an event for Social and Economic Equality and how the Bush administration used gay discrimination as a distraction. I quickly learned this man was also indifferent to gay rights. Finally, he gave a politically correct answer by saying he doesn't fully adhere to the Holy Bible. I asked a few minutes later for a business card in case I wanted to follow up with him. Nope. Hmm.

There's lots to fear, but Franklin Delanor Roosevelt lifted a nation before we headed into another World War. I'm sure you're familiar by now, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." We can just hole ourselves up for the remainder of our lives. That would be easy, right? I'm confident we've turned another page in our history, and the vast majority of us have risen above petty prejudices and discrimination. Who knows? My outlook is no matter how bad things are around me, there's always someone else out there who has it worse.

Keith Olbermann to Conservatives: 'You don't matter anymore'

Keith Olbermann had a humerous Worst Persons in the World last night. Basically, it was the Conservative all-star team featuring William "The Bloody" Kristol, Rush "Where's my Oxcontin?" Limbaugh, and Bill O' The Clown. Simply, Keith said about each, "You don't matter anymore." Let's hope these divisive, anti-enlightening hacks will lose more and more attention in these upcoming years. Here's the video clip and I had to pull it from another seemingly fellow liberal blogger:

http://gordspoetryfactory.blogspot.com/

Barack's win is a mandate for change and why I support the Democratic Party

In 2004, I worked as a journalist for a small community newspaper about 40 miles away. It was exciting. Each day, you didn't know what to expect. Journalists are also empowered to investigate and dig deep creatively for engaging stories. This was my first stint and unfortunately, I worked under two bullies who controlled the newspaper. It wasn't pleasant, had to bite my tongue on a few occasions, retaliated with some sarcasm on some others, and worked under an intolerable authoritarian who felt it was o.k. to discuss another employee's performances to me when it was my second day on the job. This is a very cutthroat business, but I have no regrets with my many fond, memorable experiences I was able to gain.

One of my first stories was based on a local attorney's strong fan support for the University of Georgia's football team. He received his Bachelor's and Juris Doctorate from the school. Inside his small office, there were numerous framed posters of famous moments throughout the football program's history. For a brief time, he was also an amateur golfer. It was a shrine of Masters Tournament and University of Georgia football memorabilia. After the story, he was extremely gracious I had written it and wanted to introduce me to others in town. I joined the Lions Club and quickly formed a friendship with him. Like myself, he was probably the only liberal in this town.

When I began my employment, his wife worked as an advertising executive at the paper. She was one of the sweetest women I met there. One day, I was jotting down on my notebook story ideas. All of a sudden she said there should be coverage of seniors at the local nursing home. Stop. My heart began racing. This was a wonderful idea, so I was granted permission by Atilla the Hun, oh, sorry my boss, to feature each Sunday a senior citizen's story.

Each story was unique. I enjoyed the woman who loved playing Bingo and placing on her bedroom walls several collage pictures. There was another man from Texas who was a diehard football fan, and we spent a few hours talking about our favorite football memories. However, each story wasn't rosey or positive.

One woman described how she was abused as a child by her mother. It was gut-wrenching and most of our time together was spent with her continuing with this narrative. I had to write something positive and eventually, it was limited to some friendships she gained with her neighbors.

I went on to another newspaper where I questioned the powerful elite in town and lost my job over it. If I had to do it all over again, there's not a damn thing I would change. Legally, I could've sued this publication for wrongful termination but didn't. This was where I interviewed Jesse Jackson, an innovative foot orthotics doctor who makes special foot inserts for household name athletes and those stricken with arthritis, a world renowned artist, and one of the tobacco whistle-blowers. I trade all this away in a heartbeat for those moments I spent with the seniors. They paved a way for us, and their contributions shouldn't be ignored or forgotten.

My outlook on government is this: Government should always serve those who can't fend or serve for themselves. People first in line should be veterans, seniors, and the disabled. Like myself, these guys don't ask for handouts. They just want a little more and unfortunately, these seniors weren't able to benefit from the opportunities provided to us today. Barack has said it best a few times: Am I my brother and sister's keeper?

Even though I support the Democratic Party, this doesn't mean I won't ride Barack's ass like I did on some policies Clinton made during his last term. Inevitably, there will be some disagreements. I know he's a great human being and shows a very compassionate spirit for those around him. Last night's event was unique in so many ways. One theme you could see in the faces from the crowd at Grant Park in Chicago was a hopeful optimism that we can do better. Here is a replay of last night's Presidential victory speech Barack delivered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU

Make Election Day a Federal Holiday and simplify the process

Election days are set on Tuesdays. Tuesday? This is a very daunting task for many registered voters who set aside their time from work, despite the unexpected events that might transpire. Your boss might tell you if you're gone for more than a few hours, your job will be eliminated. If this is the case, the employer doesn't deserve your services. You might have an important meeting with key clients while still waiting in line at a precinct. Why not mandate this day as a holiday?

Many Americans no longer work the traditional 9-5 Monday through Friday work weeks. So, it's even difficult to just say let's hold the election day on Saturday or Sunday. Democrats want full participation every election cycle. The higher the turnout, the more this favors the Democrats. If we had the high numbers like France with 90+ percent, Republicans wouldn't win a general election unless Democrats practiced gross incompetence during their last terms.

Voting Machines

Have any of you seen Man of the Year? One thing writers like Kurt Vonnegut have taught us is absurdity and science fiction eventually turn into reality. Bill Maher said it best: Voting machines would be cool if this was 1969. As we know, computers are just giant fuck up machines. They're like a silicon version of Gary Busey. You never know when it's going to explode. This is how I look at these Diebold machines.

I never understood what was wrong with just old-fashioned paper ballots. You receive one, punch a hole next to the candidate's name you choose, and that's it. Computers are vulnerable to viruses and glitches like anything else. Complaints have already been voiced at some precincts about these machines. Additionally, many lines can easily be avoided by simplifying the process and going back to paper ballots. This way your not having to stand there pushing your finger against the screen, scrolling down it, and finally picking your selection. It's silly some of these precincts only have a few machines for hundreds who wait. This is one area where I always will be old-fashioned.