Worth More Dead Than Alive

Today the bullet ridden body of former Tiger standout and NBA player Lorenzen Wright was found in a wooded area near his ex-wife's home. His thirteen year pro basketball career even included a five year stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. I don't want to point fingers prematurely but let's not focus on the obvious. No doubt he was probably robbed but there's a bigger picture here. Both his professional and private lives had taken heavy blows lately. He suffered the death of a child, a divorce and two foreclosures. His high standard of living was definitely on the decline. For those people with legal and legitimate claims. He may be worth more dead than alive.

The Bus

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How The Stimulus Works

It is a slow day in a small town, and streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.

A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.
As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Co-op.
The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.
The prostitute rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.

The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything... However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a Stimulus package works.

Mel Gibson Is Just A Man

It has become tiring to some of us that anything Mel Gibson says or does that isn't PC is the news story of the day. So what if he is a biggot? I don't agree with everything he says in his oftentimes drunk inspired rants, but he is entitled to his opinion.

Is hipocracy the order of the day? Very few people can claim Gibson's commitment to the causes he supports.He has a history of giving generously. It's not like he is getting on the podium and making his personal thoughts public. The comments in question were made during a private conversation. The last time he made disparaging remarks about a race, it happened during an arrest. I can't recall anyone having a positive experience in that same situation. Those people who have had unfavorable encounters with the police, wish for as much attention. Since the average person doesn't get the same treatment. The media should stop hanging on his every word. Mel Gibson is only a man.

Two Opponents

This photo doesn't even look authentic. That looks like a Barack Obama impersonator.I would guess the two of them have never formerly met. In my opinion this is just another example of influence for sale. I bet Steve Cohen doesn't have a million dollars in his campaign fund now. Cohen said he was expecting this announcement. I'm sure this endorsement was solicited by his camp. You can expect a generous donation,if not already in the future, to the re-elect Obama for President bid on Cohen/s behalf.. I'm sure they have a donors list.

This was a heavy blow against the former mayor, I hope Herenton realizes he gave then the bat they're beating him with. A black president coming forward pledging to work with a white incumbent Congressman dispels his notion of racial disparity. I heard Willie Herenton give his reasons for his past record. That's the message he should have been pushing all along. This move put him in a precarious position. He now has two opponents.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/13/obama-endorse-steve-cohen-today-9th-congressional-/

George Steinbremmer(1930-2010)

It's The Going Rate

I am not defending the high salaries in the MCS, but the argument might be a little one sided. All the top earners combined earn less than one percent of the entire city school budget. Using the same logic and criteria that most people and obviously the kocal newspaper is using. A equally convincing case could be made againnst the heralded county schools. Their payroll appears to be the most top heavy percentage wise, but that doesn't get equal press.

I don't want to sound like a broken record but I hear the music. If Kriner Cash were of a different persuasion ,we might not be having this conversation. It's kind opf like when people complain about the salary of the Memphis mayor and you bring up Southhaven. Though tthey have less than 100,000 citizens Mayor Duckett earns $125,000a year.Look at the huge salaries collected by Kevin Kaneand Jim Rout at private venture whose biggest clients are the city and county governments. Since our situation is not unlike other situations across the country. It's the going rate.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/11/mcs-officials-among-top-paid/

Serious In Seattle