Mar
29
How to make it in socialism
By Katie Kieffer
HBO's 'How to Make It In America' is a comedy-drama about two entrepreneurs who pursue the American Dream in New York City. Image credit: HBO.
“How to Make it in America” only works if capitalism reigns in America. I have positive news and ideas that will help you take America back to her capitalist and Constitutional roots in the wake of socialist and unconstitutional Obamacare, which I discussed here, here and here.
Let’s all agree that there is no silver bullet to halt this Administration’s apparent obsession with creating “historic moments” and “fundamentally different courses” for America. There is no Capitalist Fairy who can sprinkle Reagan Jelly Belly beans down on liberal politicians and eliminate their hatred and shame for America.
There are real people, like you and me, who have the right to vote, free speech and assembly. If you feel like you’re alone in this battle to preserve freedom, you’re not. You have more friends than you might think. I’m going to showcase your biggest friends in this race to combat socialist takeover of American free enterprise so you can join them in making your voice heard:
The Tea Party Movement
Well, didn’t Sarah Palin give Sen. Harry Reid’s hometown a nice little surprise on Saturday? Between 9,000 and 11,000 people showed up in the small town of Searchlight, Nev. to rally with Palin and support a return to fiscal responsibility, limited government and Constitutional principles.
Thousands of Tea Party supporters rally in Searchlight, Nev., Saturday, March 27, 2010. Image credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong.
Compare this peaceful Tea Party rally with the hate-filled anti-capitalist protests on Wall Street that the mass media somehow “forgets” to show you:
Anti-capitalist protesters brandish violent messages on Wall Street, Sept. 25, 2008. Image credit: Flickr/Christy Thornton.
Searchlight’s rally is just one example of many Tea Party rallies that are happening all over the country. If you live in Minnesota, mark your calendars for April 15, 2010 because the St. Paul Tax Day Tea Party rally will take place at the Minnesota State Capitol.
Minnesotans should come together to show our state and federal government that we are tired of bearing the brunt end of their spending sprees. I will be speaking at this rally on how conservatives can reach out to young people. There will be many other exciting speakers, and you can learn more on the rally’s Facebook page. I hope that you can join us!
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
If you are a small business owner or an entrepreneur, you should pay close attention to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will alert you to issues impacting the small business community, so you can voice your opinion before it’s too late.
The same day Palin rallied with thousands of Americans to support free enterprise, the Obama Administration took yet another shot at capitalism and the American Dream by appointing Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
President Obama brazenly ignored the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to consent, and appointed Becker to the NLRB despite the Senate’s bi-partisan recommendation not appoint him, given his radical anti-business sentiments and shady ethical past (Can you say Acorn?).
Craig Becker
Here is a section of a letter that 20 trade associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, signed asking the President to refrain from appointing Becker:
“Mr. Becker has written that employers should have no role in union representation elections, thus calling into question whether they should be permitted to insist on secret ballot elections to determine union representation or whether they could be compelled to accept union authorization cards (“card check”). Furthermore, his writings clearly indicate that he would use his position on the NLRB to institute far-reaching changes in the law that would not merely interpret existing law, but would bypass the role of Congress in setting national labor policy.”
Given Becker’s affection for labor unions, which donated $300 million to put President Obama and Democrats in office, I can see why the President was unwilling to follow the advice of his congressional peers and the Constitution. What goes around comes around, right? Becker plus happy labor unions equals money in the President’s reelection coffer. ( By the way, the President’s contempt for the Constitution is nothing new. We witnessed it in his treatment of the High Court and in the backroom deal he cut with labor unions on the health care bill.)
With Becker’s appointment, expect to see more states propose “solutions” to eliminating budget deficits such as taxing limousine rides, comedians, clowns, strippers, lawyers, hot air balloon rides and other previously tax-exempt services, as Bill Hemmer revealed on “America’s Newsroom” this morning. I’ve never been a stripper advocate, but these are all “solutions” that would allow states to reduce their debt by hurting business instead of confronting bloated labor unions.
Here is your positive hope for pro-business change: The Chamber has been fighting the Becker appointment by helping small businesses understand the reality of Becker’s viewpoints. If more small businesses had joined the Chamber in opposing Becker’s appointment, the President may have thought twice before groveling at the feet of labor unions.
The Chamber’s work to oppose Becker’s appointment is just one example of Chamber resources that small business owners should take advantage of and participate in. Small businesses, such as those I interviewed last week, can look to the Chamber as a resource to help them understand the political issues that face them and collaborate with other small businesses to restore America’s healthy business climate.
I have even more positive news for you, so stay tuned.
Mar
26
Meet our economy’s hope
By Katie Kieffer
Katie Kieffer interviews young entrepreneurs: Charles Eide (Forever Films), Grady Newman (MyCore Industries) and Eddie Rymer (Marketplace Commercial). Video by Forever Films.
So you want to achieve the American Dream? I’ve interviewed three young entrepreneurs who are successfully building their own companies and I know you can do the same. With the help of Forever Films, I am proud to showcase my first film that will show you how and why you should be an entrepreneur, despite recession and government expansion.
I guarantee you will be inspired by the entrepreneurs at Forever Films, MyCore Industries and Marketplace Commercial. To watch this video in high definition, please click the horizontal bar and allow the video to fully upload (become a solid gray bar) before you play it. Then, crank up your volume, expand the video full-screen and enjoy:
Katie Kieffer Episode 1 from Forever Films on Vimeo.
I hope you are inspired to start or improve your own small business after watching this video and hearing the advice Charles, Grady and Eddie have to offer. I hope you share this video with a young person you know who has entrepreneurial aspirations but is afraid to start his or her own business. I hope you forward this video to your elected officials to show them what young people really want: Freedom to build their own destinies.
Entrepreneurship, and how this video came to be
I wanted to showcase the value of entrepreneurship, capitalism, limited government and small businesses on my blog. Particularly in the wake of the current Administration’s unconstitutional health care reform bill that will inhibit small business growth, I wanted to showcase the real engine behind our economy: Small business entrepreneurs.
Forever Films agreed to collaborate with me to showcase the value of entrepreneurship. Forever Films took an interesting conversation and turned it into inspirational dynamite in this video.
I could tell Forever Films owners and signature videographers, Charles Eide and Mike Danielson, were creative prodigies before I met them. While other college students were playing beer pong, they were creating a corporation. Eide started an event production business in college and I remember he and Danielson orchestrating dances and large events at the University of St. Thomas, my alma mater.
What I now realize is that Eide and Danielson are two of the most professional, outside-the-box entrepreneurs under the age of 25 in the country. They are absolutely phenomenal to work with, deliver an amazing service, and they are walking proof that limited government combined with free market principles and hard work are the keys to opportunity in America.
Charles Eide is a natural entrepreneur. He’s creative, he thinks big-picture and his passion, confidence and enthusiasm for filming is instantly apparent. His best friend, and business partner, Mike Danielson is equally confident. He brings a sense of calm professionalism to filming, which helps when you have a state-of-the-art HD camera sticking in your face. Both Eide and Danielson are gifted filmmakers who are following their passion.
I am excited to have discovered Forever Films because it is a privately held company with a solid character. While “business” is often portrayed as greedy, selfish and immortal, the truth is that entrepreneurs like Eide and Danielson are some of the most productive and generous people I know. Check out the Forever Films blog and read about the company’s respect for marriage, and how it shares these values with clients.
I think it is amazing that Forever Films is a young company with incredible depth of talent, creativity, passion and customer service. I absolutely cannot think of another company in the Twin Cities or even the country that does what Forever Films does – the way it does it.
Forever Films makes wedding films, not videos, and there’s a difference. To me, a film is about telling a story. A film showcases events in an imaginative way rather than a dull chronology.
If you could tell your corporate product’s story, your brand’s story, your wedding’s story, your life’s story – in a time-proof medium that instantly grabbed your audience – why wouldn’t you? I don’t know anyone who would choose “Blah” over “Aha!” But, many people choose “Blah” because they don’t realize what they are missing: Forever Films.
Here are some questions I asked Forever Films to help you get to know them and to inspire other young entrepreneurs:
When did you start the Forever Films? Summarize briefly how the two of you decided to come together to start this company? How does Forever Films work with its sister company, Epic Events?
We formally launched Forever Films in January of 2009 after much conversation and discernment about the direction and calling of our work. Charlie and I grew up next door to each other in Eden Prairie from the very beginning. Our interests and passions developed together as we grew up and experienced life with parents who were entrepreneurs and passed along similar ways of thinking.
Our entrepreneurial ventures began in 2003 with the forming of Epic Events out of an opportunity to be mentored by a national event firm, Ashley Events, out of Washington D.C. That business grew by double digits every year and peaked in the fall of 2008 when we co-produced over 38 events for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Today, Epic Events has decided to cut the number of clients it serves but maintains a select few. Videos have been a part of virtually every event we did, and that made the transition to Forever Films very easy and mutually profitable.
What is unique about Forever Films? How do you set yourself apart from larger corporations? Do you have a unique target market?
We have spent much time developing their skills and appreciation for capturing the amazing experience of weddings on film forever. Together, we have assembled a hand-picked team of other talented and dedicated videographers who are devoted to capturing your wedding for you perfectly as you desire. We also avoid these common pitfalls of other companies:
- We are professionals, while most “videographers” are shooting on old equipment that can be very unreliable and pose a lot of problems. Also, many “videographers” are older and have been in the broadcast field for years and are doing this as a side gig.
- In the wedding business, because most weddings are on the weekends, many people are weekend “wedding warriors.” They do this as a side job and it shows. They are used to shooting news from 500 feet from the scene on a tripod, not the groom launching the bride into his arms on the dance floor. This style is much different. At Forever Films, we do video all day, every day. So, we are professionals with a vested interest, not weekend amateurs. We at Forever Films believe in what we do and that is why we are committed to serving you.
Have either or both of you always had the dream of doing your own thing?
Entrepreneurshipruns deep in our blood. Neither of us can imagine working for someone else ever again! I am sure this is only the beginning of our entrepreneurial ventures.
Do you think that this recession is a perfect time to create your own opportunities versus relying on large corporations to provide them?
Money is always being made whether the economy is good or bad. The barriers to entry are lower and fewer during a recession. The economic cards are being reshuffled right now.
As young professionals, do you feel like it’s easier to take on the risk of doing your own thing while you’re young?
No doubt about it, having started young has been a huge advantage for us because there we haven’t had a whole lot to lose other than our time. Experience is the greatest teacher and we have had our share of failures thus far.
Where do you see your company a year from now?
A year from now, Forever Films will be one of the top 25 videography groups in the nation leading the wedding and event industry. We project our revenue to double and add two contract videographers.
What’s your website? How can people reach you?
Web: www.foreverfilmstudios.com
Phone: 763-898-3223
Email: forever@foreverfilmstudios.com
Mar
24
Small biz gon’ run this town
By Katie Kieffer
"Spoonbridge and Cherry" by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Image credit: Minneapolis City Center Elite Members blog
Small business entrepreneurs, listen to me. You are the fuel of our economy. You provide jobs. Real jobs, not paper-pushing tax collector jobs or busy-body federal regulator jobs. You dream big and your dreams become job-cranking innovations, like iPhones, while your public-sector peers dream of ways to tax your profits and restrict your growth.
Last week, I partnered with Charles Eide and Michael Danielson of Forever Films to produce a film that showcases the value of entrepreneurship. Here is the introductory sizzle reel, and the full show featuring three amazing young entrepreneurs will follow shortly. Turn your volume up and expand the video full-screen for maximum impact:
Katie Kieffer Show Opening Credits from Forever Films on Vimeo.
Some small business owners are latching onto Obamacare’s promised “tax credits for small businesses with under 25 employees” and mistakenly assuming that Obamacare is pro-small business. Obamacare will benefit you, if you don’t mind to setting limits on your corporate growth. But, if you are like most entrepreneurs who work for themselves because they want to push toward limitless income and growth potential, Obamacare will cramp your style.
The good news is that, as taxpayers, innovators and job creators, you are in the driver’s seat. The government needs to listen to what you want in order for the U.S. to shrug off recession and revamp the labor market.
Small business owners, now more than ever, need to come together and voice concern over the ways that Obamacare will restrict their income and growth potential. Consider these key points raised by David Hogberg from Investors.com:
Obamacare means limited income potential for small business owners
Envision yourself buying a plane someday? Sailing the world in your private yacht? Starting a foundation for disadvantaged children? These are reasonable goals of entrepreneurs who work hard in capitalist America, but impractical daydreams in the land of Obamacare.
If you have dreams that require making more than $250,000 a year, you may want to think again under Obamacare. Hogberg points out:
“You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. What? You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9015).
That amount will rise to a 3.8% tax if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts. You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Like you need to ask. (Section 1402).”
Obamacare restricts your corporate growth
Have you ever envisioned expanding your company nationally or even internationally? Have you dreamed of becoming the “world’s best” in your niche? Obamacare shatters these entrepreneurial visions to pieces too. Essentially, Obamacare demotivates small businesses and entrepreneurs from growing “too big” or becoming “too successful.”
Obamacare fines large businesses (a “large” business is one with more than 50 employees) and rewards small businesses with tax incentives. This structure is a slap in the face to hard-working entrepreneurs who could take their businesses to the next level, and consequently create more jobs, but don’t want to pay a penalty or lose a tax break.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce‘s recent “Business Barometer Survey” indicated that 61 percent of businesses surveyed considered Minnesota’s high taxes to be “the biggest barrier to creating jobs in the state.” This indicates that your fellow small business owners likely feel the same way you do, and you could have collective strength in lobbying for a healthy business climate.
Exercise your right to free speech and let your elected officials know that you resent the current Administration’s arrogant attempt to control and tax small business growth with Obamacare. You need to show your elected officials and public-sector peers that “for-profit” is not synonymous with evil or greed. You need to tell your stories of small business struggle and success so your fellow Americans understand that capitalism is the key to freedom, prosperity and opportunity whereas socialism begets bondage, poverty and restriction.
Do you really want Michael Moore to get the last word on business and capitalism? Do you really want Gisele Bündchen, Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Speaker Pelosi to be the only jet-setters in America?
Grab your fellow entrepreneurs and local Chamber of Commerce leaders and stand up for your rights to “liberty” and the “pursuit of happiness” in America, which entail the opportunity to create your own destiny and set your own income level through hard work in a free market system. Collectively, you will bring yourselves closer to achieving the American Dream and building your own corner offices.
Watch out bureaucrats, small businesses are gon’ run this town again.
Mar
22
Get your HCR happy pills
By Katie Kieffer
Here’s a little known fact about me: I went to medical school. Oh, you didn’t know I’m doctor? Yeah, I’m humble like that. I normally don’t shout my MD from the rooftops. But, since the House unconstitutionally approved President Obama’s health care reform bill last night, I’ve noticed that the majority of Americans look depressed and could use some care.
Lucky for you, I have a thriving private practice curing government-induced depression. I normally charge for my services: My clients pay in gold so I never feel the impact of Bernanke’s junk dollar. But, to honor this “historical moment,” here’s a free drug sample from my medicine cabinet that will turn your frown into a smile so natural you won’t even need a referral to Rep. Pelosi’s Botox doctor. Take these happy pills and you’ll feel better in no time:
Dr. Kieffer’s Happy Pills
Drug Facts:
Active Ingredients (in each tablet)
- Realistic optimism
- Perseverance
- Knowledge of American History
- Understanding of Constitutional rights and liberties
Uses
- Combat fatigue, frustration, mental despair and sadness induced by the Constitutional transgressions of elected officials.
- Restore checks and balances to the U.S. Congress so it listens to constituents, denies bribery and upholds the Constitution.
- Preserve capitalism and a low tax system – necessary for small business owners and middle class Americans to thrive.
Do not use if you have ever let a ride in Air Force One determine your core values or if you have ever had an allergic reaction to truth or fiscal responsibility.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), departs Air Force One after he flew with President Obama to a rally in his Cleveland district on Mar. 15, 2010. Image credit: Associated Press.
Ask a doctor before using if you are a member of Washington’s largest drug lobby, PhRMA, and stand to gain from Obamacare. These pills will work like diabolic 3D glasses when you watch re-runs of pernicious PhRMA TV ads, causing upset stomach and heartburn.
Directions
- Mature adults: take 1 to 2 tablets once a day, as needed, with tea and a slice of All-American apple pie.
Apple pie & tea. Image credit: Joe Wigdahl/Getty Images
- Immature adults and children: Stay away from Congress, and resign if you are currently holding office. Take 10 tablets a day until you develop a firm appreciation for Constitutional rights and freedoms.
Inactive Ingredients
- Political affiliation. These pills will work whether you are an independent Tea Partier, a Republican, a pro-life Democrat or a fiscally responsible American. If you love the Constitution and freedom, these pills were made for you.
- All-natural flavoring: Whiskey. Because a tablet-sized drink a day keeps socialism away!
Questions or comments? Happy thoughts only please. We will bring each other and our country down if we wallow in depression instead of springing to action.
Mar
18
Out popped a drug lobby
By Katie Kieffer
Forget the U.S.-Mexico border for a moment. We have bigger drug cartels to contend with.
Have you flipped the TV on this week? You’ve probably noticed some version of a commercial with the subheading “PAID FOR BY AMERICANS FOR STABLE QUALITY CARE.” Americans for Stable Quality Care is a front group for PhRMA, which stands for Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, the largest drug lobby in Washington.
The commercials are soothing, professional and put viewers at ease on Obamacare:
PhRMA needs a front group like Americans for Stable Quality Care because PhRMA has been cutting backroom deals with the Obama Administration on health care reform. Last weekend, drug industry lobbyists like PhRMA literally sat down with Democrat staffers and agreed to drug-friendly verbiage in the bill, The Washington Examiner reports.
Furthermore, PhRMA spent $26.2 million lobbying last year and PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin met with the White House at least 11 times to ensure that the drug lobby’s interests were included in the Obamacare bill. The Los Angeles Times reported that Tauzin has been so influential that last year he convinced the President to, “overturn the very Medicare drug policy that Obama had criticized on the campaign trail.”
Just last weekend, PhRMA agreed to spend millions running pro-Obamacare ads like the one above in “43 districts where a Democratic candidate stands to suffer for supporting the bill.”
This week’s 43-district ad surge is PhRMA’s last minute push to pass a bill that will ensure a whopping 22.2 percent profit margin for the drug industry while taxing middle class Americans into poverty. The White House’s relationship with PhRMA isn’t new, but thanks to “Americans for Stable Quality Care,” most people don’t know about it. Last August, Politico reported that PhRMA donated $12 million to put similar ads up.
TIME Magazine also reported last August that the White House privately cut deals with PhRMA yielding, “an estimated $3.7 billion windfall for the industry.” According to TIME, these deals were so egregious that they even miffed some House Democrats.
The next time you watch a TV ad sponsored by Americans for Stable Quality Care you’ll know it was purchased with drug money.
Mar
17
Why liberals hate Obamacare
By Katie Kieffer
Many liberals are angry. Really angry. Whether politicians or voters, they feel cheated, and rightfully so.
Liberals may be swayed by emotional arguments, stubbornly bike down the middle of the lane during rush hour traffic and tote organic health food co-op membership cards with more pride than attorneys flash bar cards. But, logic-deprived or not, liberals are first and foremost Americans.
Here is their short list of grievances with President Obama’s health care reform bill and process.
Grievances of Congressional Democrats:
A recent Gallup poll shows that only 24% of Democrats are “enthusiastic” about the 2010 elections while 44% of Democrats are “unenthusiastic.” Seeing these numbers, Congressional Democrats who haven’t already jumped ship know that their constituents are boiling with rage over unfilled promises and unpopular legislation, such as Obamacare.
In fact, nearly a dozen House Democrats facing reelection have made a point to stay as far away from the President – once viewed as a charismatic political asset – as possible. Congressional Democrats are likely frustrated by their choice between ignoring their constituents and showing “courage” by voting “yes” on the health care reform bill. If House Democrats choose their constituents, the Administration has threatened to overstep them and the Constitution by allowing pernicious plays such as “deem and pass” or “reconciliation” to force the bill through.
Democrats undoubtedly feel betrayed by their President who is resorting to name-calling. He will call them wimps if they vote against his bill, but they know they’ll lose their jobs if they vote for it. The President does not seem to care much for their political future, or, more importantly for the wishes of their constituents. By threatening to use “deem and pass” or reconciliation, Rep. Pelosi & Co. are confiscating the responsibilities of Congress and assuming the role of dictator.
Grievances of liberal voters:
Even liberals who mistakenly thought government could solve moral dilemmas, such as helping uninsured Americans afford insurance, were never sold on Obamacare. “The high point in public support [for health care legislation] was 51% in October,” reports Gallup.
As of March 7, 2010, only 45 percent of Americans thought that Congress should pass Obamacare. Liberals are now realizing that corruption infiltrates both political parties. DFL scandals such as streakerciser White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Tickle-Me-Massa, and Rep. Charlie Rangel’s spring breaks to the Caribbean aren’t helping things for the Administration’s case.
If it weren’t for perfectly timed sob stories, like Anthem Blue Cross’ proposed rate hikes, the current health care plan would have been burnt toast. 75.9% of Americans disapprove of Congress, according to Real Clear Politics polling data on March 17, 2010. Liberal and conservative Americans alike want politicians to go back to the drawing board on health care reform.
Maybe all the antioxidant-rich organic co-op produce is working after all: Liberals are waking up to realize that the President who promised he would not raise taxes on the middle class is now pushing forward a health care reform bill that does just that. According to a nonpartisan joint Tax Committee study, the “bill would hit [middle class] taxpayers directly through new taxes and fees and indirectly through taxes levied on health care providers and passed on to consumers.”
66 percent of my liberal carrot-juicing peers were sold on President Obama’s message of hope and change. (In their defense, McCain was not an inspiring alternate.) Some young liberals now recognize the discrepancy between President Obama’s talk and his nonexistent results and are pulling away from his government takeover plan. Gallup reports that, today, only 20 percent of voters 18-29 are “very enthusiastic” about voting in 2010.
Take a look at these groups on Facebook and tell me young people aren’t frustrated with Obamacare. I have listed just a few:
304,059,724 against Obama’s Healthcare takeover
1,000,000 Voters who want politicians to have the same health care we do!
1,000,000 Against Government Run Healthcare
Mar
15
Misers break ballers’ ankles
By Katie Kieffer
Image credit: Ben Woloszyn Photography/www.benwphoto.com
If you can’t buy a bucket, you have no business in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I blogged here about how the NFL is corrupting itself with perverse “equalizers” like the Rooney Rule. I wrote here and here about Congressional plans to force college football to switch from the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system to a playoff system.
Although Big East Commissioner John Marinatto is getting chatty court-side with former president Bill Clinton and ESPN did an extensive story and video stepping us through President Obama’s bracket, the NCAA doesn’t need politicians to break its players’ ankles and short-sell its fans – it’s doing it on its own.
The NCAA is currently considering expanding its tournament from 65 to 96 teams. The 96 expansion option is a good analogy for what can happen when bureaucracy, greed and politically ambitious snobs multiply, whether in business, politics or entertainment.
Scrambling for pennies
The NCAA generates 90 percent of its income through the NCAA tournament. Now, some sports analysts and coaches are accusing the NCAA of trying to boost profits by expanding March Madness to include more teams at the expense of the sport, players and fans.
“Jim Isch, the N.C.A.A.’s interim president, and the 18 university presidents and chancellors on the Division I board decide” whether to change the tournament’s format to the 96 team system, The New York Times reports. If they do, it will likely have the following repercussions:
- Hurt students. ESPN analyst, Dick Vitale, says it best, baby!
ESPN sportscaster, Dick Vitale. Image credit: Associated Press
“To mess with something that is so good is absurd. What they should be doing is concentrating on the integrity of the game and doing something about the current student-athlete. For example it is an absolute disgrace to the term ‘student athlete’ in the manual of the NCAA guide when we look at the one-and-done scenario.
The one-and-done is simply a situation of players playing to put their skills in front of NBA people and hoping to go to the next level and could care less about academics, could care less about the value of an education. They should be concentrating on that.
They should be concentrating on violations and things happening within our system that have led to the embarrassment and humiliation at Southern Cal, what happened in the Memphis situation. All of that should be in consideration not spending time trying to ramrod 96 teams and to blow up something that has been so fantastic to so many people. It is the greatest three weeks in all of sports. Why don’t we just go to all 300 and let everybody in?”
Furthermore, Davidson Coach Bob McKillop told The New York Times:
Davidson Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop. Image credit: REUTERS/John Gress.
“Isn’t this whole thing a window into society? We’ve diminished so many other things. We’ve diminished test scores. We’ve diminished admission policies. We diminish so much for reasons that are not accentuating excellence and performance. It’s almost too inclusive.”
- Water down the tournament.The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that ESPN’s resident bracketologist, St. Joseph’s Joe Lunardi: “…recently put together a mock 96-team bracket for this season. Carolina was one of the last teams in, and 13 of the 16 Big East teams made it.”
ESPN bracketologist, Joe Lunardi. Image credit: AP.
“I think that’s silly,” Lunardi said. “I really don’t know how else to say it, and that’s no disrespect to the 13th team. . . . From a basketball standpoint, [expansion] is absolutely not necessary. No team that has a legitimate chance of being a national champion is excluded now. It’s not like we need a bigger field to make the champion more legitimate.
“I hope they give it considerable thought. How great is it when a late regular-season game has so much meaning or a conference tournament game has so much meaning? To a large degree, that will be diluted if the most dramatic expansion plan goes into place.”
- Let down fans. As Michael Hiestand of USA Today puts it:
“Diminishing the Big Dance and popping debates about who’s on the bubble would inevitably devalue college basketball’s regular-season, conference tournaments and its NCAA selection show.
And other than gratitude from coaches hanging onto their jobs because grade inflation got them into the tournament, what would the NCAA get in return? Probably lots of new games of little interest to casual fans nationally — thus lots of low ratings.
Consider that CBS’ first-round NCAA time slots last year, which combined regionalized audiences from overlapping games, averaged 4.2% of U.S. TV households. Showing teams that wouldn’t make the tournament in its present format likely would produce smaller ratings.”
A better strategy
Hard work, sacrifice, perseverance and a positive attitude are traits of leaders. Minnesota Gopher basketball coach, Tubby Smith, motivated his players to ignore the naysayers and overcome team challenges to achieve a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Smith pushed his players to come together as a team and demand respect from the college basketball community. He set the bar high, and his players responded. High, yet realistic expectations are the best motivators in life.
In our government, as in sports, there is a tendency to lower expectations so that “everyone is a winner.” Some people and some teams are losers and they don’t deserve a trophy, get over it. They won’t work hard, they have negative attitudes and they are unwilling to make sacrifices to achieve goals.
Likewise, the NCAA needs to trust that the money will come if it does right by its players and fans and sets high levels of performance expectations. This will improve the game and bring long-term money to college basketball. Otherwise, its unchallenged ballers will be running to Kobe Bryant for ankle insurance that covers their weak, unchallenged ankle tendons.
Mar
12
Blah health care, talk law
By Katie Kieffer
Image credit: Richard A. Bloom/Corbis
Blah, blah, blah. Stop talking about health care for 15 seconds. You have until at least March 18th to analyze Speaker Nancy Pelosi and streakerciser Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel bludgeon Congress to vote for Obamacare.
Let’s talk about the stories of legal manipulation and scandal that this administration is happy you aren’t paying attention to while you’re focused on jobs and health care.
President bashes Supreme Court
It takes uber gall and immaturity to lambaste a comrade. The current administration is well endowed in both deficiencies, so it was smashingly successful in breaking with American history, decorum and the Constitution during the State of the Union Address.
We have yet to hear an apology from the President for ganging up against the Supreme Court and chiding justices for doing their job. The President arrogantly and inappropriately used his State of the Union address as a bloody pulpit to bash the third branch of government and mischaracterize the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
Thankfully, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts had the confidence to denounce the President’s actions this week. When a University of Alabama law student asked him about the occurrence, he responded: “I think anybody can criticize the Supreme Court. On the other hand, there is the issue of the setting, the circumstances and the decorum. The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court — according to the requirements of protocol — has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling.”
Image credit: Jay Reeves, AP
Pointing out the obvious fact that the Supreme Court justices only attend the State of the Union address as a courtesy to the President, and the justices rarely even applaud throughout the speech to maintain an appearance of impartiality, Roberts said, “I’m not sure why we’re there,” particularly when the President treats the High Court with disrespect and hostility.
Eric Holder’s secret ‘al Qaeda 7′
Last week, Keep America Safe ruffled feathers by demanding maturity, transparency and respect for the law from an administration that just held a casual health care summit where the President rolled up his sleeves and addressed congressmen by their first names.
Since President Obama appointed Eric Holder as the U.S. Attorney General, legal ethics has taken a tumble. Holder completely mishandled the Christmas day underwear bomber national security threat, and he has been unwilling to disclose his previous viewpoints on mirandizing terrorists that differ greatly from those he holds under Obama’s watch. He has also been less than forthright on his work with the infamous Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Now, the Attorney General has refused to release the names and associations of seven of the nine attorneys who represented Guantanamo detainees. This led Keep America Safe to produce the video above. It certainly is not common practice to withhold the identities of either attorneys or clients, so Holder’s silence has led conservatives such as Ann Coulter to question whether there is a political agenda or association to hide.
Federalist Society co-founder, David M. McIntosh, stated: “Was the [Justice Department] person acting merely as an attorney doing their best to represent a client’s case, or did they seek out the opportunity to represent them or write an amicus brief because they have a political or personal agenda that made them more interested in participating in those [terrorist] cases?”
Federal judge lines ACORN’s pockets
This week, U.S. District Judge Nina Gerson unconstitutionally declared that a rotten little nut called ACORN had a “constitutional right” to taxpayer money to continue its “important” work for the community including voter registration fraud, and other nefarious deeds.
I try to think the best of people, so I’m happy to see that Judge Gerson legislates from the bench to keep our President’s pet radical group alive with taxpayer money during a recession. Plus, it looks like you can be a sexy Acorn for Halloween again in 2010! Or, you could be boring and go as Obamacare. Blah, Blah, Blah.
Image copyright Amie Kieffer 2009. All rights reserved.
Mar
10
Throwing treats to lapdogs
By Katie Kieffer
If you want to make more money than your private sector peers, get a job in PR or broadcasting for the government.
Warning: You will make more money, but you will lose all creativity, input, control and ownership over your work.
PR and broadcast professionals generally fall into three important camps – news managers, news relaters, and news interpreters. They help preserve the rights and freedom of all Americans when they work independently of government pressure.
This month, USA Today released a report showing that federal employees make significantly more than private sector employees in comparable occupations. The biggest public-private pay variances exist in the average annual salaries of public relations managers and broadcast technicians.
NO MORE BULLDOGS
Let’s take a look at the monetary “treats” that the federal government is offering private media “watchdogs” (broadcast professionals) and news managers (PR professionals) to turn them into federal lapdogs:
The government seems bent on eliminating investigative journalism, specifically watchdog journalism. At the end of the day, many decisions come down to money. Particularly during a recession, people will choose careers and employers based on the size and stability of their paycheck.
So, by creating such a large pay variance between private sector and public sector PR and journalism professionals, the government will remove “unsavory” viewpoints from the public arena. And, even if a few stubborn private media moguls, such as Rush Limbaugh, Jason Lewis, Michael Savage or Laura Ingraham persist in their watchdog roles, the government will eventually be able to squelch their voice with its army of highly paid federal PR and media employees – unless this trend is stopped.
We can already see this happening with The Associated Press (AP), which has become an agent for The Man. Remember how the AP assigned 11 reporters to Sarah Palin? Remember how AP reporter, Calvin Woodard, wrote a “Fact Check” article claiming that small businesses do not create jobs?
Remember how the AP conducted its own poll to show that supposedly, “More Americans believe steps taken to reduce global warming pollution will help the U.S. economy than say such measures will hurt it?” Here’s the shocking truth: The AP conducted this study in Nov., 2009 but withheld release of the “results” until Dec., 2009 during the same week as the Copenhagen Climate Conference.
Additionally, the AP study was conducted by allegedly independent firm, GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media, which boasts a cozy polling partnership with the AP since 2008. Rush Limbaugh reported that, “In contrast, the New York Times/CBS News poll was conducted between December 4th and 8th, and it doesn’t show the same results and details.”
President Obama presents at Copenhagen. Image: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek.
GfK also recently conducted a study indicating that PBS (which operates through federal funds from the innocent-sounding Corporation for Public Broadcasting) is “the most trusted and unbiased source for news ahead of Fox News Channel, CNN and other commercial networks.”
Let’s connect the dots: The AP has a reputation for construing the facts in favor of liberalism and the current administration’s agenda to expand government. The AP also partners with a not-so-independent research firm that conducts polls favoring man-made global warming myths and federally-funded broadcasting.
USA Today’s report reveals that it “pays” to work for the government. So, unless the public becomes aware of these facts and demands media watchdogs, not treat-plumped lapdogs, expect to see more PR and media giants follow the AP and GfK’s trend of construed news.
Mar
08
How Playboy denies men
By Katie Kieffer
John Mayer copycats beware. You may think you are playing the field, but your field is limited. If you’re a Playboy fan, you might be missing out on an entire species of spectacular women. Playboy is not the bare-all industry you thought it was.
You may need to go on a safari and wear your night vision goggles to find the type of woman I describe. She doesn’t have a blaze orange spray tan or flaunt a Playboy Bunny cotton tail. She’s elusive, confident, strong, independent and smart. And, yes, she’s intimidatingly attractive.
The type of woman I describe is a ravishing conservative woman. Playboy hates this type of woman because she is a threat to the image of women it wants to portray. A conservative woman is independent. She does not rely on a sugar daddy – male or Congressional – to make her decisions. She believes that her body is her own property and no one, especially the government, has the right to tell her what to eat, how to eat or when she should abort her children.
This past June, Playboy released – and then quickly pulled – an article by Guy Cimbalo entitled: “So Right It’s Wrong: The Top 10 Conservative Women We Love To Hate,” lambasting opinionated, outspoken, and gorgeous conservative women including:
- Michelle Malkin, described by Cimbalo as,“This highly f—able Filipina.”
- Michele Bachmann, for whom Cimbalo violently announces,“Chemical castration has begun to look appealing.”
- Laura Ingraham, judged by Cimbalo to be an “insipid” “racist and sexist.“
- Mary Katharine Ham, regarding whom Cimbalo warns, “You get this one pregnant, she stays pregnant. Karma’s a bi—, isn’t it?“
My assessment is that Playboy cheats men by pushing them to “hate fu–” conservative women and look for these key attributes in partners:
- Immature and girlish. As your girlfriend(s) grow old, be like Hef and trade them in for a new, younger set, preferably twins for double hanky-panky. According to Playboy, women should live in Neverland and never grow up, along with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Women should tether themselves to men 50 years their seniors who serve as R-rated “grandfathers,” not soulmates.
- Image from “The House Bunny” starring Anna Faris.
- Stupid. Take it from a few of the Las Vegas Club Palms Playboy Club Play Bunnies themselves:
- What is your favorite way to waste an afternoon?
HOLLY: Watching Divorce Court – and eating. - What is your favorite book?
JANNAH: Jennah Jameson‘s autobiography. - Who is your biggest inspiration?
JANNAH: My mother…and Hugh Hefner, of course! - What was the hardest part about learning to become a dealer?
MELISSA: Counting all the numbers; they all started looking the same!!!
- What is your favorite way to waste an afternoon?
- Apathetic. No opinions please, just shake your bunny tail and bring me a cocktail!
- Submissive. Sure, they might have their own reality show or modeling agent, but at the end of the day, women are the property of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. Playboy upholds women who flaunt their looks and make themselves objects so that Hef can profit. Playboy is helping men idolize “yes-women” and despise women with true intellectual and physical appeal. Playboy needs a new model of women that is based on reality, independence and equality.
Jacuzzi in the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas
