CommenTerry

Classic Rants and Raves #45

A series of small missteps can be more lethal to success than a major blunder.       

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Exactly how many "trials of the century" occur in an average decade?    

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I hate to admit this, but the plot lines of most of today's movies and TV shows are way too sophisticated for me. I have great difficulty following along with them.

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Most charities will show their gratitude for your donation(s) by quickly asking for more. 

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If someone you've never heard of sends you information about an "investment opportunity" and first makes a point of telling you that he/she is a Christian, there are two things you can be sure of. First, the investment opportunity is bogus. Second, that person is not a Christian. Discard that letter quickly! 

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There is one downside to having good credit -- you are constantly being bombarded by credit card offers in the mail, even from companies with whom you already have several cards.

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Philip Morris is now distributing a booklet on how to quit smoking. Do you think Budweiser or Miller would ever distribute anything on how to quit drinking? Don't hold your breath.

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Just as ignorant notions seem silly to the intelligent, intelligent notions seem silly to the ignorant.

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Someone once asked me why the Pope is often referred to as the Pontiff. While (being a Baptist) I'm no expert in the area of Catholicism, I took a stab at answering the question anyway. I explained that part of the Pope's job is to pontificate; in order to legally pontificate, one must be a Pontiff!

How About This Immigration Compromise

What to do with the illegal aliens who are already in the United States? That's that the debate currently going on in Congress. One thing is for sure -- they are not going to be deported. Some kind of compromise will be reached that will allow them to remain in this country. Call it amnesty if you want, but something will be worked out to let them stay here. Everyone seems to have their own ideas about what it should entail, so I'll offer one of my own. Any compromise that allows illegal immigrants to remain in this country should include the following requirements:

1) They should be required to learn English and pass a rigorous test on it before being allowed to become U.S. citizens.

2) They should be required to sign a statement acknowledging that they have committed a criminal act by entering this county illegally. That statement should include an indication of contrition, i.e., that they are truly repenting of what they did. 

3) They should be deemed ineligible during their lifetime for welfare, food stamps, SSI, Medicaid, and other government giveaway programs. However, they would be eligible for earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare.

4) They should be subject to deportation upon their first conviction of a felony.

5) They should be required to wait at least five years to become U.S. citizens.

6) Employers should be exempt from having to pay them the minimum wage during the time they are waiting to become U.S. citizens.

7) They should not be eligible for any in-state college tuition rates before becoming citizens of the U.S.

It's Almost Over for Hillary

As of this writing, Hillary Clinton was holding on to a very tenuous lead in Indiana, with the votes in Lake County (expected to be friendly to Barack Obama) having yet to come in. But even if she holds on and squeaks out a narrow victory in the Hoosier State, her presidential campaign is almost over. The thumping she took in North Carolina means that, no matter what the outcome in Indiana, she will have lost ground to Obama in both pledged delegates and popular votes as a result of Tuesday's primaries. That was something she could not afford at this point. Now it is all but impossible for her make up her deficit in delegates, even if those from Florida and Michigan are seated at the convention.

Her only chance now is to convince the super delegates to throw the nomination to her. However, this is not going to happen. She will use the electability argument, but to no avail. There is no way the super delegates are going to disregard Obama's superior numbers in pledged delegates and popular votes just because Hillary is doing slightly better than he against John McCain in some current hypothetical polls. Hillary will fight on until the primaries are over on June 3, but her realistic chances of capturing the nomination have already come to an end.

Outlook for North Carolina and Indiana

Today's primaries could be a turning point in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. If Barack Obama wins both, the race will likely be all but over. If he and Hillary Clinton split them, the race will probably go on until the primaries are over on June 3, with Obama the eventual winner after trading a few more wins with Clinton. If Clinton wins both, her late momentum will continue, with a realistic chance that she could run the table on the remainder of the contests. If this is the ultimately case, she could convince the super delegates to side with her and hand her the nomination, despite her deficit in the race for pledged delegates -- which she would be unlikely to make up under any circumstances.

Random Rants and Raves #128

When searching for a previously visited website in Internet Explorer's dropdown "address" window and are unable to find it, it can usually be found at or near the top.            

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Partial obedience will often be counted as disobedience.   

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To be a critical thinker, one must pass everything he or she hears, reads, or sees through the prism of common sense and avoid taking anything at face value.

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One who is willing to win any cost does not deserve to win.

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Why did President Bush recently attend the graduation ceremonies of an insignificant high school of only 18 students? Okay, so the high school is in Greensburg, Kansas -- the town that was devastated by a tornado last year. But what's the point?

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Hillary Clinton rails against the Bush Administration for being friendly to the "well off and well-connected." However, the fact that she's well off and well-connected makes her railings ring hollow.

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One way to maintain a smile (or perhaps a smirk) on your face is to always think of a funny joke, of just something silly.   

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I'm all for lowering the drinking age to 18. If some people want to ruin their lives with alcohol, beginning three years earlier, that's fine with me.

Why Not Fake a Field Goal First?

Here's something I've often wondered about. In a scenario that's played out over and over in the NFL during overtime games, a team will get the ball inside the other team's 10-yard line and decide to kick an all-but-certain field goal on first, second, or third down to win the game. However, as we all know, there's no sure thing in sports. Once in a while, the kicker misfires, giving the other team new life. For the life of me, I don't know why more NFL coaches don't fake a field goal in this situation before actually trying to kick one. For example, they could set up for a field goal on second down, and then have the holder catch the other team off guard by throwing to a receiver in the end zone for a touchdown. Since the defense would not be expecting it, it's highly unlikely that that the pass would be intercepted.

If it fails, the field goal could be attempted on the next down. That gives the team on offense two chances to win, first by trying for the touchdown and then by trying for a field goal if the touchdown try is unsuccessful. I only recall seeing this done once - during a Monday night game in 1978 between Dallas and Washington. The Redskins faked a field goal on third down, caught the Cowboys completely off guard, and scored a touchdown. Game over.

An Often Overlooked Key to Happiness

When listing their keys to happiness, many people overlook (or take for granted) the concept of good health. Think about it - most of the things listed as being necessary for happiness would not be possible and/or enjoyable without having good health. Therefore, I believe that good health should be at the top of any list of things required for happiness.

Now, I know there are those who claim they can remain content in the midst of pain, suffering, and ill health. I don't doubt their claims at all. However, those people are few and far between. For most of us, it's impossible to he unhealthy and happy at the same. When our health goes, our good times are gone as well.

Baseball Example Highlights Unpredictability of Life

Back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s there were four Major League Baseball franchise relocations over the span of just seven seasons. In 1966, the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta; in 1968, the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland; in 1970, the Seattle Pilots move to Milwaukee to become the Milwaukee Brewers; and in 1972, the Washington Senators moved to Texas to become the Texas Rangers.

Following the Senators’ move, most baseball people assumed that another franchise would be moved to Washington, D.C. in no more than a couple of years. That seemed logical, considering the trend toward franchise moves. Besides, the last time a team left Washington (when the original Senators left in 1961 to become the Minnesota Twins), it was replaced with the expansion Senators before a single season had passed.

Well, those people appeared to be right on target in early 1974, when the San Diego Padres were on the verge of being sold and relocated to Washington. Topps even printed “Washington” instead of “San Diego” on some of the Padres player cards that year. The impending move would be baseball’s fifth franchise relocation in nine seasons. However, enter McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc. He stepped in at the last minute and offered to buy the team and keep them in San Diego. Baseball owners, weary of the recent spate of franchise moves, welcomed his offer and saw to it that the team was sold to him. The move to Washington was off, as he made good on his word and kept the team in San Diego, where it remains today, years after his death.

Still, the baseball world was confident that another baseball opportunity for Washington was just around the corner. It wouldn’t be long before another franchise would be sold and relocated to Washington. They reasoned that there wouldn’t be a Ray Kroc to come along and rescue the next team that went up for sale.

No one in their wildest dreams would have guessed that it would be 33 years before Washington would get another team (when the Montreal Expos were relocated to Washington in 2005 to become the Nationals).  Even more surprising was the fact that there were no baseball franchise moves at all for 32 seasons, after four of them occurred in just eight seasons. Who knew?

Even if you’re not a baseball fan, there are some lessons in here somewhere. First, trends are temporary. You never know when they will abruptly end. Second, just because a certain condition exists now doesn’t mean it will always exist. To paraphrase what they say in the investment world, past (or current) performance is no guarantee of future results. Times change. If times are good now, don’t assume they will always be. Instead, be prepared for the inevitable setbacks and downturns of life. Third, never made the mistake of assuming you’ll get another opportunity soon. Sure, opportunities may be presenting themselves to you right and left at this point in your life. But that’s no guarantee that you’ll ever get another one. Take opportunities seriously -- don’t let them slip through your fingers.

Is it I or Is it Me?

Here's a good way to determine whether to use 'I' or 'me' at the end of a sentence. I call it the "verb test." First, try the sentence using 'I' with the most logical verb possible, i.e., 'am', 'was', 'have', 'had', etc., behind it. Does the sentence make sense with that verb at the end? If so, use 'I'. If it doesn't, use 'me'. For example, "Billy is taller than I (am)." In this context, the 'am' makes sense, so use 'I'.  However, let's look at another example, "Do you want to go to the store with Billy and I (am)?" That sentence sounds silly with the 'am' (or any other verb) at the end, doesn't it? So, it should be, "Do you want to go to the store with Billy and me?" That concludes today's grammar lesson.

Don't Give Away Stuff That Doesn't Belong to You

It is extremely rude to allow someone with more than a handful of groceries to cut in front of you a supermarket checkout line, if there are others behind you. By allowing someone to cut in front of you in that situation, you are also allowing them to cut in front of everyone who is behind you. Many people do not consider that fact. If there is no one behind you, then it is truly a courteous gesture. However, when people are behind you, you are giving away other people's time, which is not yours to give. It's like taking money out of your own pocket and giving it to someone, but then also confiscating money from the pockets of several other folks and it giving it to that same person.