Me and the Geek Squad

Today I am a man. I moved up to a 46” LED Samsung flat screen smart television. In the process, I learned much about myself. Mostly I am an old fart that was wallowing in some electronic limbo holding cell. Given that I run a website and even know some html which enables me to put all those fabulous You Tube videos into the site each week, I liked to think of myself as being somewhat technologically savvy. Of course, I still believe in the Easter Bunny.

Walking into to Best Buy was a humbling experience. But the digital gods must have been smiling on me as I entered the television section. Some guy named Dan…some kid named Dan…came up to help me. This dude knew his stuff.

He taught me about plasma televisions (great for dark rooms); LCD televisions (probably the brightest you can buy); and LED televisions with backlighting which make them perfect for bright rooms, and somewhat less desirable for dark rooms. There is a reason for that. I learned that when I turned the lights off in the family room, the television set dims itself. If I wanted to brighten the picture, I had to turn on a light. It was cool brightening and dimming the television by turning the sofa lamp on and off. I wised up and read the instruction booklet and figured out how to stop that from happening. But it was fun while it lasted!!

I decided to go all out. I wanted the best of everything, except for 3D which I never liked in the movies why would I want it on my living room’s television. So Dan of Best Buy had a field day with me. He sold me the television, a television stand, HDMI cables, screen cleaner. He sold me a new router to solve a long standing problem with my home network. This was important because the Smart TV hooks into my home network to access the internet so I can buy Samsung apps and download from Netflix!!!! My problem was ultra difficult so it needed an ultra router which cost an ultra $160.00!!!!

Then Dan sold me on the Geek Squad because there was no way in hell I was going to attempt to put all of this stuff together. The contract to buy my house was easier to understand than how the Geek Squad charges because they piggy back price reductions the more they install. Dan didn’t have to sell me, I just told him to sign me up. This he did, after he tried to sell me $175.00 universal remote that would “sync all of the functions” whatever that means. I passed on the remote.

So the cost of the television was $1,000.00 after price checks with the new JJ Gregg store in the middle of the Best Buy parking lot. But with the router, the cables, the 4 year warranty several consumer companies told me to buy for an LED television with little lights that go out, the router, the television stand, the installation and the sales tax…let’s just say I will be eating peanut butter all summer!!

But there was good news tonight. Best Buy Dan, the dude who sold me the stuff, was kicked upstairs. I was there on his last day of sales, and I was his last sale. Guess who came to my house to install the stuff. Good ole Dan. They moved him into service...and he could sell stuff off the truck!!!!

Dan, and for that matter me, was a little taken back by my lack of technologically advanced gizmos. No, I don’t have a desktop. I have a laptop and net book (“You actually bought one of those things?” he asked. “Dude, you need a pad.” Isn’t a pad a bachelor apartment?)

He was intrigued by the old style tube Phillips portable television in my “office”/spare bedroom. It is attached to an original Nintendo. It was like he was looking at an Edison Disc Player. And my router…how old is that piece of _______? And my old flat screen 32” television that weighs 200 pounds and has 10 year old circuitry that will last for next 25 years? Didn’t even know they made those. And my cable box???? Fuggetaboutit! Dude, there is no HDMI attachment to this cable box. They only made these for a year then dumped them. I was defeated. I was dejected. How could I be so un-cool?

But all’s well that ends well. Dan was a super salesman, and he and his partner Marc were even better installers. They were fast and efficient and knew their stuff. My network now actually reaches into my family room, which I couldn’t get to happen for years. My new television is up and running and is actually easier to use than my old television. It is connected to the internet and my blue-ray player…which is also now connected to the internet. My Bose radio, which I use as my “sound system” is attached to the television and linked to my computer. And the new cable box with the HDMI connection is so slim and tiny, it could fit into my wife’s purse. These guys were good. Oh ya... did you know the new televisions don't come with RCA plugs, the standard to connect stuff for years!!!!  When you're out, you're out!

I have to give snaps to the Geek Squad and Best Buy. I paid a lot of money, and it was worth every penny. I only have one problem, there doesn't seem to be a place to insert my VHS tape.  I think maybe I better call Dan.

Hello! Republicans! We need a candidate!!!!

In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the Greek father of the bride said of his daughter's betrothed, Ian Miller, that he and his family were like white toast. That came to mind this morning when I heard a talking head on television say that Tim Pawlenty goes out each weekend to paint the town beige. He's a nice guy that has done a great job as Minnesota governor; but that pretty much sums it up. What’s a Republican to do?  Where is the sizzle?

In all my days I don’t think I ever seen such an array of white toast Republican candidates. My goodness…even the ones who decided not to run aren’t much better. Consider Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana. I think they had to wake him up to say he wasn’t going to run. He did it by email at midnight on a Saturday night. Governor…Governor…wake up!!!!! He said it was to protect his family…maybe his on again off again on again wife? Hey…she doesn’t have any problems. Maria Shriver…now there is someone with problems.  Again, one of Indiana's finest and most successful governors, but a little like a glass of baking soda.

Then there is Mike Huckabee who gave us a big Huckano making his exploratory efforts a big Huckabust. He is the Lawrence Welk of politicians. I kept looking for Joe Feeney and the Lennon Sisters on his television show. And uh one…and uh two…thank you boys. Champagne music anyone?

So who is left? Mitt Romney has his Mormon robes wrapped around his health care legislation in Massachusetts. Seriously, cartoonists are already talking about Romney’s garments. Then there is Ron “let’s legalize heroine” Paul. I actually like the guy and agree with him more than disagree. But let’s get real!!!! There is always Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Who? You know…the guy who lost his senate re-election bid by 15 points. Ouch!!

My favorite candidate with no chance in hell of winning is Herman Cain. What a great guy and an absolutely boffo orator. I sure love a good political speech. He is African American and THE Tea Party favorite…you know, the folks that Nancy Pelosi said were just short two eye holes in their sheets. For those of you who don’t know, Herman Cain is African American and the former CEO of Godfather Pizza. He can’t win…but if he did we sure would eat good! There is always a silver lining!  Maybe he's not ready for prime time this cycle...but he has potential next time around.

Undeclared but threatening candidates are Sarah Palin (if only she could drop that whiney voice down an octave); Michele Bachmann (another Minnesotan running against her governor - Tim Pawlenty); Representative Paul Ryan (heavy hitter but looks soooo young); and some guy named Huntsman who served as Ambassador to China for Barack and is now back to run for President as a Republican.  He must be from Utah because he served as governor...another Mormon?  (let’s start with if I don’t know who he is, neither will anybody else notwithstanding his serious gravitas).

The same guy cracking Pawlenty this morning said the solution for the Republicans is to hire Tony Soprano to visit Chris Christie in New Jersey and make him an offer he can’t refuse…then pay a visit to Marco Rubio and tell him he will be VP or find a horse head in his bed.

THAT is who Republicans want. And I predict THAT is who Republicans will get.

Monitor School Lunches Today - Cavity Searches Tomorrow / Big Brother is Watching

I saw on the news where the City of San Antonio, Texas, is spending $2,000,000.00 (that’s two million dollars) to put cameras in local school cafeterias to keep tabs on what students are eating for lunch. And you want to know why Johnny can’t read. I am so angry I could scream. This is so wrong on so many levels that it almost unfathomable. What are we doing, folks? Are they really serious about this?

Here is how it works. Students are issued a bar code (I am not making this up). When they go through the pay the bill line, a camera takes a picture of the food on the plate. When the students are done eating, another camera takes a picture of what is left on the plate, then calculates the number of calories eaten by that student. The numbers are tallied, and sent home to the parents. It is being funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, and plans are to have these in all schools throughout the country.

I don’t even know where to begin. We are becoming so desensitized to this type of government behavior it only got mildly raised eyebrows on Fox News. It is in some of the print media that I have found some degree of appropriate outrage.

It is none of the government’s business what I eat…or what my kid eats. The food police in some schools have become so strong, they are banning home bagged lunches for fear some student might bring in some contraband into the school…like an Oreo.

Now you know why voters are outraged. Enough is enough. Kids are failing in schools. Many schools can’t afford to buy books. Class sizes in Detroit are approaching sixty students per class. And what does our government spend money on? Cameras to monitor school lunch trays. Unbelievable.

If the government wants to cut the budget, here is the place to start. It is a waste. It is Orwellian. It is just plain scary. But what else should we expect from a government that pats down our private parts before going onto an airplane. I know…cavity searches...which might be next for both the TSA and our school systems. You can hide Oreos in all sorts of places.

Shame on the United States government.

Ohio's Sinking Public Schools

The gravy train is over for the public schools. The public trough has run dry. Recent defeats of school levies in Canfield and Poland, as well as the Boardman Trustees removing the police levy from the May ballot, are ominous signs of things to come. With a possible referendum on Ohio SB 5 on the ballot in November, those in support of repeal have their work cut out for them. When Canfield defeats a school levy, and Boardman defeats a police levy, you know there is trouble.

At the heart of the matter is the manner of funding local schools. The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled numerous times that Ohio’s manner of school funding was unconstitutional. Based primarily on local property taxes, the Supreme Court ruled that disparate tax rates between school systems provided unequal education between the schools. The State of Ohio was directed to even it out. The state cut back additional state funding to the more affluent school systems, and increased funding to the inner city school. The more money generated from property taxes in a system, the less state money it would receive.

So…Youngstown City Schools gets more money from Ohio than Canfield Schools. Here is the end result. The cost per student in Youngstown City Schools is approximately $13,000.00 per pupil. The cost per pupil in Canfield is about $8,000.00 per pupil. Youngstown City has a low property tax rate, and gets approx $4,000.00/pupil of its money from the state. Canfield has a high property tax rate, and is right now being reduced to almost zero from the state. Notwithstanding, Youngstown City School is among the worst performing systems in Ohio. Canfield is among the highest. This ultimately shows the fallacy of the current approach to education. MONEY IS NOT NOW, NOR EVER HAS BEEN, THE ANSWER!!!!!!  The State of Ohio effectively punishes the most successful schools, and rewards those that are in the crapper. Learning, or lack thereof, is as much cultural as anything else.  The net result is those school systems which have the highest property tax rates are now in dire financial straits. While Youngstown City Schools is coming out of fiscal emergency…Canfield Schools is headed the other direction.

Not that that the successful schools are more than partly to blame. Mismanagement of local school money is notorious and widespread. There is no constant vision or plan coming out of local school boards who are usually too willing to jump into to bed with the hired school administration. Cutting back teacher salaries while giving raises to Superintendents and Principals and hiring more and more administrative staff is unconscionable, yet it happens all the time.  Hiring practices based on hiring local district citizens or who can coach volleyball doesn't help.  And people don’t like to be fooled. Don’t tell the public that the teachers are taking a 1% pay cut when in reality they giving up 1% of a 3% raise. Dudes, this is the age of the internet. This stuff comes out and people are miffed.

Nor do the edicts from the do-gooders in the Federal government and formerly liberal federal courts help.  Mainstreaming has been carried way to far; unfettered accommodation for special needs students WAY BEYOND THE PALE for what should be done or needs to be done; teachers being made responsible for making sure students eat breakfast and lunch; cell phones and total lack of discipline either by school policy or federal order; and schools developing policies based on avoiding frivolous lawsuits rather than what is good for the students...all of this is reflected in our disastrous public school system.

No one seems to know where Kasich is headed with the schools, but the anger and dissatisfaction is palpable. People are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore. Ohio SB 5 seems to piss off all the right people, so it must be doing something right. And for those of you in Poland…hiding salary schedules which are public records is verboten. Inquiring minds want to know, and are entitled to know.

Unfortunately,   I don't think Ohio SB 5 is the answer to the problems in the schools and more likely than not will make it worse. On the other hand, Kasich is right.  We can’t keep going on the same way we have been going. The public trough has run dry, and the school systems, the courts, the legislature, and the governor must move to fix the problem before total bankruptcy.

Above all, if the non-financial issues such as discipline and non-sensical maintreaming and unreasonable public accomodation are not fixed, I will guaranty you that within ten years, you won’t have to worry about measuring how well little Johnny and Jane can read or do math. They won't be able to do either.

Where is the Apology for George Bush?

President Obama is going to Ground Zero on Friday for a ceremony remembering the victims of 9/11. He has asked President Bush to join him. Bush declined stating that he wishes to remain outside of the public eye in his post presidency. Good for him.

The loony left should be ashamed of themselves. For the last four years of Bush’s presidency, they did everything but crucify him as a torturer, a dictator, and thug. They superimposed the likeness of Adolph Hitler over his face. They threw urine on anyone who supported him. In Congress, demagoguery was raised to an art form as Bush was portrayed as the Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition. Shame on Guantanamo, that horrible hell hole of prison where these poor, innocent terrorists were thrown to rot!

Then Obama got elected, and his Attorney General promptly started investigations of the lawyers who gave the legal opinions related to enhanced interrogation techniques. They toyed with idea of criminal charges against Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. He tried to close Guantanamo. His Attorney General moved a terrorist trial to the United States out of a military court and promptly go his ass kicked….the terrorist innocent on all counts except one. And all of those nicey-nice folks in Guantanamo…went right back to terrorism when released. And now Guantanamo is still open. And now the trials will now be military.

And now Obama can bask in the light of killing Usama Bin Laden, by virtue of an intelligence network set up by Bush; by information obtained by the enhanced interrogation techniques; and use of the armed forces he roundly criticized and voted against when in the Senate. Bush was a class act all the way, and still is. I would have told Obama to shove it sideways.

There is no question Barack Obama made a gutsy call to do what he did. I honestly didn’t think he had it in him. It has actually been kind of fun to watch all of his cronies stumble around with a success rooted in all the things they believed to be the devil incarnate. This is a president who wanted to Mirandize prisoners taken on a battle field!!!!!!

Maybe they have learned something. Bush and Cheney weren’t the enemy…it was those horrible, horrible animals pretending to be human who indiscriminately took away the lives of women and children and innocents all over the world. There are no rules when dealing with evil. You kill it…and that is what Obama did.

Now where is the apology to Bush and the members of his administration? Where do they go to get their reputation back?