Well we are here smack dab in the middle of whole bunch of rancor and discussion. “Leaning In” by Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook is more than a book or controversial musing. It is candid discussion whose time has come. That’s right. From one of the male chauvinist creeps I am saying, Right On. 

That’s actually a little far from the truth. I am not as bad as I look. I have been surrounded by incredible women all my life. That’s my wife, my sister, my mother and my daughters and daughter in law and a lot of women friends to name a few. I have embraced them(well only a few literally) and cheered them on. In my own realm the above are so incredibly talented and just great people. I really don’t get the uproar. But then again I am a male.

It’s funny when I go to parties I drift to the left or the right as the case might be but it is usually in the direction of the opposite sex. They are fun and more than willing to enter into any type of conversation. Now  I’m not the sharpest pencil in the drawer but given the option of a frank discussion of this or that current event or the shot by shot recreation of some bozo’s golf game, what do you think I am going to do?

My somewhat alien outlook was reinforced several years ago as I departed J.J. Kenny. My brother Kevin asked me who I thought should head up the trading desk? I said without hesitation that Anne Conwell, a highly talented proven leader should. He simply stated, “No, seriously?” Anne didn’t get the position and in all candor she did not push for it which I think is the point of the book.

My sister and mom felt duty bound to their husbands and family which was understandable but sad in a melancholy way. They both had an enormous amount to contribute to both the corporate theater and world as a whole. An exaggeration? I think not. 

My wife approached things from a somewhat different angle. By her own choice her chosen profession was to be a mother. She could not have worked harder or with more ease. She was beyond good and has demonstrated that time and again as she advises her children and has now taken up the mantle with her grandchildren. She and I have been a good team but I would not feel differently if she had chosen a different lot in life.

How did this crap start or more importantly how is it perpetuated in a basically evil premise in so many parts of the world? Woman are not second class.This isn’t cultural but barbarian. How we accept that as a country among backward nations is beyond me. In so many cases it is considered a matter for diplomacy, which in my mind is just looking the other way. 

 I guess we can trace the male superiority complex back to the caveman era and all that hunter gatherer jazz. Well now there are more women graduating from college and getting PHD’s than men. They are a larger part of the electorate. Stay in the Bronze or Iron Age and get left behind mes amis. Kathy says and I really have to agree with her if we had women running the place we would have a lot less war. I’ll vote for that.

I listened in a distracted way to a special on PBS re feminism. While working on my blog I heard Gloria Steinem and a plethora of some pretty angry women. They not only professed their equality or superiority but a vitriol that bordered on a total detestation of anything with a penis. I couldn’t help but feel they had met their enemy and were taking no prisoners. If they did I shudder to think of the atrocities they would heap on my compadres at the female Abu Graib.  

I was actually hurt by the whole presentation not only as a man but as a human being. Color me human but I can get just as pissed off by Jane Fonda or Nancy Pelosi as I can by some ignorant slob. I can’t walk on people whether male or female. A vile hatred based on your sex doesn’t do it for me. I guess that is in some way where we have come. Too bad. 

As for the Catholic Church and my somewhat disengaged feelings, I really have a problem with an organization that espouses the equality of man(woman) but says that woman should not be qualified to become priests. I have a problem with a government that doesn’t really reflect its people in both numbers and makeup.

I don’t like heavy handed women but I feel the same way about arrogant men. It shouldn’t be who is in charge but how the hell can we all figure out a way to make this thing work. We all have our strengths…and our weaknesses too. Let’s try for a minute to hear the dialogue and not get hung up if it is coming in alto or bass. 

I guess I will have to give up my pass for the men’s grill. I may not be able to play in men’s day anymore. I will forfeit my key to the frat house. For every door closed there is one that opens. In actuality I would hope we could hang up our jockstraps and our bras as well as our egos. Life’s too short and there is too much work to be accomplished. Let’s not complicate this thing any more than it is.

As always

Ted The Great

Miscellaneous:

My thanks to theology Prof. Kathy Petrie for pointing out the reign of Constantine and the politicization of the Church began in the 300’s not the 600’s. Mea culpa.

A good friend passed along a website that has made me reconsider my position on gun control. Take a look.

http://conservativevideos.com/2013/03/jimmy-kimmel-exposes-ignorance-on-sequester-i-only-voted-for-him-because-hes-black/

 In 2003, there were 1.35 females for every male who graduated from a four-year college and 1.3 females for every male undergraduate. That contrasts with 1960, when there were 1.6 males for every female graduating from a U.S. four-year college and 1.55 males for every female undergraduate. 

In the sequester I think it is time for corporate America to sponsor certain government activities that have been curtailed. The DEA could have a Mexican Drug Cartel fund it. NIH and the FDA by the drug companies. White House tours could be underwritten by the Republicans. The Thunderbirds by Ford. And last but not least The Blue Angels by the porn industry. 

As a Christian and hopefully a Catholic I have been watching the Red Hats do their thing in Rome. I hate that they wear red. I hate that people kiss their rings. I hate that so many have gone so far astray.

I have told you before my faith is strong but my religion is teetering on collapse. You say it is just a passing thing but I think not. Christ was a simple man. He shunned politics. He had no visible wealth. He would talk to people in a conversational way. For all His heavenly power he was a very down to earth man.

He turned the reins over to Peter and Paul. They were very strong but of disparate views. Peter wanted this whole thing to be centered in Rome and Paul had bigger ideas. He traveled far and wide talking at Ephesus(Ephesians) and Philippo(Philippians) and Gallations(I guess that’s Gaul). You get my point.

They went along at a good clip until the 600’s when the Emperor Constantine saw a good thing and wanted to capitalize on it. He made Catholicism the religion of the empire and the road went downhill. This intertwining of men’s souls and their pocketbooks could not be good.

The church with its new found importance started having material things heaped upon it. This wasn’t necessity but the love of the finer things in life. Concurrent with this was the gradual evolution(maybe a poor choice of a word) of the coronations of kings and queens but only after the approval of the pope. So if you want to curry favor send a little gold Rome’s way.

This collection of wealth became more profound in the 900’s but the boys in red saw a chink in the armor. You see to that period in time priests were allowed to be married. The major drawback was not celibacy but the fact when they died their estate went to family and not the Holy Mother Church. Ergo they decided priests could no longer get married. They needed the dough.

They progressed along until the beginning of the Renaissance. You see the Golden Age was not exactly an explosion of creativity as it was once again the power of money. The royalty and doges of every sort discovered that the one with the most lauded artist had the power. Let’s cover the ballroom, boudoirs and sitting rooms with the most ornate and splendiferous art we can find. Do you think the Sistine Chapel was an accident?

The Sforzas, Medicis and Borghesis not only filled the halls with goodies but realized what a power center the Pope was. By figuring who was going to rule empires the Pope really had the last say. As it turned out the “families” raised sons to be pope. The “princes” aka the boys in red shared in that power. Good stuff was showered on all.

The power of the cardinals, bishops and priests really hit high gear.Indulgences.Orgies. Good times. No one could figure out why Luther wanted a reformation. Heathen! Non believer! He hit the nail on the head and no one liked it. The clergy reverted back to “if you don’t listen to me you are going to die in hell.” Strong stuff before Google and Facebook. Do you believe? Yes, I believe.

Now you believers and non believers alike are saying why is TTG teaching history or even worse theology? Because my friends, history has a way of repeating itself. Please bear with me.

Let’s go back a couple of hundred years when the founding fathers had an idea. It was simple and the pomp and circumstance was kept to a minimum. The assemblies were in Washington, Williamsburg and Philadelphia but I don’t know that anyone played Hail to the Chief at that time.

As time went on they kept the message simple and intrusion was minimal. But then again one day they realized they had power. And because they had power people were more than happy to shower wealth to curry favor. The message however simple was lost and it soon became all about them.

Shielded and separated from reality Washington became kind of like the Vatican. Shrouded in secrecy, the bastion of old men(and women), they told the people they didn’t understand. And yes if you don’t listen to them damnation or in this case recession or depression will be your comeuppance.

If you are like me you do not question the original premise but rather how it is being translated. You cannot stand the vestiges of power. You are incensed by the lack of common sense. You abhor that money has taken over a thing you hold so dear.

I am hoping the sequestered group in Rome will find some sort of Divine Guidance that says get your act together. Let’s find a guy who can stand up and face the music. Someone who worries about the common good rather than the vault. A leader who says let’s get back to basics and take all the bickering and pushing and shoving and stow it. Someone who says where we are at right now is plain wrong. Sound familiar? If they find him maybe they can tell DC how they did it.

As always

Ted The Great

Factoids:

The Borghese Gallery in Rome sits on acres of land and is home to millions if not billions in art collected by Cardinal(Red Hat) Borghese.

The Vatican Museum of statuaries, tapestries and other works of art can take several days to visit properly. All of the wealth entailed is the property of the Catholic Church.

The average net worth of congress is $1 million. The members of the Senate have seen their net worth increase by some 70% since 2004. The House has increased by 17%. Harry Reid is worth over $5 million and some say as high as $10 million although he has been in public service for 40 years.

In the church we use the title of reverend, most reverend, his Holiness etc. In government we say Mr. President, Mr Speaker, Governor, Mayor etc long after they have gone on their way. Maybe we should just call everyone by their first names.

The Human Condition….

It’s been snowing here in Denver and boy do we need it. There is a beauty to new fallen snow and the sun peering through naked branches that give you a sense of renewal. The subzero air cracks and that is just fine. The fireplace is blazing. The world is a pretty good place.

By the same token it probably is a bummer to many. Grumblings about the thermometer, slick roads and walks to be shoveled are part of a litany to be recited by a certain breed of cat. Same picture. Just looking at things through a different lens.

I always get to wondering if either side is built that way. You know the old half full, half empty gig. It would seem to me at birth we have to look on the bright side. Taking that ride from belly to lap, almost being strangled by what is supposed to be a life line and then the ignominy of someone whacking you on the ass to get you started. It’s got to get better.

The journey begins. Some are swaddled. Some are hugged. Some are loved. Some are praised. Some are cursed. Some are abandoned. Some are just ignored. A wonderful gift or a horrible inconvenience. And all the time that tiny babe just wants to feel like they are loved…that they belong.

That need for affection never drifts far. As a son or a daughter they want their parents to be proud. As a sibling you just want to measure up. As a member of society you always wonder what your place is. As a future mate you are always on the lookout for someone who will think you are special. Worthy of their love all.

As I ponder the imponderables I wonder how people go wrong or is it even fair for me to say? I still don’t know whether good or evil is inherent. I know which one I am rooting for. But events not only of the past few weeks give me pause.

There was an altercation at 4:30AM in Las Vegas where someone got annoyed. They proceeded to pull alongside the offending car and just blew him out of the water. There are mothers and fathers that kill their young. There are lovers that kill each other. Monsters that shoot the masses and then themselves. There was a beautiful 17 year who committed suicide a day after a glorious day of skiing with her father. Are they really built this way?

I think life changes people but it starts with the parents. Is our love genuine or does our fawning produce a false sense of security? Do we prepare our kids for life or do we depend on the streets to do it for us ? Do we treat them so harshly that the resentment grows and grows? Or are they shielded from any sense of reality? Good questions. Don’t know that I really have the answers.

I think many of us cop out on life or maybe that is too harsh. What I really mean is that we don’t really dig deep to find out how this all ticks. We get so wrought up in our own problems we fail literally to see the forest through the trees. There is a big picture but we only look at our own closeups. Are we living in the world or just trying to manage it?

The outgrowth of this narcissism is that we cannot accept change of any sort. We are so threatened by new ideas we hunker down. Thinking outside the box is derided and we pray for failure of these upstarts lest we be proven wrong. “That’ll never work” becomes a mantra.

The human condition is also the human spirit. It craves acceptance and yet at the same time it wants to cut loose. It has all these great ideas looking for a home. And we shoot them down. We razz. We insult. We bully. Toe the line. When someone says you don’t understand them, maybe they are right.

I don’t think grouches, malcontents or even killers are born. By some quirk of fate or unfairness of life they became that way. But like any other modicum of behavior it has been acquired and I believe that habit can be broken as well.

Whether it is politics, religion or just life in general let’s look at things as a snowy morning. The sky is Colorado blue and the slate is clean. Yesterday and all its travails are long gone. We are going to make it. But we have to think and act a different way. Not as hard as you think.  Remember getting born was the tough part. Let’s enjoy the ride. Embrace the change.

As always

Ted The Great….

My Human Condition: Half full and climbing.

Factoids:

People are prone to depression and mental illness. It’s life. Some more than others. It is called dysthymia or a proclivity towards negativity. Genes and environment have a huge effect on our mind state. It can be changed.

Over half our population will face some sort of mental illness in our lifetime. Fully 20% at any given point in time.

Suicide does not come on in an instant. It is the result of an acquiescence to life. That struggle which many times is not manifest has taken years if not months of torture to finally end.

The absurdity of life is that if a mass killer or suicidal person spoke up they could be treated. But life puts such a stigma on this “coming out” they never want to risk exposure.

Our society today with such an emphasis on achievement and accumulation of things at earlier and earlier ages will only exacerbate the problem.

Sequestration..The Catholic Church. Too easy this week. Stay tuned

I spent the weekend among grandkids. The three boys stayed over Friday night. Saturday morning after waffles with whipped cream and bacon we needed to kill time before the Museum of Nature and Science opened up. What else but to go to Lego.com to play some games. Do no try this at home. You will look like an idiot.

Aiden is a sensitive young man and said “Padge, you just need practice.” Jack and Anders were not so kind. I am not the sharpest pencil in the drawer but this was ridiculous. Humbled and mortified I trundled them off to the museum. There the boys one upped Padge once again with their knowledge of all things scientific. I need to do something about this.

When in doubt, go to PBS. There are some truly brilliant shows ranging from politics (Frontline), Science(Nova and Nature) and general welcome to the universe of today (Charlie Rose). I tape these things to hopefully sit down and watch at a future date. Too often they go right alongside my book on “50 great Ideas I Haven’t Done Squat About.”

I brought up a Nova segment on Earth and Space. Two hours? I hope I stay awake. You are introduced to the various satellites we have buzzing around the earth in an orbit of anywhere from 500-20,000 miles. Your first sense throughout the show was, “Wow, I didn’t know that?” Duh. I know some of you have it all figured out but I don’t.

You watch the comments of astrophysicists, oceanographers, climatologists and the like. They weave a story all backed up by incredible views of just how interconnected the “Blue Marble” is. Rain. Wind, lightning, ocean currents, fires and temperatures are all interrelated. There is an endless loop of activity where one begets the other and then the process starts all over again.

There is a tremendous feeling of awe towards the creativity of man. Just think when you see these amazingly complex machines first being launched and then operating for years, bringing back data ranging from temperature variables to magnetic shields to crop forecasting. This is the real Star Wars.

Everything makes sense. The ice freezes in Antarctica and releases brine that sinks to the floor of the ocean. That in turn is transferred through undersea currents to various parts of the undersea world where it then provides food for plankton which in turn provides food for the creatures of the sea. The sun makes the sea warm and this creates rain and things grow.

I hope you are still with me. Volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and fire are not seen as disasters but as a part of a constantly changing earth that is really just doing her thing. I know some of you don’t appreciate this view but hey the earth was here a long time before us.

There are 400 lightning strikes on earth every second. Thousands of minor earthquakes and 100’s of volcano eruptions daily. Steam tubes on the floor of the ocean. And all of these serve to take nutrients from one part of the world and deposit them where it is needed. This is not happenstance. There really is a consistent theme and order to this.

I forgot all about photosynthesis from high school and it is truly a marvel. The Amazon rainforests suck in carbon dioxide by night and expel oxygen during the day. That’s 20% of the air we breathe from one spot. I am not hugging trees yet but we are definitely going to start dating.

Point being? I was getting a little bored in these dog days of winter. Our beautiful Colorado blue sky can’t quite mitigate the browns and grays of mother earth. Politics, the Middle East and financial markets depress rather than wind me up. It was just great to spend two hours understanding our planet. Entertaining my brain. I did miss The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor and Mike and Molly. What a tragedy!

The sobering part is realizing how really small Ted’s Head is. I mean I have so much to learn. I really have to realize that there are some things I can affect and some that are just beyond my control. Most of all is being humble. There are scientists out there that aren’t writing algorithms for trading stocks or designing games but seeing how our world works. My money is on the latter.

I want to thank my grandkids for showing me how dumb I am. But I am going to study hard. I was thinking my new moniker will be Dr. Verner Von Ted’s Head. Wait until next time you little punks..

As always
Ted The Great

Factoids;
There are currently about 120 NASA satellites orbiting the earth, mapping it and analyzing the oceans and land masses providing a multiplicity of data to thousands of scientists.

Some of the satellites have cameras with a resolution from thousands of miles away that can see people on a sidewalk and see which have toes hanging over the side.

There is a 43 degree average temperature difference between the north and south poles. The south is a lot colder.

The Sahara Desert was actually a lake of measuring 24,000 square miles some 10,000 years ago. The nutrients from the lake bed are still blown in windstorms to the rain forest in Brazil providing it with much needed nitrates when it rains there.

Millions of years ago an asteroid wiped out the dinosaur population. I am taking up a collection to build a steering device to make sure the next big one hits Washington.

I have been working on increasing the circulation of Ted’s Head. Many of you have sent my site to friends and family and I encourage all of you to do so….after this issue. We actually had well over 200 hits last week.

A buddy of mine sent me some facts and figures from the Sprott Financial Group. These guys have made a lot of money so they must be smart. They have addressed in a very meaningful way something I have spoken on and off about for three years. Healthcare.

It’s getting a little spooky out there. Right now we spend about 22% of our $12 trillion GDP on healthcare. $2.7 trillion last year. That’s bad but it will rise to 25% by 2020 and 30% by 2030. Babyboomers and those over 65 will account for 60% of that total. We will spend approximately $7,000 for every man woman and child in our country on healthcare. An average family of four will spend $19,000 on insurance and out of pocket cost this year.

We spend more than any other industrialized country on the planet. It doesn’t reflect in our statistics. We are by no manner of scorekeeping anywhere near the top in longevity or health birthrates. Our time around here is pegged at 77 years but our healthy time is 71 years young. That’s six years of sickness of some sort.

Let’s not go on about healthy lifestyles. Let’s not rant and rave about drug companies or high priced specialists. Medical mistakes and unneeded procedures are just more of the numbers. Let’s just talk about a crazy but integral concept….there is a finite amount of money we can throw at this. That’s right we cannot and I repeat cannot give everyone every last bit of treatment possible.

Right now we have 75 million people who say they are owed. They have a lottery ticket called their Medicare card. They are walking into the Columbia Presbyterian Ritz or the Cedars of Sinai Four Seasons and saying let it rip. Money is no object. I don’t care what it takes. Pull out all the stops.

Experimental? Go for it. Chemo? Dialysis? Transplants? You can get me another 70 days for $1,000,000. Hey, I am worth it. There are of course complicit professionals from the docs to the hospitals to the drug companies who say welcome. I spoke once of a woman in Hancock Hospital at Dartmouth who was end stage cancer and being seen by FIFTEEN specialists. This included a psychiatrist who was treating her for depression. The woman was 93 years old.

There are two dynamics at work here. One is the open chit mentioned above. The other is the shrinking number of wage earners that will occur over the next few decades. I say again who is going to pay for all this? I have often spoken of the end of life costs for 75 million. Let’s use a low number of $100,000 in the last year of life. Ridiculously small assumption but it still comes out to $7.5 trillion to say adios.

We have a guy at the wheel who will not even consider any change to entitlements. He should probably be charged with DUI. That would be fine but there are legislators of every stripe tearing up and down the streets of Washington with a breathylizer that would come in way over 2.0. The substance in their abuse? Power. Do you know what this would do to my reelection chances?

Okay let’s tax the rich. To be in the top 1% you have to earn at least $380,000 per annum. They pay a federal tax rate of 23.25% on average. That is in the neighborhood of $400 billion of $1.04 trillion collected. Can’t even come close if we increased it by 50%. Screw that, let’s make it the top 10%. To get there you have to make $113,000 per annum. Just try to go after them and you will have a rebellion that will make Cairo riots look like Cape Cod on a summer Sunday.

Look I have thrown out a lot of numbers because numbers don’t lie. I don’t have the direct answer but I will tell you my generation and their families have some soul searching to do. We have to install a meter in this thing called Medicare. We have to have commensurate amounts for age and condition. Sweet Jesus, the man is talking about rationing. Unfortunately with an air of realism I am.

We have to consider outcomes and quality of life. No, Sam or Mary we can’t keep you going forever because the family wants to have you around even in your comatose state. No, I am not Kervorkian but I believe at some time in our lives we have to let nature take its course.

I don’t want to rob the stricken of hope. I don’t want to be Solomon for the Grim Reaper. But in a very real way we cannot rob our children and theirs of prosperity just to salve our egos or make one last try at immortality. No one has ever beaten the rap.

I am going to work my shift today at hospice where the cost of care ranges from $230-450 per day. Just compare that to the cost of an ICU bed. There are no monitors or IV’s. They are waiting for God or whoever. They are leaving a legacy. And a good one. I hope I have the guts to do the same.

As always
Ted The Great

Factoids:
1% of the population uses 27% of the expenditure on healthcare. 5% uses more than half. The bottom 50% uses 3%

We rank among other countries 50th in life expectancy and 48% in infant mortality despite spending more than any other nation.

More than half of those patients who survived a prolonged critical illness are dead within one year. Only 10% of those are able to live at home independently.

In a particular study of 323 dementia patients, 50% went through a major medical intervention in the last 18 months of their life.

CBO has found that ½ of the increase in medical costs is the result of advanced technology.

Quality of life…the ability of the patient to enjoy normal life activities.

The former mayor of New York passed on this week. I watched with a little bit of melancholy as the mourners(doesn’t seem like the right verbiage) bade Ed Koch good bye in a packed church or temple or whatever. As they carried his casket down the aisle the throng applauded for his last standing ovation.The organ played, New York, New York. No weeping here. Just smiles and stories.

Ed was an incredible character. He was the consummate politician and made no excuses. He was acclaimed as a hero and a schmuck in the same breath. He could evade questions with the best of them but there was no pretense. He knew it and the press knew it. And they had a lot of laughs about it. Compared to today he was transparent.

He would campaign outside subway stations. He would always ask, “How am I doin?” with his very best New York accent. He would show up everywhere and tell both friend and foe what was on his mind. His hair, what there was of it, was not styled and his suits were probably off the rack and hung baggy most of the time. He lived somewhere in the Village and just enjoyed his city. Gracie Mansion was his home for ten years but so was the whole isle of Manhattan.

In the spring of 1985 Ed endeared himself to 25,000 grunts and squids who had served in Viet Nam. In his own inimitable way he said, “Enough!.” When we came back in the late 60’s and early 70’s we were not only not welcomed but we were shunned. They were trying to figure out if we were baby killers or powder kegs ready to blow. The mayor knew better.

He gave us a ticker tape parade on a gorgeous May day. I was on my way to work on Wall Street but at the last moment veered off the subway line to wind up at the Brooklyn Bridge. Coming out of the subway to my amazement among the thousands were 25-30 guys with whom I had served in the riverine force. Some were in cammies and some like myself were in business suits. It didn’t matter.

We marched across the bridge as if on a mission. The Mayor was way up front leading the way. He was pushing a Congressional Medal of Honor vet in a wheelchair for the entire route. We were somewhat rag tag but we were proud. I imagine we were quite a sight.

As we neared the NYC side there were girls up in the office buildings holding up big signs in the windows with their phone numbers. They were safe. We were harmless. We turned the corner at Church Street to head south…..and then.

There is no street like Broadway in New York and this was beyond special. Ahead of us were up to 1 million city dwellers who had turned out to welcome us home. They cheered. They yelled encouragement. They threw ticker tape and it was the most incredible feeling in the world. We just couldn’t stop saying thank you. The biggest thank you of all was to Big Ed.

The wounds still hadn’t healed even after 10-15 years. The protesters and whackos of years gone by didn’t realize that we were human beings too. I wish they had shown us as much respect as they did to the other side but life moves on. Most notably I went home that night to turn on the TV. Defying any reason, not one of the three major networks broadcast any coverage of a parade with a turnout of 1 million people. All the news that fits the print. It’s okay. We had our day and our fun. Thanks to the mayor.

I actually worked out in the same gym Ed frequented from time to time. I stress the time frame. I was there most days. He wasn’t. I told him what that parade meant to us and he smiled. But I also told him of another New York story.

I was sectioned out of the Navy at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. In my Navy Blues I went to the rental office at Stuyvesantown in the city. This was a large rent controlled apartment complex owned by Met Life. It was built in post WWII and they could make only a fixed return every year. As a result the rents were beyond reasonable. And the wait list was long.

I inquired as to where I was on the waiting list. Kathy and I were getting married and this was an important piece to the puzzle. The boss came over to the counter and questioned where I had been. I replied, “Viet Nam” and told him of my travels. He listened intently and then excused himself. He came back a few moments later with the keys to three two bedroom apartments. He said, “Son, take your pick. You are in luck.”

As I told my story I could almost swear I saw a bit of a tear in Ed’s eye. There was a lot of softness amid all the bluster. He loved every inch of New York and it showed.

I am going back Friday to my 50th high school reunion at Loyola School on Park and 83rd. I used to take the Long Island RR to Penn Station and then worked my way north on three different subways. As a kid of 13 or 14, I knew my way around the city better than most. It was my city.

As I walk down Park Avenue I will think of the many wonderful years I lived there. I will remember being a teen and then a husband. I will visit St. Ignatius Church, the scene of my brother’s marriage and long after his funeral. I will meet my nephew’s new son. Life will be good.

I’ll have a scotch or two while meeting old friends and reliving old times. Most of all I will remember Hizzoner. And maybe raise a glass. We need more people like that. He didn’t get it all right but he was mostly decent and forthright. Works for me.

As always
Ted The Great.

Factoids:
There are five boroughs that make up NYC. Manhattan joins the Bronx,Brooklyn, Staten Island(Richmond) and Queens. The population is 8.2 million.

There have been 108 mayors of New York going back to 1666. There has been the corruption of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. There has been a multi billionaire in the person of Mike Bloomberg.

The budget of NYC is $66 billion. That makes it the 44th largest economy in the world.

Let’s Talk God…

Well let’s see. We have Muslim extremists. Pedophilia among Catholic priests(plenty of others too but we seem to be fixated on priests). The Jewish orthodoxy are throwing women off busses for wearing skirts. The Protestants have gay bishops. And atheists are growing in numbers. The latter to the point they were a topic of discussion on the Sunday soap, “The Good Wife.” All in the name of God.

Now some of you might think God is sitting with His head in his hands. He’s up there in heaven, wherever that is, saying “Woe is me”. I think not. Or maybe He is shaking his fist. “You ingrates. Just you wait til judgment day!” Hardly. That’s not really His style.

I actually think He is shaking His head saying, ”Oy Vey.” That’s the Jewish version of God but you Gentiles get it.

Now it is easy to say there is no God. You can curse, swear, cheat, fool around and have absolutely no reason to worry. You can stay in bed on Sunday, go skiing or play golf. After life. Schmafter life. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. You hope.

Even better you can have a part time or Rent A God. This is probably the best. You call up and order Him for weddings, funerals, Christmas, Easter or  if you get in a serous jam. You know, “God if you get me out of this, I will never do it again.” But we are not talking about a true livein God. One night stand. Only when you need Him.

Now most of us call on God several times a day. We ask him to damn several things or people in our way. We even go so far as to call on His Son. You know “Jesus f….g Christ”. That f….g’ is a relatively new accolade that was born in the later part of the twentieth century. And you thought you didn’t believe.

Our country was founded on a compact with God or so we thought. “In God We Trust” is written everywhere. It’s on our money. Maybe that is why we hold the Almighty dollar so sacred. It’s etched in stone in many of our public buildings. We came here to escape religious oppression. We wanted to pray openly. At the time it seemed like a good idea.

You see back then the USA was a beautiful but somewhat hostile place. There was the unknown of the wilds and there were dudes called Indians (nee Native Americans) who weren’t always happy to see us. We were of course above board in all our dealings and even gave them trinkets and beads for what would become one day the most expensive real estate on earth. All in the name of God and country.

After a period of time we decided that these people were savages. All they did was hunt and fish and live in tepees. They worshipped the land and their bounty, giving thanks for it. There were spirits in the mountains and the streams. What were they thinking? They had a lousy life and didn’t even realize it. Let’s teach them to smoke and drink. Buy  mortgage backed securities. Now that is what I am talkin’ about. But I digress.

As we got smarter we could find a reason for everything. We could unlock the secrets of the atom and other sciences. We invented. We created machines that can think faster than us. We started tearing apart our bodies. First to heal and then to create. Holy Shiite, if we can create then we don’t need God because….well, then we are god. What a country!

Now we are getting to the good stuff. If we are god we can control the country and the world. Let’s create a new Jerusalem or Vatican. Let’s call it Washington, DC. We have decisions to make. Where will we worship? The Capitol, White House or the Supreme Court? I like that Supreme part. It has a nice ring to it. We won’t go with a person to adore. They are too transient. Let’s just go with gold. Naw, that is too bulky. Let’s just worship the Almighty Dollar. That’s perfect.

Sorry I can’t go along with the game. I am not a holy roller but I think I have figured my place in the world. There is this dude called God and I think he is pretty cool. He is not only a person but a concept. He is not a basher or judge but a symbol of hope. He represents decency to ourselves and others.

He has this place called heaven. It’s better than Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Pebble Beach combined. He’s promised me a spot if I at least try to be a contributing member of the world. I don’t have to be perfect but at least put in a good effort. That seems more than reasonable.

It really doesn’t matter if I am a Christian or Jew. Muslim or Buddhist. You leave all that at the door. You just have to believe in one thing and that is love. Of God and your fellow man. Hmm.. I think I get it. I hope there is room for me….and you too. God bless.

As always

Ted The Great.

Factoids:

Pew Research:

49% men are religious

63% women

71% in US believe in God..not necessarily religious.

Worldwide:

33% Christian..declining

20% Muslim..growing

13% Hindu..stable

13% Non adherents..declining

2.5% atheist

Under 1% Jewish

There are 19 major religions in the world. In the US 75% of formal religious groups are Christian. Over a thousand of them feel they are the one true church.

As I was working out yesterday I watched various airings of the inauguration. People who braved freezing temps and a long day were obvious supporters. Those who sat at home throwing things at the TV and kicking the dog were on the other end of the spectrum. For both a dose of reality….for better or worse.

I have spoken before of cognitive therapy. It basically says you are acting in an abnormal way. Forget about whether you were toilet trained properly, this is life. Now let’s deal with it. Let’s substitute rational thinking for the aberrant. Takes a lot less time and gets to the point. I could set up shop in a lot of places.

The incredible demonstration of Lance Armstrong was a good case in point. I heard the words. The fact he doth protested too much for the last ten years notwithstanding I still had this strange feeling he was a long way to dealing with reality. He didn’t consider it cheating. He did it because everyone else does. Ditto Barry Bonds, Marc McGuire et al. 

When we were away and especially in New Zealand you had the overpowering feeling  that the Down Unders really took life as it came. Sure they had hopes and dreams but they were not obsessive. They didn’t dress hiply or drive fancy cars but they really seemed to be having a good time.

I have been constantly amazed at Koreans and Vietnamese who have come to this country to make a new life. You know the ones that have built businesses through hard work and putting money away. Many left degrees and assets at home to forge their and their children’s future. They work their asses off and become successful in their ventures. No whining aloud.

Many of us have been hit by the recession, yours truly not withstanding. These shots have been both corporate and personal. People have lost homes, fortunes, farms and businesses. Let’s just get it straight. Congress, finical institutions, Clinton, appraisers and yes the buying public are all to blame. Unfortunately the consumer was the only group to pay the piper. Sucks, but that is life. 

Some have moved on and moved. Some have cut their losses and tried to find a new way. Some have stayed on the dole for two years. Others have financed that dole. A lot of people don’t seem to get it. Easy for you to say TTG. you just got from being away for a month. The only way that worked was for a cruise line facing reality of empty cabins made me a deal I couldn’t refuse. 

The Congress and yes the President, don’t seem to be able to accept what is really going on. For that reason we are $16 trillion in debt. I find it repulsive that we have have put off decision making for another three months. How can you negotiate for months on end and not be able to come up with a solution? Are ideologues on both sides so drunk with their own self importance and principle to not be able to see the writing on the wall?

Clinton, Frank, and …got the ball rolling by putting everyone in a house. Bush exacerbated things by waging two wars and cutting taxes at the same time. Pelosi and Reid got every pet project funded. McConnell and Cantor played to their base. And all the while the bills kept piling up and accusations and gridlock ensued. 

I read with great interest with an article about how the Vatican is trying to silence an Irish priest because of all the heinous things that have transpired in the church he is advocating woman priests. Yet at the same time the former archbishop of LA was complicit for years in transferring abusive priests. The church in Rome is infallible in one respect. They don’t have any sense of reality.

The rich have got to realize this disconnect of well being has got to be addressed. You cannot and I repeat cannot have execs compensated at 400 times the average salary. That is not so much an injustice(which it really is and you know it) but economic insanity. Sooner or later those hefty profits are going to be drastically affected in our consumer led society. The middle and lower class ain’t going to have any money to spend.

The poor at the same time have to come to grips with the fact Daddy Warbucks is hemmorhaging from every vein in his body. There is no free lunch. No you are not owed. You are not entitled. We will help but not support you in the way you are accustomed. Everyone has to take a hit. Ask yourself, “How did those Koreans and Vietnamese et al make it without the proverbial pot or even knowing the language?” 

We are slowly coming back to life. Our life before was a bit of a fantasy and if you were lucky enough to take part, good for you. If you never made it, no one ever promised you a rose garden. That may seem cold but it is true. 

If there is anything you take away form this I hope you realize reality doesn’t suck. I know it is trite but just look around you. There is a thing called the greater good. Unfortunately we are far from it. Rich,poor. Gay, straight. Black,white. Conservative, liberal. We all have to give up something. Reality is like that….and hopefully addictive.

As always

Ted The Great.

Factoids:

Lance Armstrong is worth $125 million. There is a more than good chance he could lose all of it in settlements. 

Phil Mickelson made $48 million  in 2012. He is thinking of moving because his taxes are too high. After taxes he probably only made $20 million. And he is whining.Tell that to the weekend duffer.

The US Senate has not approved a budget for four years. They get an automatic pay raise every Jan 1. They have refused pay cuts saying it would have no effect on the economy. They have a three day work week and ample adjournments throughout the year. They are not in Social Security. They have their own retirement system with a full pension.  Need I say more.

The US pays approximately $800 billion per year in welfare benefits of all sorts. That is $168 per day to families below the poverty line. That’s $40,000 plus per annum.

One of our last days on this wild and wooly trip was in Queenstown, a beautiful city on Lake Wakatipu in southern New Zealand.There was a mysterious mist as the clouds lay softly in the valley between soaring mountains. They hung there like a down duvet keeping the residents below tucked in their beds. The Kiwis are either lazy or sane. They wait till 7:30 or 8:00 AM to rise and shine.

We had started our week in Wellington. We left the mothership and took the ferry across the Cook Straits. The clear blue water dropped straight down to depths of many hundred meters. We came into the harbor of Picton within just a few yards of the shore. Not like that crazy Italian captain.

We stopped that night in a simple B and B in Nelson after touring a few too many wineries. At breakfast we met an unassuming couple who turned out to be anything but. He was a pediatrician and she was a neonatal cardiac surgeon at the only major children’s hospital in NZ. This was intentional to give the best of care in the most expeditious way and children came from far and wide.

Not only NZ, but Tonga, Fiji and Samoa were under their wing. It’s just the way they do things here. She told of a problem figuring out how they could have a surgery date for a newborn prior to the birth date. That dateline thing you know.

They also told of their teenage child who was severely autistic. How difficult. They spent their days assuaging fears and conquering turmoil in young parents only to go home to face their own.

As we drove down the coast Kathy and I marveled about how dedicated and soft-spoken these people were. No egos. Just serving mankind in their own special way. They drove a not so late model Subaru wagon.

The major highway is two lane. There is a particular quirk of one lane bridges. One side or the other has the right of way. You wait for the all clear. No rush. There is too much to absorb. The speed limit is 100 KM(60mph). Cops will fine you, take your license and impound the car on the spot for heavy infractions. Funny, not many people break the law here….in any way.

The scenery is breathtaking. Much like the Big Sur in spots except more dramatic and lush. You weave in and around several microclimates descending the west coast for several hundred miles. From the sea to the rain forests. From 10-15 foot ferns to the edge of a glacier. We pass a rusted out road grader in a field. Don’t worry big fella.I am sure they are stopping at two lanes.

We became stranded in the outpost of Haast. The road ahead was blocked by three landslides that might take awhile to clear. No worries. We holed up in a motel without clocks and mini bars. They couldn’t depend on the electrical supply.

We met a couple from the Netherlands. He had done work with AT&T and knew of our former homestead in NJ. One of several three degrees of separation we had on our trip. The next day we sprinted while viewing the washouts along the way. Natures fury is fascinating.

These people are green but in a particular way. Some are tree huggers but most just understand nature and live within it. It brought us to just sitting back for a moment and enjoying life. Take what the world gives you and work with it. It wasn’t so much striving but doing the best they could with what they had. Very cool.

The Maori people discovered NZ over a thousand years ago. They now number only 15% of the population. Both the colonists and originals have intermingled. There are no reservations to defend but the comfortable melding of two distinct groups. The Kiwis are one. They maintain the culture but move forward. On the way back from a trip to Milford Sound we watched “Whale Rider”. It put a lot into perspective.

It is with a touch of sadness we leave this part of the world. As we go through security at the airport there are smiles and graciousness from their TSA. You feel you are friends and not just beef on the hoof. There is a better way and it costs nothing.

Kathy has done a fabulous job of organizing us to a tee on very short notice. I managed to drop off the car without killing us after driving on the left for some 1200 kilometers. Let me get this straight. Driving on the left is right. Too complex for this simple mind.

We have met literally hundreds people from big deals to small. The captain of the ship.The captain in the restaurant. The barrista at the coffee shop.A barrister on his way to work. Tour drivers. Waiters and waitresses. Widows and couples. A bellman named Kevin.They have all affected our lives for the better. I wish I could have told that to all of them. I wish I was more talented at relating it to you.

It’s not a grass is greener thing. We have had a great time learning another part of life. We are looking forward to being home. It is where we should be. As they say here “Good on ya”. Have a great day. Thanks for bearing with me and tagging along. I ‘ll probably be back to my feisty self after a few brief encounters with US media of all kinds. Such is life.

As always
Ted The Great

Definitions:
Tall Black….a large coffee.
Goods Inward….service entrance
Tag In Tag Out……swiping your ID card on a reader.
Slow Vehicle Bay…….passing lane
Gated Community….prison( Now think about that one.)

Posted From Hobart,Tasmania

Cliff Notes. The savior of every self respecting underachieving student. You didn’t have to read the book but you had all the important features including a few well placed quotes to prove you had been hard at work. Who knew?

Is it just me or do the Village Idiots in Washington really seem to be playing out some sort of theater? Tragedy or comedy? Name your poison. Like Les Miserables it seems to go on forever. We all have known for the last 18 months the day was coming. Yet they all fiddled while the country was burning. Pick whomever you want to play Nero.

What am I thinking? I am enroute from Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania. I should just sit back and join 99% of people on this cruise. Sip champagne on this New Year’s Eve. Finally, I am one of the 1% of something. It doesn’t feel that great.

A newfound cigar buddy and I were dwelling on the cosmic. I spoke of how we could make a real dent in this mess with a few simple steps. He was in the Army for twenty years and now works as a contractor to the government. He did not disagree. 

Let’s go to the spending side of the ledger. On a roll I want to start with Medicare. We could lop off billions with one stroke of the pen by repealing the one section of the Prescription Drug Bill that says we can’t bid out the drugs. The VA pays 1/2 of what Medicare does. Sorry former congressman Billy Tauzin and Mr Merk, Lily and the Johnson twins. You lose. We win.

Then let’s take fraud. There is approximately $80 billion of illegal billing by scam artists, docs and hospitals alike. We can’t hire more investigators because Congress does not want to be accused of spending money. This even though it can be proven that money spent on curbing fraud can return 12-20% return on investment. As in ROI all you corporate types. Rocket science at its best.

So let’s outsource. Put out a bounty on the crooks. Let’s say The Fraudbusters  get 20% of whatever we find. Let’s not get greedy. Twenty per cent of $10 billion is $2 billion and our operating costs should be around $100 million. Now we are talking some serious scratch TTG. 

Don’t stop there. Let’s take on my beloved Navy. Forty years ago as First Lieutenant on the Good Ship Lollipop, the supply officer showed up on deck. He said we needed new mooring lines and the ship’s boats refurbished. Okay, what’s up pork chop? It seems we had to spend $1 million by November 1 or we would lose the money for next year.

Now a mill was big dough forty odd years ago. I went back to my stateroom and tried to figure out what the multiplier was as one ship in the Atlantic Fleet, of a bigger US Navy, that was part of the Department of Defense, which in turn was a part of the US Government. 

Sorry kids my poor feeble brain fell short. But what I lacked in horsepower I hope I made up for in common sense.This budgetary nonsense  goes on each and every day of every year.Year in. Year out. 

 Just think of all the land owned by the Government. Incredible amounts of raw dirt and office buildings. If we sold off even a portion we could get a pretty penny and put a lot of land back on local tax rolls. Sorry big guy, what was I thinking? That’s way too easy

Now let’s talk about farm subsidies. We pay farmers not to grow things. We have quotas and taxes to protect sugar growers. Dairymen. Wheat farmers. We have pushed this little boondoggle called ethanol and presto changeo the price of corn has gone through the roof. 

The worst part is that there have been huge consolidations of every sort in the farming industry. So what we are really talking about is corporate welfare at its worst. But wait there is more. In the last twenty years the number of independent farms has fallen drastically but the Department of Agriculture has almost tripled in size. 

I don’t have an MBA. I was a poli sci major at Georgetown. But what I am talking about could clean up our act in a few easy steps. We are talking about saving money where it is being wasted. We are not even eliminating anything. That comes later. We are just talking about a different way of doing business. Not bookkeeping gimmicks. Real live savings. 

All right you conservative hacks don’t think you are escaping. Yes we do need higher taxes. The farce of cap gains on hedge fund managers has got to stop.  Tell your big mouthed champion, Liberal Chuck Schumer to knock off the BS. He bobs and weaves like Ali when asked the question. 

In addition all the argument about higher taxes on the wealthy could be solved by eliminating or putting caps on deductions. But all the higher receipts have to go towards  reducing the debt not creating some new agency.

What is beyond bizarre to me is this negotiating behind closed doors.What in God’s name could they be talking about? I suggest we put every meeting on CSPAN. That’ll fix em.

Look, I should be chilling by the pool but this is much more important to me. If anything I say surprises you then you are either not listening to what is going in the world or you don’t care. Either way that is shameful. Let’s take one thing like the repeal of parts of the prescription bill or the formation of the Fraud Squad and run with it. Let’s be our own pressure group. 

Okay. I have given you the Cliff Notes. You don’t even have to read the book. Just show up for class and make noise. Ask questions. Don’t take stock answers. It will be an easy A.

Happy New Year from your happy wanderer.

As always

Ted The Great.

Factoids:

Sorry.Can’t get things factual. My access to the internet is almost nil. If any of you are having difficulty receiving parts of Ted’s Head, my apologies. Lastly, thank you as always for your many comments. I will get back to you whenever I can.