I wonder, Area 51

I wonder about things sometimes. Not that I am much of a pessimist but on certain occasions my sense of natural order needs an element of doubt.

Why would I take financial advice from a person that went bankrupt and lost everything and probably took down a few other people at the same time and then used the money he took from others to ammass a new fortune?????????????

What type of secret "flexibility" in dealing with other countries does a president need that he can't use or reveal to us until he can't be re-elected????

When it comes to the occupy movement: I think we need the rich. As much as we enjoy the blaming game, in order for everything to work and progress we need people who are able to accumulate money and finance big stuff like buildings, highways, factories and farms. I wonder: do we need any part of the occupy movement??????????

Why, when the news media reports a story concerning a difficult life situation, do they always portray a woman, and most often a single mom? Are there not men, some of whom are single dads who deserve to have their story told???? I mean really, media profiling is so obvious.

I wonder about the government laws concerning what we can and cannot eat. Isn't it the "Communist Manifesto" we were all so appalled by that gets into specific dietary requirements????????

I wonder who came up with the idea for Jane Fonda to play Mrs. Reagen in the upcoming movie? I realize she is a good actress but is it intended as some sort of subliminal slap in the face to that very popular president??????

If all the new teaching methods are all that good, why are so many of our kids getting out of high school unable to speak, write or read proper english or graduating from college without the skills to get a career?????????

I have seen tattoos on people of all ages, from babies up to great grandparents and every age in between. In my ignorance I often wonder why anyone would want to have anything permenant like that???????

And of course ther is always area 51 isn't there?

I often wonder why I wonder about so many things??????????????

You can't be anything you want

I had to laugh at a comment I heard during a public service announcement yesterday: "In America you can be anything you want to be if you want it bad enough!" They were talking about the arts, music, being a politician and even sports. Anything is within your grasp! Yeah, right! The world, let alone this country is filled to overflowing with people that had high aspirations, worked their butt off and wound up disappointed and broke. I think the thought behind the comment is admirable. No doubt a lot of well meaning folks want to inspire our younger generation and prod them into action regarding their future. I admire that part. The truth of the matter is that we can't all be what we want to be, even through hard work and dedication. More accurately, in my humble opinion we all have the opportunity to be the best that we can be in whatever situation we find ourselves in. I once tried to be an insurance salesman. My intentions were admirable, I wanted everyone to provide for their families in the event of premature death. I worked night and day, studied constantly, talked to 5 or 10 prospects a day and wrote hundreds of policies. I went broke! I really, really wanted to be the best insurance salesman in the world. I simply didn't have the talent for it. A guy I worked with at the same agency worked the same hours I did, studied as much as I did, talked to as many prospects as I did, wrote a few less policies than I did and to this day he is one of the most successful and financially well off insurance salesmen in this part of the country. It takes more than desire, dedication and hard work. I firmly believe each of us has a certain set of unique qualities and in order to succeed we have to match those qualities with what we set out to do.

In the mentoring process I was involved in for over 25 years one of the hurdles so many young men had to overcome was false hope based on blindness to their own abilities and limitations. Being young and ambitious is a wonderful thing. Being full of ambition and using it to attain the impossible is quite another. One of my favorite, all time great athletes is Brandon Inge of the Detroit Tigers. When he was on the triple A team, West Michigan White Caps he played as a catcher and did rather well. Enough to get noticed and signed by the Tigers. Then they changed his position to third base. I don't know how Brandon felt about changing positions but soon he became Hall of Fame quality as one of the best third basemen I have ever seen. Not just rather well but extraordinary. He's still played catcher from time to time but he is Mr. Baseball at third base. In a way, his position at third base became what he wanted to be in the first place.

I would like to encourage everyone to excel in something. But that something may not be what they dreamt of. Some of us can live out their dream but all of us can live happily by accepting ourselves and being the best we can be at whatever it is we are doing at the time. I'd like you to think about this: Look at the people living in the public eye. Actors, musicians, politicians and sports figures. If you listen to them they are living a dream. Money, prestige, praise and admiration. They have it all, just like the public service announcement I mentioned earlier. If all that was so great, why are so many of them unhappy, take drugs, cheat on their spouses, spend all their money, go broke and constantly do other stupid stuff. Personally, I think I'd rather utilize my unique qualities to the best of my ability, be happy and maintain a sense of integrity.

Chevy Volt/Writing stories

I had a real treat yesterday, I drove a Chevy Volt. You know, the new electric car from the New General Motors. I hadn't yet seen one up close and personal yet but have been very interested and hoped to inspect one at a dealership sometime this spring. Geez! What a neat car. Nice styling similar to the Chevy Cruze, interior roomy enough to be comfortable, really cool instrumentation resembling the inside of a small airplane cockpit, quiet of course what with an electric motor and all, but the most pleasant surprise was the snappy acceleration. I've driven dozens of electric cars since back in the 1960's and my experience was they were all rather sluggish when it came to getting up to traffic speed. Not this time! In a matter of seconds I was cruising at 65MPH with power to spare. Actually faster than some of the so called economy cars I've driven and owned in the past. If a person goes electric they don't have to give up much in the way of performance with the Volt. Now that I have first hand experience I can see a future for the Volt or similar vehicles. I believe the price has to come down about 30% or 40% though and I'd really like to see the distance you can travel on a charge go way beyond the 40 mile limit it has now. Sure, it has a backup gasoline motor and well it should but the whole purpose is to use the electric motor right? Perhaps those two little ideas of mine are the reason they have stopped production for a month or so because buyers aren't rushing through the door to purchase a Volt. I'm not an engineer but to me, price and distance mean a lot. If you want a real driving experience stop by a dealership and take a Volt for a spin. You'll be glad you did. No, I am not selling cars now. Just reaching out to the future. I'm sure you saw the price of gas at the pump today: $4.19 a gallon and it's looking to go up. We have two viable options at the moment. Electric or natural gas. You might as well give them a try.

When it comes to my writing there never quite seems to be enough time to my stories published. If the truth be known it's not really the time. It's my basic fear that if a real editor gets their hands on my stories they will ruin the essence of them. Talk about arrogance huh? I am not a writer. I do spin some pretty good stories though. In the right hands those stories would become perhaps epic. Maybe not. But I'll never ever know if I don't start doing something soon. One of them dates back to 1969. I guess I don't like to rush things do I? Or, do I sense a bit of procrastination here?.............Spring is in the air. Let's see what happens this year.