High Truths and Low Lies

My Weekly Musings

July 29, 2023

-US Women’s soccer team is great on the field, but horrible off the field. The money to support and pay these athletes comes from US. donors. I wish Megan Rapinoe would just go away. She has always been vulgar.

-Congresswoman Cori Bush represents St. Louis, the most violent city in the US. She is an uneducated, angry woman. She has not uttered a pleasant word in 2 years. To her, everything is racist.

-Hunter Biden and family are going to jail. Charges will include bribery, racketeering, and income tax evasion. Joe’s political career will end.

-Blacks and Latinos are arrested more than whites in LA, thus it must be racism. Activists say stop arresting minorities for lesser crimes. Hmmmm! Chicago had 7 shooting deaths and 27 wounded this past weekend. One weekend in June, Chicago had 75 people shot, 14 fatally. These cities are run by Black Democrats.

-Sadly, Anheuser Busch is laying employees off.

-Biden says promotions in the military should be based on diversity, gender and race. This is madness and very dangerous!

-Cook County, Illinois currently allows landlords to screen applicants for prior evictions. Seems logical to me. Why would you rent to someone with a history of evictions. Evictions are expensive to obtain. Activists claim this practice is racist.

-Jason Aldean’s song, “Try that is a small town” is exactly right. Sales are at epic levels for the song. The music video showed scenes from the Atlanta riots in 2020. Regrettably, the scenes were recently deleted. Too bad.

-Not going to see “Barbie.” It’s a movie about a child’s toy doll. Average ticket prices across the US. are $11.75, plus popcorn and drinks are $23.

-Disney CEO admits prices are too high! Duh!

-What the hell is “toxic masculinity?”

Four ways to Staff your Business!

July 26, 2023

The problem with labor shortages is all the “free money” that is currently being given to young people. There are 7-9 million young people that have dropped out of the labor participation workforce. Most are at home playing video games.

But businesses are getting smarter and innovative. To completely staff your business, you have 4 options often called the “4 B’s.” Buy-Borrow-Build and Bot.

Buy-pay high wages, provide huge signing bonuses, allow work from home, lots of PTO, premium pay for off shifts, annual bonuses to all, and mega relocation allowances. Of course, you will have to raise product/services prices to pay for all this. Or, cut the workforce. This approach is often called “a race to the bottom. “Unsustainable!

Borrow-temps, contractors, travelers, interims, rent-a bosses, and outsourcing. All of these approaches carry administrative costs. My experience with temps is poor. They are not top performers. In the service industry, outsourcing can be tricky, especially if workers are outside the US. In manufacturing, outsourcing requires surveillance. On site audits must occur. Never outsource a critical part.

Build-train up. Hire employees with aptitude and train. BMW has been training their technicians for years. Hire certificate people and train for higher levels of work. Create pathways for employees to reach more responsible jobs. Many industries like IT, have their own “colleges.” Those with the skill set advance. In education, new teachers must have damn good mentors, and a proven process for support. Building your team works and I support this approach with one exception. If an employee is not capable do not retain.

Bot-short for robots. Examples include ATM’s, kiosks, self-checkouts, website services like scheduling appointments, home test kits and monitors, Zoom calls, mechanical arms, robots used for hazardous or dangerous jobs, driverless vehicles, test dummies, all terrain rovers, and drones. This is the future. High upfront cost, but ROI is excellent. AI will be the game-changer.

The African Stripped Snail

July 20, 2023

The African Stripped snail is an invasive animal. The snails are as big as a man’s fist and can weigh up to 2 pounds.

These snails have returned to Florida and are capable of eating 500+ different plants, including many cash crops. They also eat stucco on houses, painted surfaces, and concrete. Due to their need for calcium, they will also eat bones, and oyster shells.

The striped snails carry very serious diseases to humans, including the meningitis germ. If accidentally eaten, even just a small amount it can be fatal.

The snail’s shells are so tough and sharp that hitting one while driving can puncture a tire.

Florida has eradicated these snails twice in the last 40 years. Now the state must take swift action again. Florida is also fighting a problem with the Burmese python, another invasive animal.

The US. has 10,000+ invasive species like the gypsy moth, feral pigs, cane toads, kudzu, nutria, carps, and many destructive and poisonous plants. This is a matter for the US. government. Maybe Kamala can be assigned as “Invasive Species Czar?”

Miles Bridges is a Criminal

July 15, 2023

Miles Bridges is a 25-year-old NBA player. He played 2 years in college at Michigan State, before being drafted by LA Clippers in 2018. The Clippers immediately traded Bridges to the Charlotte Hornets.

Bridges signed a 4-year contract with the Hornets for $16 million. He played 4 years (2018-2021) with the Hornets and averaged 13 points per game. To be fair, Bridges was a rising star. Unfortunately, the Hornets finished the 2021-2022 season in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets placed 14th (27-55) in the conference last season.

In April 2022 Bridges was ejected from a game. While leaving the court he threw his mouthpiece at a 16-year-old fan. The NBA fined Bridges $50,000.

On June 29, 2022, Bridges was arrested for felony domestic violence. Allegedly, he assaulted his girlfriend in front of their 2 children. According to the hospital report, his girlfriend suffered a brain concussion, fractured nasal bone, contusion to rib cage, and multiple bruises. Bridges was also charged 2 counts of child abuse. Bridges is 6″7 and weighs 225 lbs. In November Bridges pleaded “no contest” to the felony domestic violence charge. The child abuse charges were dismissed. He was given 3 years of probation with counseling and community service.

Bridges missed the entire 2022-2023 NBA season. And, he has a 10-game suspension at the start of the 2023-2024 season. In July 2023 Bridges signed a $7.9 million “qualifying” offer from the Hornets. He will be unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-2024 season.

So, this NBA star served no jail time, no fines and will play in the NBA this fall. Something just doesn’t seem right. Can’t imagine women cheering for Bridges.

Blow in the White House

July 9, 2023

Seven days ago, a bag of white powder was discovered in the White House. Authorities have said the powder was cocaine. Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant. It can be snorted, inhaled, smoked, and injected into the human body. Cocaine is highly addictive and illegal in the US.

On the street, Cocaine, is also known as Blow, Bump, Big C, Coke, Crack, Dust, Flake, Nose Candy, Speedball, Toot, and White Rock. One gram of cocaine (packet of Splenda) sells on the street for about $155.

The White House is the official residence of the President of the United States and has been since John Adams in 1801. Currently, the WH is guarded by the Secret Service. It is perhaps the most heavily guarded home in the world. How did a dangerous drug get into the WH?

So far, Biden’s press secretary had told 3-4 different stories as to where cocaine was found, including the situation war room, West Wing, library, and in a “heavily traveled area.” We can never get a straight answer from Biden. He should be furious about the incident and tell the American public the truth.

Biden has so many crises to deal with like the southern border, Ukraine, inflation, crime, “systemic racism, record gas prices, cognitive decline, physical health, and an approval rating of 40%. Most Americans do not want Biden to seek a second term.

Why can’t Biden tell us the truth? We never get a straight answer. Cocaine in the WH is dangerous and should be an easy “crisis” to handle.

Bubba Wallace is criticizing NASCAR Again!

Another million-dollar Black athlete criticizing the sport he participates in!

July 7, 2023

Bubba Wallace drives No. 23 for Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team. Wallace is 30 years old and has a net worth of $5 million.

Wallace has been driving in the Cup Series since 2018. Last month he started his 200th race. He has 2 wins in 6 years of racing. One of the wins was rain-shortened. This year he is in 15th place out of 16 for the Cup Series playoffs.

Since joining the Cup Series, Wallace has been suspended, fined, and has caused a lot of negative press about NASCAR. In June 2021 Wallace claimed NASCAR was involved in a hate crime. Wallace found a rope tied in a noose hanging on a garage entrance. Immediately, Wallace accused NASCAR of racism. He said he was “saddened” and that the noose was “a painful reminder” of racism in NASCAR. The FBI investigated and found 11 other garages with rope handles used to lower the overhead doors. Wallace was wrong and never formally apologized. NASCAR took a big hit in the media. The fans reacted negatively to Wallace. He was criticized by the fans.

Wallace said the criticism was racially based. He is a 30-year-old Black millionaire and is criticizing NASCAR again. This month Wallace says that NASCAR is not diverse and lacks equality. The NBA is not diverse. Same with the NFL.

My message to Wallace-keep political and social issues out of sports. We just want to watch the sporting event.

Aid to Ethiopia stops amid theft

Ethiopia has 126,000,000 people, and a GDP of $446 billon. The per capita income is $960 making Ethiopia one of the poorest countries in the world.

Sadly, the US. government announced aid to Ethiopia has stopped. An investigation has revealed that food aid and other assistance is being stolen and resold to other countries. The national government of Ethiopia is corrupt. They have been selling food on the open market to other countries via a criminal network. Part of the $$$$’s went to support the Ethiopian military. For years, the food aid did not get to the people of Ethiopia.

The corrupt practice was discovered via leaked documents to the Washington Post. Why didn’t the Biden Administration know about this scam?

Lastly, this year the Ethiopian government has asked for $2 billion in loans from the IMF. The country needs strong oversight from the IMF, the World Health Organization, and the US. Dept. of State before any further loans should be granted.

Minneapolis Police Department

June 23, 2023

George Floyd was killed by police on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis. Dangerous and very destructive riots immediately began in many US cities seeking justice for the Floyd family. The white police officer was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The tragic death of George Floyd triggered an investigation of the Minneapolis police dept. by the US. Dept. of Justice. Results of that 2+ year investigation were made public this week.

Here are the key findings:

Police use excessive and deadly force when not necessary.
Investigators have “reasonable cause” to conclude Minneapolis police used racially bias conduct against Black and Native Americans citizens, especially during traffic stops. After the Floyd death, police stopped reporting the race of people they stopped. Hmmm? Reporting the race is required.
When racial bias was reported the department did little to address, and to hold officers accountable. Below is a picture Maderia Arradondo, Minneapolis Chief of Police from 2017 to 2022. He was responsible for the police actions. Chief Arradondo retired in 2022. Arradondo was the first Black Chief of Police in Minneapolis.

The DOJ investigation also revealed poor accountability and oversight. The police force accountability process was “fundamentally flawed” and unwilling to police its own!
Interestingly, the prior Police Chief, Janee Harteau, pictured below, served as Chief from 2012 -2017. She was the city’s first female chief and openly gay. She resigned after the tragic death of Justine Damond. She was shot by police. The city was sued for wrongful death and Damond won a $20 million judgement.

Abortion Pills

June 22, 2023

July 25, 2023, Update

A 44-year-old woman in the UK has been arrested and imprisoned for taking abortion pills in her 30th week of pregnancy. The legal limit for abortions is 24 weeks. The pills were for home use only before the 10th week.

This advertisement was on the front page of our local paper, the Charlotte “Fishwrap.” Is this newsworthy? Is this a good idea? Are abortions made possible by mail deliveries?

Here a just some of my thoughts:

I am pro-choice, but do not agree with late term abortions. Exceptions of course.
Abortions are serious matters and should involve medical professionals. Medical facilities should be available.
I understand “Plan B,” pills taken after unprotected sex, or violence, or a drunken night. I hope “pills by mail” doesn’t encourage bad/reckless behavior. The above ad suggests carrying these pills “before you need them.” Seems to me that might “facilitate” behavior that could be dangerous.
Abortions can have medical complications, some serious. Where is young woman going to go at 3am?
And finally, I hope there is not a “black market” for these pills, sold on the street perhaps laced with other drugs? Eventually, that is exactly what will happen!

Behavior in school directly related to Achievement!

June 19, 2023

I believe all students (K-12) deserve a good education. All should have an opportunity to learn in safe schools, with great teachers and classrooms free of distractions. However, currently in the US this is not always the case, especially in our large cities. Many large cities have schools with zero % student achievement levels.

I have researched this topic, read published essays, books, newspaper articles, statistical studies and great commentaries from Nobel winning educators and economists. Sadly, I have also read opinions from political activists. The views cited by activists differ from reality, common-sense and logic.

Here are some examples:

There is an achievement gap between Black and white students. Black student test scores are significantly lower than whites. Activists blame “systemic racism.” Yet in many large cities the mayors, school boards, school supt., principals, teachers, guidance counselors, and police resources are often Black.
High schools with large % of Black students do not score as high as white high schools. Activists claim this is due to segregation. Clustering the schools with mostly Black student causes the scores to be low. Why is that? White high schools perform much better. Whites “segregated” into a school seems to work well. Same with Asian students.
Economists and research professors believe that Black children do not have a homelife conducive to learning and excelling in school. Black children are raised by single parents, often low income, and sadly do not have meaningful conversations at home. Young white children hear 150-250 words spoken to them each day using proper grammar and supportive language, often quite encouraging. Black children might hear 15-20 words each day from an adult and often the words are demeaning, critical and negative. Often, excelling in school is viewed negatively in Black neighborhoods.
Activists claim Black students are disciplined in school at a higher rate than whites. The data supports this. Activists cite racism as the cause of this disparity. A heavy burden is placed on the teachers to correct student behavior in the classroom. In Charlotte, NC it is ok for a student to lightly shove a teacher! Can you imagine?
Students must be taught how to behave by their parents. Teachers of Black children are more likely to be lenient of bad behavior for fear of being called a racist. Bad behavior in school can lead to suspensions and expulsions. Activists call this “exclusionary.” Getting expelled from HS is often desirable for Black students. However, the data shows these students don’t graduate, and frequently enter into the criminal justice system.
One activist claimed that metal detectors for school entrance was just a way of “policing Black kids.” I believe metal detectors save lives.
Parenting skills, homelife, family structure and bad behavior are the reasons Black children under perform.
Our local, state and Federal government must make education a very high priority. It is unacceptable to have race disparities in educational achievement. Under performing schools cannot be tolerated. And Black families must support these schools.
Footnote #1-References provided by Dr. James Heckman and Dr. Thomas Sowell
Footnote #2-There are millions of high achieving Black children.