Jay Kersting's Blog

If anyone was listening to the show, you noticed I wasn't there.  Call or e-mail me to find out what is going on.

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Thanks go out to the Chicago White Sox.  I know that some of you think I would be saying congratulations, but from me, Thanks is more appropriate.

The White Sox lost to the Royals both times I saw them at Kauffman Stadium this season AND then yesterday they beat the Detroit Tigers to insure that the Royals had sole possession of fourth place in the American League Central.

Thank you to the Southsiders.

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Just so everyone knows, I am pulling for the Milwaukee Brewers this post season.  The Brewers were always a team that I liked (up until their former owner ignored them to become Commissioner) when I grew up.  My brother Dan has a great picture that he e-mailed out again yesterday of him and his son at Miller Park this summer. 

The Brewers have always been Dan's favorite team.

I want the wild card to pull off the big win.  

Go Brewers!!

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Do yourself a favor.  Do not look at your 401k or IRA's for the next few days.  It will only lead to depression.

Now, will the folks in Washington do anything to help?  Don't count on it.

They will take action, but remember the old saying, "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help."

The action that they do eventually take will not necessarily help.  I hope that it would, but I have big doubts.

One thing that will help has been related to this recent problem, oil futures are trading lower.  Down $10 a barrel yesterday, but up $2.21 as of my writing today.  If things can really drop on that commodity, that will help. Not sure that is coming.

But back to my bigger point.  Government help is not really help.

Bear Stearns was a starting point.  The Government got involved.  Things got worse.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were bailed out.  Things got worse.

Maybe the Federal Government getting involved makes things worse.

Or maybe not.

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Have a great day...and week.  More as I feel like it.  Call or write (jay@jaykersting.com).

Go Brew Crew, Beat the Phillies!!!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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A few weeks back, Joe Biden asked State Senator Chuck Graham to stand up at an event in Columbia, MO.  By now, you may know that Graham is wheelchair bound.

Last week, we learned that President Franklin Roosevelt went on television after the stock market crash of 1929.  I found this revelation to be interesting since I had learned that Herbert Hoover was President then.  I guess I had some pretty lousy teachers. 

I was also amazed to learn that Philo Farnsworth's invention was available commercially nationwide within 13-14 months of the introduction to the news media.   I was a Broadcasting major....I should have known this.  I really should have known this. 

Again, my education was worse than I thought.  Thankfully, Joe Biden is there to fill me in.  He is a very generous man.

And when I say generous, I mean generous to the tune of $3650 a year in donations to charity.  Oh, sorry, my bad.  That was $3650 over TEN YEARS!!

Oh, and I just checked our 2007 Federal Income Tax return.   We donated to charity $3855!!!!  Now, that was a combination of cash, not much, and items at resale shop prices.  There was a LOT due to our move in 2007.  BUT still.  We had more in ONE year than Joe Biden and his wife had in TEN YEARS!!!!!

I should add, that was a LOW year for the Kerstings.

And I should also add, without getting too personal, we make a LOT less than the Bidens.  They are hauling in a six-figure income, the Kersting's aren't even close to thinking about it.

Again, I will admit that MOST of our donations are items we have given, but about a third of it is in monetary donations.  So, by that metric alone, we are more generous.

Giving to charity is more patriotic than paying more taxes.  But clearly, I am biased when I say that.

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Sports.....how about the Alabama Crimson Tide???

How about the Ole Miss Rebels??

And Jonathan Crompton likes old Britney Spears songs...because Oops HE did it again.  This time, it was the direct cause of the loss.

Phillip Fulmer has announced that the quarterback position is up for grabs once again.  Nick Stephens will get some snaps with the starters this week.

Could he do any worse?

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Have a great week.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Let me just say, and for those who listen you can tell, I really like working with David Gaines.  That is NOT to say that I didn't like working with others that I have shared microphones with, but this is really a whole different level.

No idea why we click, but we do.  And even on "bad" days, we seem to make things fun.

And to be 100 percent honest, that is the only reason to work in this business.

Anyhow, I don't think I have given David the plug he deserves on this blog, so here it is.  

Now, you really need to feel sorry for him.  He DOES HAVE to work with ME!

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Don't you think they are over doing this just a bit?  I got two days off in Middle School, but that was for fighting (and he deserved it!!!) and I saw it coming.

This.....is stupid.

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Speaking of stupid, have you been watching what is happening in Washington?  

We have a deal.

No we don't.

We're going to have a deal.

No we're not.

The House Republicans are blocking everything.

No, they are not listening to the House Republicans.

The Democrats say John McCain has done nothing.

The Republicans say other wise.

You know who I believe?

Yeah....none of them.

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Yesterday I mentioned that I understand where John McCain was coming from by reinserting himself in the mix in DC.  The big meeting was apparently his idea.  Even if he isn't saying much, simply suggesting the meeting is an example of leadership.

Since the President was the host of the meeting, it would be inappropriate for either Senator McCain or Senator Obama to take charge there.

Now, with all of that said, what is the deal with the debate?

McCain wanting a delay in the debate due to this financial bailout pending doesn't make sense.  I agree with Barack Obama on saying that the President needs to mulitask.  Seriously, look at what Bill Clinton could do while eating pizza.

Anyhow, this is one of things that I just scratch my head over.

Sure, this financial mess is serious.  Yes, it need to be given PRIMARY attention by those who have been elected to the Senate.

Will this be a chance for John McCain to pull off some theatrics?  Possibly.

If he truly doesn't show up, will that prove anything?

To steal from the movie "Dodgeball"..."It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em"

Bold?  If it works.

Silly?  Yeah, if it fails.

I will not be watching tonight.  I will be in Kansas City to call a Jefferson City Jays Football game.

And in the end, that is probably more important.

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Oh, and do you think they "Tailgate" on the "The Grove" ahead of a Presidential Debate at Ole Miss?

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Have a great weekend.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Let me just say this.  We are not in a recession.  We are not in a depression.  We are not necessarily headed there.

But we could be.

All of that said, let me add to what I said yesterday, work together here folks.  Not doing to could send us to the crash that NO ONE wants.  

First up, did you see President Bush's speech last night?  He took up about thirteen minutes to tell us what is going on, how we got there and why we need to act quickly.  The scary part was that he made a whole lot of sense in that short talk to us. 

What I liked about what he did was that he DID NOT STAND UP AND BLAME EVERYONE BUT HIMSELF!!!!!  He blamed no one specifically, but rather laid out the series of events that led to where we are today.

Simply put, credit was made too easy.  Most of that was based on the belief that home prices would continue to rise.  When several things, and Bush did not specify in his brief address, caused the property values to drop, this mess was upon us.

One of those factors was ENERGY costs.   When money is directed from one area to another area in anyone's budget, that causes things to adjust.  So, if people have less money to put into real estate due to the fact that they NEED to spend more on energy costs, they cannot use that money elsewhere.  If you have $3000 a month to cover your expenses, and you spent $300 a month on your utilities and another $100 for gasoline to run your car, that left $2600 for everything else.  So maybe you could afford $800 a month for the mortgage.  BUT, when your utilities jump from $300 to $450 a month and your gasoline costs double to $200 a month, that makes that $800 a month mortgage payment quite a bit tougher.  That is not even counting the additional costs for groceries caused by everyone else having higher fuel costs.

So, you now have my spin as to how ENERGY costs got us in this mess.

Going further, I was surprised at how much sense the words of President Bush made.  This is NOT a man who is known for being, um, articulate.

Now I understand that the $700,000,000 price tag is a MAXIMUM not a minimum.  It is still a number that is about four or five more decimal places than I could never personally relate to, but I am starting to get it.

The plan, in general terms, is to have the government buy up the mortgage-backed securities and possibly a few other thing for pennies on the dollar.  The government will then SIT on them until they can get more for them.  

Buy low and sell high....this makes sense, right?  But doing so with our money is where people get nervous.

Now I do agree that SOMETHING has to be done.   And this plan seems to make sense....except the lack of oversight is what gives me big concerns.  I think that idea is now off the table.

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Sports analogy time.

Late in a close game, winners want the ball.

Doug Flutie wanted the ball in 1984 late in the game at the Orange Bowl when they were trailing Miami.

Michael Jordan wanted the ball in the NBA Finals when the Bulls were behind the Jazz.

Kirk Gibson wanted to play in Game One of the 1988 World Series.

Winners want in the game.  They are at their best when the heat is on.

Losers don't want that kind of pressure because they know they will crack.

While many will spin John McCain's move to re-insert himself in Washington as political posturing, those who know more about this man can really see where this "posture" came from.

McCain has often said that his hero was Theodore Roosevelt.  So, what do you know about TR?

I know that TR was an Assistant Secretary of the Navy who quit that job and helped lead the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.  And it was at the Battle for San Juan Hill that thrust TR in to the real limelight.  Often, field commanders will issue an order to "Charge!"  Roosevelt did not do that.  Rather, his order was to FOLLOW HIM and he LED the Charge and fought along side his men.

I think John McCain feels this is another moment to get others to follow his lead by inserting himself in the middle of the action.  I do not believe this is PURELY political, but rather that McCain knows that what he is doing does have political consequences.

Only a pure cynic sees this as politics for politics sake.

Yeah, and Flutie just wanted to loosen up his arm, Gibson needed a little batting practice before game two, and Jordan was trying to sell more shoes.

All wanted to be heroes.  John McCain is no different.  And like Flutie, Jordan and Gibson, he is taking a chance.  Will it pay off?

Flip that around.  Prior to being invited to the White House, the word from Barack Obama was that he would stay out of the mix in Washington.  He said that he did not want to insert Presidential politics in to the situation.  Really?  Besides running for President what has this guy done.

Barack Obama wanted to stay on the sideline.  John McCain wanted in the game.

That is the simple difference between these two men.  Which approach you think is better.....well, that is up to you.  I know what I think.

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University of Southern California's Trojans are on the road tonight to take on the Oregon State University Beavers.

Trojans will win this one, no doubt about it.  But I think Thursday night college football games are a horrible idea.

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Have a great Thursday!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Lewis Black pretty much nailed it when he described our two party system of politics as the Republicans being the party of bad ideas and the Democrats being the party of no ideas.

Black is close to right.  But when he goes further with this explanation, that is when he nails it.  Black says that a Republican stands up and gives their idea...then a Democrats says that he can make it worse.  (Obviously, if you have seen or heard this part of his act you know that I have edited the language.)

We see that in full play right now.  Except it seems that a third leg to the stool exists.  The White House has one bad idea.  The Democrats want to make it worse.  And then the Congressional Republicans take it to the next level.

Back in the 1970's, Charles Finley had a slogan that he abbreviated as SSS.  It stood for "sweat plus sacrifice equals success" according to Finley.  I think all of the parties involved probably think that they are doing just that.

The reality is what the Oakland A's players thought of the slogan.  And I will NOT edit this for my sensitive readers.  "Shit plus Shit equals more Shit!"

That is what all of those in power are really giving us.

It is their fault.  

No, it is their fault.

No, no, no...it is their fault.

Really, that is what we have gotten too.  

Apparently, we need a good Kindergarten teacher to get everyone back on topic.

Maybe they all just need their afternoon naps!

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Understand that I think we need to learn from the mistakes that were made so that they do not happen again.  But conducting a "post mortem" is very different than finger pointing and blame placing.

Who is most responsible?  In a sense, I say Alan Greenspan.  But he is not alone.

Greenspan made a lot of moves with the Fed that were based on parts of the equation that changed.  One of those was energy costs.  He did not predict that energy costs would change as quickly as they did.

But he was also pressured to make some moves to help make home ownership something that more people could attain.  I benefited from this policy.  And lucky for me, we made changes to firm up our position.  Many others were not able to do so.

So know that when I point fingers, I will explain it.  My position is not to place blame so that we can get out the torches and pitchforks to attack that person with.  My position is to take away a lesson from the experience.

We should learn a lesson here.  All of us need to learn from this.  Part of that lesson is to get a better understanding for ALL OF US as to how the economy works.  Another part of that lesson is for ALL OF US to take a more active role in knowing about what is happening in the world around us.

But the biggest thing that I hope we learn from this is to always trust but verify when it comes to statements from politicians.  Because when you go to verify now, you will learn not to trust.  Hopefully, that will lead to a new generation of politicians who we MAY be able to trust.

But still verify.

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I am tired of hearing people who are out there portraying Governor Sarah Palin as stupid.

Now, I am not saying that she is a genius.  I do not know.  But, too many people are jumping to the conclusions that she is stupid.  Has she said some dumb things? Sure, the statement about seeing Russia from Alaska was a joke, but too many didn't pick up on that.

The "Bush Doctrine" question from Charles Gibson was something many have portrayed as a stumble.  But the question that must be asked is what Palin did back to Gibson, in what aspect/regard.  You need to recall that Charles Krauthammer was the one to coined the phrase "Bush Doctrine" and not President Bush himself.  Krauthammer took a series of stances by Bush to formulate the most concise version of the so-called doctrine.  So, when she asked Gibson her question, it was fair.  Though since NO ONE wants to give her a break got that point, they ripped Palin apart.

BUT now all of that said, there is a BIG issue that I have with how Governor Palin is being handled by the campaign.  WHY IS SHE NOT DOING MORE MEDIA?

I get not doing NBC or MSNBC because of their obvious bias.  And even though the campaign ripped the New York Times, I would have her chat with them.  Go in to the belly of the beast.

The more she is asked and answering questions, the more we can come up with our own thoughts on her.

Not what the media wants.  Not what the comedians want.  And not what the ideologically biased AMONG US what.

And yes, I will ask Nancy Pfotenauer about that when she is on the show this morning.

[UPDATE: Ms. Pfotenauer answered the question.  There have been a couple of times when the media has shown their concerns over her appearances.  However, she is doing more and more media all the time, including an appearance with Katie Couric.  Pfotenauer said the lack of Sunday morning shows is more of a concern to Washington media types and political junkies than the people elsewhere in the country.  I agreed with her final point...even though I do watch those shows on occasion.] 

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Have a great Wednesday.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Have you heard the latest study?  It shows that men who think it is a woman's job to stay home and taking care of the babies, the house and play June Cleaver make more money than other men.

Do I need to change my attitude?

The men with these beliefs....call them "old-fashioned" or "sexist"...actually earn nearly $12,000 a year more than men who view their female counterparts as equals.

There are a couple of problems with the study.  If you used the link, you can probably guess one of them.  (It is who did the study.)  The other problem is that you cannot change your attitude to get a raise.

Dammit.

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Speaking of equal pay, does anyone else find it funny that a Presidential candidate who has tried to make this an issue, pays his female staffers an average of just 78 percent of what he pays the men who work for him?

The word you are looking for is HYPOCRITE.

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This is interesting.   Maybe Kathleen Sebelius needs to be concerned over the "code words" used by members of her own party.

While these attitudes in this day are stupid and based on ignorance more than anything else, the fact that they exist among a group that has tried to put them on the other side is enlightening.

Now if EVERYONE could become enlightened.

Oh, and by the way, there are dozens of good reasons to vote AGAINST someone.  Bad ideas, questionable associations, breaking promises on key issues, etc.  Race is NOT a good reason.  Never has been.

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The penny will get a face lift.  The Los Angeles Times asks a good question.  Why?

They might be on to a good idea.  Thoughts?  (Most of the ones you get for a penny....yeah, not even worth that.)

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I usually do not talk about this, but why not.  I guess because I'd like to see a couple of them make it in this year.

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For all of those who ever got Munson'd, you may like this.  If you are a Georgia Bulldogs fan, well then, this may be hard for you.

And one of his most famous calls occurred while I was on the sideline at Neyland Stadium.  I had to look up what a hobnail boot was.

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Have a great Tuesday.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Years ago, there was a plan to build a new stadium for the New York Yankees in Manhattan.  That was, for some reason, scrapped.

Next year, a new Yankee Stadium opens in The Bronx next to the existing Yankee Stadium.  

Let me open by saying that I never made it to Yankee Stadium.  Honestly, I never really wanted to go.  Sure, I would have loved to have been there to see the Royals back in the ALCS games, despite the losses, back in the 1970's.  I would have loved to have been there on 10 October 1980 to see the Royals finally get an American League Championship when they beat the Yankees on George Brett's upper deck home run off of Rich Gossage.

And I would have enjoyed being there for the All-Star Game back in July.  

But otherwise, I never got all that excited about going there.  In fact during the one time I was in New York, I never even made it to The Bronx.  I arrived in Queens, stayed in Manhattan, took the subway to Brooklyn due to a mistake by our group leader AND the re-routing caused by the World Trade Center being destroyed (this WAS December 2001).  Just didn't care.

So, as you hear about the history of this building following the final baseball game being played there, know that not everyone wished they had gone.

Aside from a few key games, there was really nothing there for me.

Sorry, it is a "passing" that is of casual interest to me.  But there is no regret here. 

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I am not suprised, but at the same time, I am surprised.  At what, you ask?

How about economics?

People that I otherwise think of as fairly intelligent, show that they are little more than partisan drooling mouth breathers when it comes to this topic.

The economy is a topic that is OVER simplified by many to score political points.  This was exaggerated to the point of deception by the Clinton campaign back in 1992.  And it led to campaign lies about tax cuts that never came.

But that is because people are gullible when it comes to things that they do not understand.

Here is what you need to know, IF....BIG IF...you can shake off your preconceived political leanings long enough to UNDERSTAND it.

The person who deserves the most credit and the most blame for our economic booms and economic woes all comes to one person.

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

And I do not mean that Ben Bernanke made everything go to hell because he could not replace the duct tape that Alan Greenspan put up as quickly as it failed.

But rather, the blame goes to Greenspan himself.  

Greenspan's manipulations of the interest rates while serving as Fed Chairman led to a lot of good things for a short time, but when things went sour last year with the home loan markets he needs to get the blame.

The problem with the economy is that too many people know too little about economics.  THAT is what ALLOWS the polticians to manipulate them/you.  They play to your FEARS.  They play to your UNCERTAINTIES and they play to your DOUBTS.

And, because it is easier to buy in to a slogan on a bumper sticker than it is to LEARN something, we get lied to (back to those promised tax cuts from 1992).

Who is to blame?  The polticians?

Nope.  We the People are to blame.  Our collective IGNORANCE has let them get away with it.

So when you see the Democrats point fingers at Republicans, while they wheel bucketloads of money in to each others homes, know that they are as much too blame as the Republicans that they accuse.  Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac were led by Democrat appointees....and WE are paying thos big bonues that have been given to Jim Johnson and Franklin Raines.

And when you see the Republicans pointing their fingers back at the Democrats, while they have their own versions of Johnson and Raines carrying luggage full of cash back to their homes, know also that they are as much too blame as the Democrats that they accuse.  And yeah, we are paying for that too.

Simply put, who is to blame?  We the People.

Now that you may have a better understanding of what the problems are, what are you going to do about it?

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Speaking of heads in the sand, I think a lot of people in Knoxville wonder if the coaching staff at the University of Tennessee has theirs in the sand....or somewhere a little closer to home....but still lower than belt level.

Jonathan Crompton is not the answer. 

Unless the question is who can best lead the Volunteers to another losing season.

However, despite the fact that Crompton seems to have hands better suited for churning butter...and maybe they have been...the other problem is a constant.  TACKLING!!!!

Back in 2001, I was covering the Volunteers and I noticed that the basic concept of WRAPPING UP and bringing an opponent to the ground seemed to be missing.  I saw a great tackle on Friday at the Jays game.  In the little bits of the Vols game that I saw before nausea kicked in, I didn't see any.

It is easy to blame a quarterback who was changing the oil on the coaches car before the game.  But the real blame can fall on the coaches themselves....especially when the team simply looks unprepared.

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Have a great week.  Find a way, really.  And when YOU do, let me know how you pulled it off.

Oh and for something odd, and possibly challenging, check this out.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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OK, OK, OK, I am not just saying that I want the Volunteers to beat the FU Gators because they are my team.  They are, but it is bigger than that.

I can't say this often enough.  I know that a lot of the folks who read this blog are Mizzou Tigers fans.  So that said, a big win over the Buffalo Bulls is NOT going to be enough to crack the rankings any higher than the current number five position.

BUT, if the FU Gators lose to my Volunteers in Knoxville, that not only gets the Tigers up to at least number four, but it also could get the Vols back in the top 25.

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The Big Three automakers want their bailout now.  I have the solution....and it is NOT a blank check.

Now, my logic may fail a little bit, but follow along and see where I take this.

The U.S. Federal Government does NOT write GM, Chrysler and Ford a check or give them a loan.  Rather, they cut a purchase order for an OBSCENE number of new vehicles for the Feds and for state and local governments (that the Feds subsidize, as they do anyway).

BUT NOT FOR THE VEHICLES THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY PRODUCING.  Maybe 10 percent of the total order can be.

But have the Feds buy a bunch of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vehicles, electric vehicles, and hydrogen/hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

With the purchase order, the Big Three can go to their creditors for better loans.  If the banks have the stability of loans that will be repaid by the Federal Government via the automakers, that helps the banks themselves achieve stability, right?

This is something that benefits many more people than just the hundreds of thousands of employees of the Big Three.  

What it also does is gives the fuel providers, whether utility companies or big oil, transition some of their fueling stations from gasoline and diesel only to these other options.  AND it makes these vehicles more viable for the average consumer.

AND it addresses THE ISSUE that has been ignored the last couple of weeks, ENERGY!!!!

But, this idea probably makes too much sense to the folks in Washington and the folks in Detroit.

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Joe Biden says it is PATRIOTIC to pay more taxes.  

Joe Stalin probably felt the same way.

Sorry, Joe Biden is DEAD WRONG on this.  PLEASE continue reading as I explain.

What Joe Biden fails to notice is that it is MUCH more patriotic to donate money, VOLUNTARILY, to causes that help people in a much more efficient way that the government does. 

But Biden is not exactly a good example of someone who makes many charitable donations.   I guess it is not his fault, he DOESN'T know any better.

Even FEMA looks to the American Red Cross to help in disasters.  Even FEMA encourages donations to them and The Salvation Army when the nation is in need.

Not Joe Biden.  He wants you to pay more taxes and be happy about it, it is patriotic.

And people wonder why I find him and his running mate, Barack Obama, so dangerous.

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I have written many times about what a dangerous and bad, bad man George Soros is.  I put up links, but a lot of you do not bother checking them, so I will not bother doing that again.   But know that he is a bad, bad man.  I think EVERYONE needs to know who he is and who he has his tentacles on.

One of those is Barack Obama.  I was not aware of this direct connection until recently.  I knew of the indirects, mainly through Move On dot org (I will DEFINITELY NOT put a link in to that evil group.)  It disappoints me, but unfortunately it doesn't surprise me.

The physical similarities between Soros and Palpatine are not lost on me either.  

I will not stretch this analogy out any further.  If you catch the reference, you can take it further if YOU choose.

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Have a GREAT weekend.  BEAT THE GATORS!!!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Today is the Thirtieth Anniversary of the debut of "WKRP in Cincinnati" on the CBS network.

First, if you are unfamiliar with the show....shame on you.  If you know the show and know it well, you can see where this MIGHT have been an influence on several of us in this business.

The show today is(was) peppered with clips and references to WKRP all morning.

And if you have ever wondered about the closing credits, this explains it.

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How safe is your e-mail?

Have you ever sent anything business related from a personal e-mail?  Or anything personal from a business e-mail?

Some hackers got into the Yahoo! e-mail account of Sarah Palin. 

That would be Sarah Palin, mother, wife, etc.  Not Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, and this is the distinction.

The issue is that someone broke the law and violated the privacy of Sarah Palin.  Period.  If that person, or persons, gets caught then they should be prosecuted.

I will NOT jump to conclusions about the motivations behind this move.  That would be irresponsible.

Equally irresponsible is what I have heard from the ilk of liberal feminist Gloria Allred.  I will be honest with you.  I never liked and never trusted this woman.  However, when Dennis Miller had her on his "Varsity" segment of his CNBC show a few years back, the ice seemed to get chipped off.  Apparently, all of the credit goes to Miller.

That said, here is my problem with Allred.  Rather than AGREE that the violation of privacy was a shame, she went in a different direction.  And I was a bit surprised.  Wouldn't a "pro-choice" feminist be in favor of keeping privacy as a key issue?  Not this hypocrite.

No.  Gloria Allred, showing her true blue liberal Democrat colors, says that it needs to be investigated whether or not Palin used her personal e-mail for official state business.

Agreed, if Palin did that...IF..that would be wrong.

Allred is dead wrong for going there, but is ANYONE suprised what she has said?  Of course not.  

I am certain that she is not alone.

So far, they hack has revealed on exchange between Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell, Alaska's Lt. Governor.  The content was of a mostly inconsequential nature.  Complaining about the media.

Even I can understand that. 

Especially when it comes to media whores like a feminist attorney from Los Angeles.

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Have a Great Thursday.  Oh......and one more thing babies.......BOOGER!!!!!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Now that it is not going to happen, I can let you in on a little secret project I have been working on.

Since the end of the August primary election, I have been working to get an on-air debate between Congressman Kenny Hulshof and Attorney General Jay Nixon, the two men who are seeking to be the next governor of our great state.

Listeners of the show probably recall that Congressman Hulshof agreed to debate on my show.  This was asked and answered at 7:19 am on 1 August 2008.  This was before he won the Republican primary.  Since that time, I have traded e-mails with his people laying out the details of my debate proposal.

After digging for a few weeks, and sending e-mails via the Jay Nixon for Governor website, and NOT getting phone calls returned, I finally got a name and e-mail address with the assistance of Matt LaCasse in our Columbia news room.

The Nixon people FINALLY responded to an e-mail.  And this is what I offered to both campaigns.

First, a MORNING drive time on-radio debate.  Second, to take place in the Rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol.  Third, it would be CO-moderated by me and my counterpart at NewsTalk 1400 KFRU, David Lile.  Finally, we would entertain other media involvement in the debate and welcome TV cameras to video tape the debate for the news and for use in the campaigns.

This debate was to air live in both Jefferson City and in Columbia.  We also were exploring the possibility of feeding the audio to other stations around the state.

The Hulshof campaign seemed interested, especially based on the on-air commitment of the candidate himself.

The Nixon campaign said they would get back to me.  This was in late August.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I get an e-mail from the Hulshof campaign telling me that they would still be happy to take part in a debate, but warned that I might not find the Nixon campaign as open.

Knowing this, I again contacted the Nixon folks to see what they had to say.

The response was as follows:

"After talking with Congressman Hulshof's campaign, we have agreed to a series of four debates, the first of which took place last week in Columbia.The remaining three debates are scheduled for October.  We believe these debates, hosted by various Missouri media outlets and organizations, will ensure that as many Missourians as possible are able to watch and hear the candidates for governor discuss their positions on the issues.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate additional debate requests."

I responded with a explanation that dismissing my offer as a Jefferson City only opportunity showed a lack of understanding of my proposal AND that I was sorry that we were not able talk about it directly.

Then, I shared the news with the Hulshof campaign.

That is when it happened.  I learned that I was lied to.  The Hulshof campaign never agreed to four debates, that was all the Nixon campaign was willing to do.  Tell me that, and this story is over.  Lie to me, and I will share it with EVERYONE.  And here I am doing just that.

Let me be precise.  The exact wording of the Hulshof campaign was as follows:

"this is a hoax they're pulling on many people.  They're suggesting that we have somehow agreed to only four debates.  That is flat wrong."

So, I am using the big ugly LIE word.  Hoax is pretty strong.  The fact that they stated they agreed to something that was not a point of contention of the other party is a lie.  It was apparently never up for discussion.  The Hulshof folks seemed to be of "the any time, any place" viewpoint.  The Nixon folks apparently wanted to limit the contacts.  Fine, just tell me that.  Instead, they wished to spin me.  That makes it a LIE. 

I will admit that Mr. Nixon himself did NOT lie to me.  But people acting on his behalf DID.  And as ANYONE from Missouri knows, and Harry Truman reminded us, the Buck Stops where?

At this point, I will not bully him to appear on the show.  He is welcome to come on the show.  If he chooses not to, that is his decision.  Equal time laws state that I must provide time to him equal to that granted to Mr. Hulshof within one week IF HE REQUESTS IT.   I will not violate rules and laws.

And I will not LIE, nor have someone LIE on my behalf.

All of that said, I am sorry to my audience that I let you down by not being able to provide this debate for you.  We did carry A debate for you last week, but not one that we had any direct involvement in. 

Again, I am sorry if I let you down.

FOLLOW UP:

The Nixon campaign has contacted me with their version of events.  It shows the final agreed debate schedule and does not counter my previous points.  "Agreed" is a term that can be taken several ways.  One point was a fifth debate, that the Hulshof campaign bowed out of due to apparent schedule conflicts.  

The fact that I was open on dates, but offered three up front, does not change ANY of the other FACTS as I have stated.  My opinion remains unchanged.

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The Royals are on a FIVE game winning streak.

Too little, too late, but it does help show the future of the team.

Unlike the NFL, I have gotten back into Major League Baseball.  I was away from the game for about ten years, so getting back here to the Midwest has brought me back into the game.

Of course, I am surrounded by Cardinals fans and I have no problem with them, unless they are also Royals haters.  Then I dismiss them as being fools with a grudge that THEY need to get over.  

Anyhow, a strong September added to a few off-season additions and the farm system feeding the parent club, leads to confidence for the next season.

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So by now you have heard all of these independent groups debunking John McCain's claims that Barack Obama supported a Sex Education bill that would allow Sex Ed to be taught to Kindergartners.   Shame on John McCain for the false claim?

That is what I thought.  Guess what, McCain wasn't wrong!

Even the "Truth-O-Meter" by Politifact.com got it wrong.  And that bothers me since I have the "Truth-O-Meter" at the top of the homepage of this blog. (You may not see that if you get this page as an RSS feed or by the daily page links.  You also miss my link to Amazon.com)

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If there are any Mizzou fans who read this, you really want to support the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday.

USC is off.  Same with Oklahoma.  Georgia is at Arizona State and the Sun Devils are no longer a ranked team. 

That leads to Florida.   They play Tennessee in Knoxville.

You see, the ONLY way that the Tigers can move up in the rankings this week is IF someone above them loses.  Beating Buffalo....Buffalo!!!.....beating Buffalo, a team that they should not even be sharing the field with, by 52 will do NOTHING.

The only reason that Mizzou moved up this week was that USC beat Ohio State.  That is it.  They did NOTHING to help themselves.

So, hope for a Florida loss.  Best chance the Tigers have to get to number 4 in this next week.

Otherwise, sit back and HOPE for the best as the season moves on.

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Have a Great Wednesday!!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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You might think it is because the Kansas City Chiefs just aren't very good.  They have a coach that I never had any faith in. 

But overall, I just don't care about the NFL.

I think the real reason is that I am really interested in, and have been working in and around, college football for the past eight seasons.

Back in 2002, I covered a day of an NFL summer camp. It was the Atlanta Falcons camp held at Furman University.  Yes, Michael Vick was there.  No, the dogs weren't.  

It was not a bad experience, but the media relations folks were attempting to spin me through the whole visit.

That is NOT to say that it doesn't happen in the college game, it does.  Just not as big of a degree.  The biggest difference, from my experience, is that the college folks can restrict your access more.

Anyhow, that said, I can separate my positions as a reporter, analyst and fan.  I have worked with and around many that cannot.

But back to my point, I am bored with the NFL.  Idiots like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson really turn me off.

And that leads me to my next point.  Has anyone else seen the recent movie "The Longshots"???

In a key scene in the movie, the character played by Ice Cube tells his players to show him their touchdown dances.  He lets them all do their dance. Then he tells that back in his day, they did something really "old school"....handed the ball to the referee and acted like they had been there before.

The NFL bores me because this plethora of fools does not add excitement to the game.  It brings attention to themselves and puts them above team.

College coaches, ususally, do not allow that kind of behavior.

And that is probably the main reason why I prefer the college game.

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When you hear John McCain go in to details about the economy, I think he may be right.  Keyword is MAY.  But when I hear the soundbite of about the fundamentals, I again hear what I fear.

Giving his enemy ammunition.

While Barack Obama lacks the ability to be soundbited, as proven in the O'Reilly interview, he can take McCain's and spin them against him.

So, again I remind you to NOT listen to the soundbites they use against each other, read and listen to the bigger and more detailed explanation they give.

That is what I have done for the most part, and that is why I find the plan from one side to be more achievable than the other.  

And that is why I fear another promise will be broken.

Both of these guys have broken enough of them already.

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I have been beating the drum for a focus on improving the infrastructure of our nation for a LONG time.  

It has been ignored, actually neglected, for a quite a while.  

But here is a good story.  

The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis will open on Thursday, well ahead of the scheduled open that was set for Christmas Eve.  

Now, we still need to push for those in the position TO do something about the rest of our roads, bridges, power grid, etc., ACTUALLY do something.  

You have a voice, use it.

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Have a great Tuesday!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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USC dismantled Ohio State on Saturday night 35 to 3.  This illustrated a few things.  One, Ohio State is not as good as the number five ranking, right?  Maybe, but back to that in a little bit.  What it really did was solidify things for the Trojans the rest of this season.  But keep in mind, it was a Pac-10 school that tripped them up last year.  Another thing it did was add the name of Mark Sanchez in to the Heisman trophy discussion.

Now back to Ohio State.  The Buckeyes are a good team that I sincerely believe will finish the season as a top ten team, possibly back in Southern California in January.  Not in Los Angeles, but in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl to play the Pac-10 runner up.  Guessing Oregon right now.

Mizzou had a big win on Saturday over Nevada, 69-17.  Nevada is not a bad team.  But Nevada should not be on the same field as a top ten team.  But I do not fault them.  I fault the University of Missouri for the lack of confidence in their program to put together a schedule that anyone can be proud of.  It is a joke and it helps NO ONE. 

In fact, it hurts.  It hurts Chase Daniel specifically.  Mizzou is running a campaign to get him the Heisman Trophy.  They have a rather clever campaign.  They are sending voters out View Masters with photos from last year and they will send new discs during this season.

But when he puts up obscene stats and gets the attention for doing so, voters will notice.  Then the first thing they will go to look at is who the Tigers played.  They will get credit for the Big 12 schedule, but they have no control over that.  When everyone sees that they played Illinois, they will get credit for that.

As soon as they see Southeast Missouri State, Nevada and Buffalo, heads will shake.

And more importantly, pens will move off of the name Daniel on the ballot and go somewhere else.

I am not saying he WON'T win the Heisman, I am just saying that a wimpy schedule hurts his chances.  So, if he doesn't win you can place the blame on Mike Alden and Gary Pinkel.

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Tennessee beat Alabama-Birmingham 35 to 3 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

I am not a fan of the Vols playing these games either.  But, I give UAB more credit than I do Nevada right now.  Not much, but some.

But what hurt the Vols more than anything else this weekend was the massacre in Provo.  Brigham Young University just hammered, hammered the cruddy little bruins of fucla.  59 to NOTHING, ZIP, ZERO, NADA!!!!

As the song goes, u-c-l-a sucks!!  (That would be Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" for the uninitiated.)

But they beat Tennessee.  What should that tell me?

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The more I look in to Barack Obama's promises of a tax cut for most Americans, the more I have my doubts.

Obama is promising a tax cut to 95 percent of American families.  Problem number one is that 40 percent of American families don't pay any income taxes.

So, how would he do this? By sending a check.  How is the check funded?  By taking money away from those who are successful.

This is income redistribution, which is Socialism in my opinion, and this is, also in my opinion un-American, wrong!

Now, many of you may not see things this way, and I get that.  So I add this observation.

George H.W. Bush broke his promise to not raise taxes.  (Consider that he was beat up to do it, then those doing the beating used his "flip-flop" against him politically.) 

Bill Clinton raised taxes on the middle class after saying that he wouldn't.  I saw this coming because I never believed ANYTHING that man said.  I still don't.

So, now we move ahead to Barack Obama.  He claims to be a DIFFERENT kind of politician.  I used to believe that.  Now I know better. 

But how can I believe a man will not raise my taxes when he broke his promise on something much less important.  Barack Obama promised to play by the campaign finance rules that kick in when a candidate accepts public matching funds. 

When he saw that he could raise more money, he broke that promise without giving it a second thought.  He hasn't even tried to defend it.  Just did it.

Sorry, I really do not want the future of my, already too small, paycheck in that man's hands.

Do you REALLY want to do that?

Oh, and as for Alan Greenspan, I think he needs to simply go away.  He is the one who is responsible for a lot of the mess we are in now.  I won't go into details, but keep in mind that Mr. Greenspan used to work for Charles Keating.  You can probably connect some dots from there.

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Preview of tomorrows show.  McCain top economic advisor and chair of Victory 2008, Carly Fiorina is appearing at 8:47am CDT. Fiorina is also the former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard.  You may have seen her on ABC's This Week yesterday appearing opposite Senator Claire McCaskill.

On Friday, I had Susan Montee talking about Barack Obama.

Keeping it balanced.  But I can't help it if one campaign makes better known folks available over the other.

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Have a great week.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Thanks to all who went out in the rain last night to enjoy some chili at the FIRST Annual Naught-Naught Agency Chili Cookoff as part of the Tour of Missouri.

Eleven teams competed for votes for the best chili.  To be perfectly honest, there were a lot of really good chilis produced...something for everyone's taste.

The best two, in my opinion, were the Carroll Shelby recipe that was produced by The Mike Kehoe Autogroup and the team right next to them consisting of Bruce Ring (Zesto South), Brian Schrimpf (Robo Car Wash) and Brian Welch (Nicklas Financial)....the last three being key members of the Capital City Cookoff committee.  I had to cast a vote and it was tough.  I teased Mike that he was getting my vote because he has taken care of me (Mike runs ads with me).  But the reality was, his chili just barely edged out the other guys.  Might have been a couple of reasons, but those two chilis had a great full rich flavor without burning your tongue off. 

The other nine were not bad.  None of them were bad, but two were better than the others.

Thanks to the folks at Naught-Naught for putting on the show.

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I have explained in the past that I do not link to stories from the Associated Press.  The reason, in brief, is that they want bloggers to pay to link.....even though you can get to it for free on your own.  Makes no sense.  But anyhow, here is my beef today.

The headline reads, "Palin tries to defend qualifications in interview."

TRIES?  Really?  This is not bias?

Why take seven words to say something when five will do?  My guess is that they have been cheerleading for Barack Obama so long that the AP can't be pithy any longer.

"Palin defends qualifications in interview" is pretty much the message that should have been pushed forward.  The difference is that the one that they used allows the reader to infer that she did not succeed.  The one that I have written leaves that decision up to what is in the content of the story. 

In the story, the AP writers say that Palin "struggled with foreign policy" because she could not explain the "Bush Doctrine" when asked by Charles Gibson.  

So, before you judge her, explain the Bush Doctrine to me.  Name the number of politicians at a national level who can clearly articulate it.  (I expect jokes about Bush and articulation to follow.)

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I did not see the part of the interview ABC aired last night.  I have seen excerpts.  Charles Gibson did a good job of not throwing the "gotcha" questions at her, but rather went with the tough, but fair kind of questions.  

Time permitting, I hope to watch the entire interview over the weekend.

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BIG GAME on Saturday.  No, I am NOT referring to Mizzou's game with Nevada.  I am also not referring to Tennessee's home opener with Alabama-Birmingham, though it is MUCH more respectable than playing SEMO.

I am referring to The Ohio State University Buckeyes at The University of Southern California Trojans. 

This is at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, so this favors the Trojans.  The Trojans had a HUGE win over a team from a BCS conference in week one, then an open week.  The Buckeyes had games with teams that shouldn't have given them much trouble, but one of them did.

So, did Ohio University give Ohio State the scare they need to face the Trojans in Los Angeles?  We will see.

Fight On!!  Beat the Buckeyes!!

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As for my Volunteers, what will UAB do for them?  Great question.  Hopefully show that Jonathan Crompton was not as bad under center as I thought he was after the game with fucla.  And that Dave Clawson is not as bad of an offensive coordinator that I though HE was.

Both were certainly offensive.

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Mizzou playing Nevada....the words to describe this are, uh, well, um....well, not any point in continuing.

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Have a great weekend.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Do you remember how the nation was united across all ideological lines back after the attacks seven years ago?

I am glad that we have held on to that feeling, aren't you?

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OK, yesterday on the show I addressed, in brief, the lipstick/pig comments.  I said then and I still maintain the belief that it was a STRETCH by some to put the label on Governor Sarah Palin.  

That said, who put that label on Governor Palin?  Several people did but I do not think that was the intent of Senator Obama on Tuesday.  I am not saying that he is above that, but I do not think that he did this at this time.

So, who made the connection?  First, if we can agree that Senator Obama did not IMPLY anything by his statement.  Then, it had to be an INFERENCE.  Inference, for those who do not recall, is when you find meaning in other peoples words or actions. 

The first inference was from the audience that Barack Obama spoke to on Tuesday.  I went back and watched the video that led to the comment and the immediate aftermath.  The crowd went nuts and it appeared that Senator Obama was slightly uncomfortable by the zeal behind the response.  He went on to make a stinking fish analogy in an attempt to defuse the situation.  Barack Obama may be very misguided politically, but he is not stupid.

Next, the audience reaction FED the McCain supporters to express outrage.  I said it yesterday, and I still feel this way, the outrage was a reach and was exaggerated.

What this all comes down to is framing.  And this has nothing to do with building a house.

Framing is a public relations or propaganda term.  (Redundant, I know.)  And framing can be dishonest, but isn't always. 

Framing is when you take an issue or event and manipulate the context that surrounds it.   Just like a picture.  You see a close up of a child with his mouth open.  Is that child yelling, crying, laughing, cheering, or something else?  Pull back from that picture and you see the child is at a ballgame, a party, a car wreck, or some other setting.  Until you pull back, you really do not know the original context.  A good example of framing is when I say that energy is the issue of this campaign AND then I explain why by adding the context of energy impacting issues like the economy, education, foreign affairs and so forth.  Not a harmful use of framing, but a way to explain why the issue is important.

That is NOT what has happened here.  This is another example of deceptive framing.  The McCain campaign took that snap shot and framed it by connecting Palin's speech from the RNC. 

Dirty.  The McCain campaign should be ashamed.

Now Democrats, calm down.  You will now get yours.

This is the SAME type of deceptive framing as the repeated claim by Barack Obama and other Democrats that John McCain wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years.

Dirty.  Barack Obama, his campaign and all Democrats who have made this assertion should be ashamed.  I would argue that this is worse because it became a drum beat of the Obama and other Democrat campaigns this past primary election season.  What is worse, a parent that slaps his child or one who abuses the same child on a regular basis?  Both are bad, but the answer here is obvious, right?

So, while Democrats may have lost respect for John McCain by his campaign going there, Democrats should also lose respect for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and any others who used the 100 years comment out of context for political gain.

And Republicans, same for you.

Both of your parties are DIRTY, DIRTY, DIRTY and if you call yourself a Democrat or a Republican, you ought to rethink your association. 

Call, comment, e-mail, etc. to discuss.  I know you partisans will disagree with me and I encourage the opportunity to straighten you out.

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GAME ON AT ADKINS STADIUM!!!!

Jefferson City Public Schools announced yesterday that the home opener of the Jays Football team will be played at Adkins Stadium on Friday.  

The construction on the track, which has been the cause of the delay, is at a point where they can stop for a couple of weeks to get the first two games in at Adkins Stadium.

This is good on many, many levels.  First, by having the game at Lincoln University, the booster club loses much needed revenue that would be used to promote the athletic programs.

Second, it gives folks the much awaited first view of the new, improved and expanded home facility of the most storied high school football program in the state of Missouri.

Those who aren't from, or familiar with, this area......this is big!  Trust me.

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For those who are interesting in the book by Bob Hamer who was on the show this morning, here is where you can get it.  The Last Undercover: The True Story of An FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance With Evil

It will open your eyes, and possibly sicken you.  Worth reading.

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And one last thing.  The media stories point out that he was the singer of "Hungry Eyes" but I think "Make Me Lose Control" would have been a better fit.

No, I do not think he was hanging out with Stan, Kyle, Kenny or even Butters.  That is CARTMAN.

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Have a great Thursday!!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Here in Cole County, Missouri, we had the special election to correct the voting problem from the August primary.  Sixty five of the 144 eligible voters cast their ballots.

In the end, Jeff Hoelscher defeated Edith Vogel by SIX votes.  Due to the agreement the two candidates made, there will not be a recount.

Next up, the November elections.

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Even I didn't see this coming.

Get them before they sell out.  I mean the products.  Not the subject of the products. 

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North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il is dead.  Nope.  Just sick.  No, he's not.  He's just, uh, um, busy drinking his Hennessy.

Remember back in the 1980's when you didn't see Soviet leaders for months and months on end.  But, of course, they were not dead.  Just very, very busy.

Busy achieving room temperature.

So, is Kim Jong Il dead, or just doing his best Fidel Castro impression?

If he dies, who takes over?  Will the possibility of the Korean peninsula being reunited a possibilty?  Will things heat up there along the DMZ?

Wait and watch.....

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Have a great Wednesday.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Barack Obama and his campaign are consistently right about one thing.  Probably only one thing actually.

And what is that one thing?  National polls don't mean anything.

Absolutely right!

Why, you ask?  Because we do not elect a President nationally.

As everyone should remember from a civics class, which is not taught very well and I know Senator Lamar Alexander agrees with me on this, we elect a President on a state by state basis via the Electoral College.  

Back in 1976, the national polls showed that President Gerald Ford had a one point lead a couple of days before the election.  He lost.

Today, the national polls show a bump for John McCain that gives him a current lead of one to eight points, depending on the poll.

And the Obama campaign is right when they dismiss these numbers.  The fact is that they dismissed the numbers when they led as well.

I respect this level of consistency.  They are right about this.

But as I said, that is about all they are right about.

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Speaking of wrong, I watched the second part of Bill O'Reilly's interview with Barack Obama last night.  This was on his economic/tax plans.

O'Reilly did a good job of calling Obama out on his positions and policies that sound a lot like socialism.  (What do YOU call the redistribution of wealth?)  Obama denied it, but his denials were shallow.

I am paraphrasing this a bit, but Obama said that he and O'Reilly make a decent living, what is wrong with sharing some of it with a single mother who is working as a waitress for less than minimum wage plus tips? 

Who could argue with that? 

I can.

Understand that I am a big believer in giving people a hand up, but it certainly seems that Mr. Obama is a bigger believer in handouts.  And this goes along with my belief that Mr. Obama and many liberal Democrats would rather have people be dependent on government programs than independent.

This part of the interview with Mr. O'Reilly did nothing to change this opinion.

And if others come away with the same opinion as I did, this could be bad news for Mr. Obama.

Mr. O'Reilly has part three on tonight and there are copies of the first two parts floating all over the internet.

Oh, and Senator Obama, if you want to help that single mother waitress....leave her a healthy tip.  Twenty percent or more!!

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Tom Brady is out for the season.  I do not want anyone to read into what I said yesterday as a celebration.  More of a statement of fact.  He is done for the season, at least.

I wish him no ill will.  I do think he gets too much credit for what has been a team success, but all quarterbacks do.  

Will Mr. Cassell be able to take over for Brady, much like Brady did for Drew Bledsoe?

Time will tell.

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Have a great Tuesday.  Just 56 days until the General Election.  Ugh.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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If you want to beat some one, you need to know how they operate better than they do.  It is not enough to know their playbook, you have to know how they think.  By knowing how they think, you can cut them off before they act. Or at least know what you react to.

That said, I am proud to say that I know why the media is acting how they are toward Sarah Palin.

Let me start with who I heard this morning with Jim Bohannon and last week with Bill O'Reilly, Sally Quinn of the Washington Post.  She is bringing up the ISSUE, as are many others, of Sarah Palin as a working mother.  Ms. Quinn, by taking this position, exposes herself as not only a hypocrite, but let me be a bit stronger.  Ms. Quinn can best be described by finding a word that rhymes with a couple of sports terms, one from football and one from baseball.  

Ms. Quinn is just one voice in this discussion and she takes the lowest of low roads on this subject.  Not only does this angle insult Governor Palin, but it does Todd Palin as well.  And don't give me this bull shit that men can't be a primary caregiver to a child.  I have a ton of respect for a man who does this most important job.  

Beyond Sally Quinn, the rest of the media is just outright pissy.  And I can explain why.  Here is the story that illustrates it best.

Yesterday afternoon, I was watching the weekend version of Fox News Channel's "America's Election HQ" when they asked for e-mail responses to the question, "Is Sarah Palin getting fair treatment from the media?"  So, I fired off the following response.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Jefferson City Jays fans, a little bit of bad news.  Adkins Stadium will not be ready to open on 12 September 2008 for the game against Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The good news is that the games doesn't have to move far.  It will now be held at Lincoln University, so it will now be played literally across the street. 

The problem is the track that wraps around the field is not complete yet.  Our wet weather has been the source of blame.

Look for a true home opener on 19 September 2008 against Columbia Rock Bridge.

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Last night, we loaded a 26' rental truck full of my mom and dad's stuff.  (Out of respect, I will not use the George Carlin terminology....besides, you never know what you could inherit.  Even Lamont Sanford knew this.)

Dad, Alex, Ben, David Gaines, neighbors Randy and Dalton, and I did the bulk of the work.  Kathleen had a school meeting, so she missed a lot of it.  I am sure she is upset over that.

Anyhow, here is the point I am getting at.  First, thanks to everyone who helped.  Second, after I take part in some physical activity or a long drive, I need time to wind down.

So, I first sat outside with Dad to chat and eat some yogurt.  (No big secret, just love yogurt.)

Finally, I went to bed.  I turned on the TV.  I was too tired to bother changing the channel.

It was on John McCain's speech.  

So, I heard some of it.  

John McCain does not deliver a speech with the vigor of Barack Obama, nor the enthusiasm of Sarah Palin.  But he is not as bad some like to portray.

Content wise, he hit on some decent points.  Education as the civil rights issue of the 21st Century is one that could be a winner.  Need to hash the details out on that, but it is a concept that makes sense.  I especially liked the line about helping BAD teachers find another line of work.  Wish that had been done 25 years ago.

But what struck me most was that John McCain FINALLY talked during this campaign about how his experiences as a Prisoner of War shaped his life.

Having read "Faith of my Fathers" and having heard John McCain read it to me in the audio book version, I already knew the stories.  But to hear him tell it again to the thousands in the audience who hadn't heard it.  And the millions at home who hadn't heard it.  The camera cutting away to Bud Day in the audience wearing his Medal of Honor gave me chills up my leg.  (AGAIN, I put links in for a reason, if you do not know who Bud Day is, please check out the link.)

I know he fought to NOT talk about it, but I think he needed to.  No matter that that IDIOT former BAD President Jimmy Carter said.  I think a nuclear engineer who couldn't convince people of nuclear energy safety has little to advise others on.  

And calling Jimmy Carter a pinhead is an insult to those who have heads that come to a point, therefore, shaped like a pin.

BUT, I am off track here.  John McCain has resisted talking about his very personal experiences as a Prisoner of War.  He viewed that as a failure because he did not hold up to the standard that he set for himself.  His own father told him that he did more than most anyone could have.  Bud Day told him the same.  The late James Stockdale did as well.

When you run for political office, I think you need to share with people the stories of the events, experiences and people who have impacted your life.  It illustrates for people not so much where you are coming from, but how you got to where you are in position AND in your values and views.

And that may be why I think looking at the cast of characters that surround a politician is something that people need to look at.

If a candidate has surrounded himself or herself by the type of people you'd cross the street to avoid, you might want to reconsider voting for that person.

Just a thought.

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Have a great weekend!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Keeping true to my position of NOT watching political conventions, I did not watch Governor Sarah Palin's speech last night.  I felt that I would have been justified in breaking my position, you could call it a flip-flop, because of my long standing support of Governor