Christmas: A Memoir

Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950’s was magical and during Christmas it was spectacular. My mother was a switchboard operator for a Wall St. brokerage firm, Garvin and Banter. She was a real life Lil Tomlin character answering the phone and transferring calls. She made $2500.00 in 1958.

At the Christmas season my mother would take a part time job at Abraham and Strauss a department store in downtown Brooklyn on Fulton St. She would work every November and December, Monday thru Saturday, right up to Christmas Eve night to make the money used for the Holidays and Christmas. That and a Christmas club savings account that she put money into during the year paid for all we wanted.  

My Dad was not around, I never knew him. Gram owned and ran the rooming house we lived in at 207 Berkeley Place. My Sister Dawn, Mom, Gram and me. That was my family.  “Gram” as I called her took in tenants to pay the mortgage on the four story brownstone. She was able to buy the house after my Grandfather died in an iron work accident in 1949. She used the little insurance money she was awarded after his death as her down payment. She paid $21 thousand dollars for the home in 1953; I was two when we moved in. We all lived on the first floor and the tenant’s rooms were upstairs on the next 3 floors.

There was not a great deal of money but I never felt poor. I lived in this wonderful home on a tree lined street a block from Prospect Park in the heart of Historic Park Slope. I never went hungry and the two women who raised me worked tirelessly so my sister and I wanted for nothing.

Everything was a tradition. We went and bought our tree the week before Christmas.

We would go have Chinese food for dinner and afterwards we would walk down to 7^th avenue to buy our tree from the Congregational Church. It was such a fun time. The trees would be standing up on the street with Christmas lights strung about creating an outdoor market. There was always a burning drum for warmth and light. People would be picking out trees, and the workers would be trimming bottoms and tying up the trees for customers to carry home. We would pick out our tree and the four of us would carry our tree home.  The tree would go up after a day or two and we would decorate it together, the four of us. My grandmother would have gone to the liquor store and bought a bottle of Rye and the two of them would drink Manhattans and sing.

In grammar school at St. Augustine’s I sang in the all boys choir. On Sundays, the 20 or so other boys and I sang at 11 o’clock Mass. At holiday season time we practiced for months the tunes to be sung at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

In those days the Catholic Mass was still in Latin and we sang the hymns during mass in Latin and then after the service we sang Christmas chorales in English for the congregation. Dressed in red and white robes,  angelic is only word that comes to mind to describe the troop as we marched into church to start the procession of Mass.

St. Augustine’s was always packed. People of all ages crammed into the Gothic structure. High Mass Christmas Eve was not only exciting it was long; many of the younger children in attendance would be sleeping soon after arrival. Congressmen, Governors past and present would be in attendance. The Old Catholic money of the Parish was always on show. Candles, incense, and the smell of pine trees fragranced the church. The stained-glass and lights shimmered as the Pastor led the Mass and the petitioners sat listening to the sounds of Christmas.

After Mass I would race to meet my family outside of the church. My mother and grandmother would always be dressed as if going to a ball. We would walk the 4 blocks to home and when we arrived Santa had already been there. The tree would be lit and glowing and mounds of wrapped presents awaited.

We were allowed to open one gift and then Gram would make breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, bacon were the norm. We would eat and I would race back to the living room and the tree. It would be 4 or 5 in the morning before I would fall asleep exhausted from the nights events.

Christmas was magical, and loving. My Mother and my Grandmother instilled in me that Christmas was not just gifts, it was a special time of family, of love and of caring.  Those memories seared in my brain in my soul. I was always grateful for all I received and always reminded there are people, families around the world who have nothing and I had so much and still do.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Effective Teaching

           I was asked what I thought were behavioral qualities of an Effective Teacher. These are my thoughts after my own reflection on this semester and my own students.                   
                                                          Building Relationships and having fun in learning.

           
          Effective teaching is performed by teachers who have a passion to change the lives of their students. An effective teacher is an excellent communicator who knows his/her audience. They are up to date on new trends in teaching and have quality teaching behaviors in the classroom. Effective teachers are compassionate, understanding and driven. They care about the students and are always raising the bar leading them towards success. 

The effective teachers know their students’ needs based on test data and teacher observations. Their teaching revolves around the standards and expectations of the School, School System and State. The effective teacher uses the data to teach to the needs of the students. They know how to link standards to the lessons being taught and that linkage allows the effective teacher to overlap standards from lesson to lesson.

Effective teachers are teaching a process for learning. This is very evident in reading in the content area where the effective teacher becomes a reading teacher using the content as the instrument to increase comprehension. The effective teacher is making learning purposeful, meaningful and engaging for their students. Creating an atmosphere of trust and caring the effective teacher builds relationships with their students. Educators all agree when you have purposeful students they take ownership for their own learning. 

In today’s society all teachers are measured by the outcomes of the students. The teachers across the country that are data driven, use quality teaching practices and have the passion of a head coach, leading students, are the effective teachers. They welcome testing as if a championship game. The educational growth of the students is the ultimate prize, and just like a head coach an effective teacher reevaluates their game plan just after moments in the students learning that lead to evaluation, reflection and reassessment. 

The American Dream

I was reading in Dr. Jeffrey Sachs’ new book “The Price of Civilization” and I started asking myself questions about the state of America and how we got to where we are now.

Are we at the beginning of the New American Revolution? Like the Tory government of old has our present government failed in its basic responsibility of a modern civilized society?

The parallels between the start of the American Revolution and today are striking. In 1700’s in Colonial America the Tories, the aristocrats, were the ruling class. They would have been the top1% of today. Their ranks included minor royalty, and the wealthy of the day. 

The Tories held allegiance to the Crown and to the East Indian Company. The sole purpose of the Colonies was to make money. The colonies were the first company store. The number one goal of the Tory government was profit for the Crown, the East India Company and of course themselves. The interweaving of the three was so inbred there was no distinction. They were one and the same.

The rest of the population the working classes was again divided and some did very well for themselves and the status quo was perfectly wonderful by them. They had work, aspired to become wealthy and had social status.  They certainly were not going to rock the boat and speak up against the aristocrats. They knew their place and liked it.

But many were feeling the sting of taxation without representation. They had no voice. Life was hard and many lived hand to mouth, day in and day out. There was little hope things would get better and they could be like their brothers who had steady income. They were the 99%.

It was those men and some wealthy open minded compassionate colonist, who forged the compact that gave America its freedom.  The pursuit of life, liberty and happiness are bedrock words in our Declaration of Independence. 

That document said to the world, we will be different than any other country that ever existed. It said all men were created equal and in America, it did not matter where you were bore, or who you were born to, or what is your social status, all Americans could strive to be as great as their talent could take them.  

For many Americans those words are meaningless. Like the colonist who had no voice, the 99% today is voiceless.  The government is run by the rich for the rich. Our Representative government has failed. Every Senator and more than half of the House of Representatives are millionaires. The 99% are not being represented in our government. 

The American Dream for many is just that, a dream. Many believe the game is rigged and until we take the money out of politics the game will never change.

The East Indian Company is long gone but in its place, we have Wall Street, multinational corporations and politicians who have no loyalty to the America people. Their loyalties are with their stock holders, profits and their own political power.

Obama's War Revisited

After watching President Obama tell the world all military actions are over and all military personnel will be out of Iraq by years end. I started thinking of the last ten years and our involvement in Bush's Imperialism. 

I wrote the following piece two years ago and we are still in Afghanistan with no end in sight. President Karzai has stated he wants the USA out of his country and last week he stated if Pakistan was attacked he would support Pakistan over the United States.This is our puppet. The man we supported to be its leader and now he would fight us. I have to ask once again what are we doing in the Middle East.


                                                          * * * * * * * * * * *




I have been following the accounts of the fierce fighting going on in Afghanistan. The battle at a remote outpost and the attacks on other outpost over the last year are right out of Hollywood. But instead of Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. fighting Bedouins some place in the Middle East pin downed and outnumbered by relentless native fighters. Our heroes are unidentified American solders pin downed like their make believe British cousins.

The battle this past weekend was 12 hours of relentless firepower aimed at our heroic troops. From all reports our boy’s camp was breached and we held on till the air force could come to the rescue. 8 brave men died. In last summer’s attack at another outpost, the camp was overrun. That camp was dismantled days later because our men were sitting ducks.

Battles like this have been going on in Afghanistan since we started setting up outpost camps there. This year has been the deadliest year since our invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. The battles are deadlier and deadlier. General Stanley McChrystal says we need more men or the Taliban may retake the countryside. We have been in this new assault on the Militants since before the Afghan elections. Militants that’s the new name the Department of Defense now calls the people who want to kill as many Americans as possible. These are the same “militant” fighters who fought the Russians in the 1980’s. They were called the Mujahedeen then and the weapons the current Afghan rebels are using against us were probably given to them 29 years ago by our own Government so the Mujahedeen could fight the Russians. That would have been the Reagan and Carter administrations. Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

My gut reaction when I read these reports is “send more troops! ” That visceral emotion of revenge takes over my mind, like when I first saw those old action movies. I want the Afghan fighters dead. But, then I think of the Russians and the British before them and I say to myself

“Why are we still in Afghanistan?”

I know why good old George W got us there to begin with. Too bad he lost sight of the real reason we went to war. Instead he listened to Cheney and after driving the Taliban out of Kabul we stopped chasing Al Qaeda and the Taliban after they retreated into Pakistan. I'm not sure, nor do I believe our Military knows who these militants are. I just read a European report on Afghanistan stating many Militant fighters are actually coming from Uzbekistan via Pakistan. The war in Iraq was so successful in creating new militants out of presents they are coming out of the woodwork to fight the infidels and defend Islam. I also know there are some suggesting we should finish what we started. That is exactly what hawks said in 1968 to Nixon.

It is really time to bring the troops home. Not in two years. Not next year. The troops need to come home now. Start the pullout now and have all of our troop’s home by spring. Get the boys out of harm’s way and pull up stakes in the remote areas. Winter is coming the “militants” will be hunkered down in villages in Pakistan or in caves in the region. Perfect timing; just come on home. No one will notice. We won’t tell anyone. One day we are there, one day were not. Now you see us, now you don’t. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Take a ride on the Reading and proceed to the nearest C130 personal carrier and get out of Dodge as fast as we can.

It seems our puppet government in Kabul is as corrupt as another puppet government we propped up 40 years ago in Saigon. Richard Nixon told Americans we would be out of Viet Nam in one year. The war played on and on and we lost another 25000 men and women. It took us 6 more years to finally come home. We are not going to be in another Viet Nam, we already are in another Viet Nam. Richard Nixon inherited Viet Nam from Lyndon Johnson. Barack Obama inherited Afghanistan from George Bush. Just like Nixon, Obama told us he would end the war. I sure hope history does not repeat itself and President Obama has the guts to cut bait and get out of Afghanistan. We have seen so much death, so much destruction this decade. It needs to stop now.

Why I Support the Occupy Movement

People have asked me what is going on with the Occupy Wall St. movement and what it is all about. I can only tell you what it means to me.

I turned 60 this year, I have had a job continues since I am 16. I have never been laid off, never collected a dime of public assistance and never been fired. From the time I entered college in 1969 the American Middle class has shrunk and wages have been on a steady decline. This decade the middle class lost 7% of wealth. The middle class who had 401k saving plans have lost substantial value. The middle class home owners have lost value in their biggest investment and some are upside-down and owe more than the house is worth. It cost more today to raise a family than ever before and wages have been stagnant for 40 years.

Over that time from 1970-2011 the wealth of the top 1% of the country has gone up over 300%. The disparity between the rich and the middle class is now at the greatest disparity it has been since 1929.

Middle class families cannot afford to send their children to college. It will be the first generation where the children of college educated parents will have less representation in college than their parents.

The American middle class is at a cross road. Will we be sheep and let the rich fleece this country or will we step up and say no? I am marching in the Occupy Knoxville demonstration against the state of the country. 

We are in two endless wars which is feeding the American war machine to the tune of $6 billion a week. The Department of Defense budget is 52% of the country’s GDP. The rest of the world is at 25%. 

Our politicians from both parties are allowed to accept uncontrolled amounts of money from corporations. The money trading hands in Washington has rendered our Government ungovernable. Political gridlock is the norm and ideology and social engineering by the right wing is a cause for alarm. Republicans have attacked women, education, civil rights, and labor all for their right wing conservative religious based ideology.

15 million people are unemployed. 56 million people are living in poverty. We have more black men in prison than in college. The unemployment rate in the black community is over 20%. The unemployment rate in Hispanic neighborhoods is pushing 18%. Minorities lost more than any group under the weight of the recession.

Corporations have been told by a corrupt Supreme Court that they can throw as much money into elections as they want. We have Supreme Court Justices who are accepted gifts from people who have cases before the court, openly taking trips and money from special interest.

I do believe the number one reason the country is in this mess is because of the debacle of the last decade. From the moment George Bush took office the Republicans had total control over the Government. It was the Bush Administration who blundered into Iraq, leaving the only legitimate reason to go to war in the first place as an after thought. Top the unfunded expense of the wars with the largest tax reduction for the wealthy in the history of the republic and a unfunded prescription drug plan and we were drawn into a perfect storm of economic ruin. If that was not enough the Republicans push through the repeal of the Glass - Steagall Act. Bill Clinton says he made a mistake on signing off on the repeal. Glass - Steagall was enacted as a result of the Great Depression. This was done under the disguise of "modernization".  The Bush Administration left the country in $9 Trillion dollars in debt spending money and reducing taxes.

All of these things plus some other issues are the reasons why I am marching. Pick a reason to take to the streets, there are many. This is the only way this government will change its behavior. Wall Street is the heart of our countries financial institutions and in 68 when we marched to end Viet Nam we took the march there. Nothing has changed. Take to the streets; show your dissatisfaction with our government and plan a march on Washington. Lets put the 15 million people without jobs on the streets of protest.

If you love America and are afraid of the future come out to a demonstration near you. The fate of our economy and our country is in your hands. 

America Under Attack

I was a participant in the Occupy Knoxville march this past Friday. I have been known to speak my mind on matters close to my heart; peace, intolerance and poverty to name a few. Today GOP leaders called my constitutionally protected freedom Un-American.

I have been involved in trying to make America a better place since I sat in Brother Richard's Government class at St. Augustine Dioceses High School in Brooklyn, NY. It was here my politics were formed. In 1968, the world was exploding, riots in the streets, the Viet Nam war raging, and Europe was tense from Russia’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. Friends of mine were getting drafted and sent to Viet Nam, some came home in body bags, some came home to racism and bigotry, some came home so messed up heroin became their best friend. I was a year away from learning my fate.

I knew the war was immoral long before I stepped foot in Brother Richard’s class. My Catholic education certainly cemented that philosophy in my soul. There I learned to think for myself, question authority and that knowledge is power. I also knew our government was not always right and people ordinary people have to take a stand and say so. Acts of civil disobedience are necessary in a true democracy and people need to test our democracy to make sure it is working for the people.

I marched on Wall St then and when I was marching down Market Square this past Friday I was expressing my constitutional rights of speech and assemble. Both of these freedoms are not just guaranteed they are in the Bill of Rights. The founding fathers thought so important the first ten amendments have their own designation.

The Freedom to speak your mind and to speak it with people who think like you are two of the reasons we demanded our freedom from England. Today, GOP leaders called people expressing their opinions as Un-American. If they think speaking out against the government is Un-American then do they believe our founding fathers wrong? Do they believe we don’t need these freedoms?

What the GOP said today is the same thing the Right wing said in 1968. The same verbiage is spewing out of their mouths. Their rhetoric is as hypocritical as is their memory. These are the same people who condoned Tea Party Republicans expression of the same constitutional rights just a couple of years ago.

I am protesting because the Government is broken and it is not governing. The GOP and the Democrats have let the Middle class down for the last 40 years. They both have sold the American Dream down the river for power and wealth. The Middle class has lost ground since 1970. Today the disparity between the rich and the middle class is at the same level of disparity as of 1929.

The disparity of wealth was a direct cause of the Great Depression. As the wealth of the 1% grows there is a correlating depression of wealth on the remaining 99% of Americans.

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in his book “The Price of Civilization” (Sachs, 2011) “At root of America’s economic crisis lies a moral crisis: the decline of civic virtue among America’s political and economic elite.” These words resonate when you see an America in decline, an America with 56 million people living in poverty, and another 50 million living one pay check away from poverty.

I was born in the 1950’s, the golden years of America. The 1950’s were a time of exploration, building, and a beginning of the end of social injustice. There is not a Republican or Democrat who will argue the fact America under President Eisenhower was the greatest decade of America. It was Eisenhower who built the interstate roadway system. It was under Eisenhower’s Department of Justice that ended segregation in the South. It was the Eisenhower administration that started NASA.

President Eisenhower was a Republican. He had a social conscience. He loved his country. He was a true leader. The middle class grew to its all time highest percentage of people ever in the country. There were jobs. Americans worked in factories, and in plants building things that were shipped everywhere in the world. America had the highest standard of living of any industrialized country.

The federal tax rate during from 1950-1959 was from 17% - 84%. There was no talk of big government. The government was responsible for building our way out of the Depression, beating fascism and rebuilding the American infrastructure and economy.  

Dr. Sachs is so right, in his premise “The Price of Civilization.” What are you as an American willing to pay for our American Dream? Are you willing to let corporations control our government? I am not. I am not ready to roll over and die like the GOP wants me to do. I am not going away and I will never stop speaking out against the government as it is today.

The Penny

A penny, the lowest form of money, is so insignificant that some think it has no value at all.  People leave them in cups on counters at convenience stores to be shared by others, and toll booths refuse to accept them.

When I see and feel a penny in my hand I immediately think of my grandmother.  As a boy growing up on the streets of New York, my grandmother would stop anywhere, any place to pick up our smallest monetary unit.   

God forbid she would stoop down into the gutter to retrieve a brownie when my friends were around.  Heaven save me when we were crossing Flatbush Avenue and she would spy one red cent straddling the center line as cabs, buses and trucks whizzed by and she squatted down to add another to her purse.   

She would turn to me like clock work and tell me about my grandfather working twelve hours days during the depression for not much more, saying “We might just need this penny some day.”

 Many years have passed since I held Gram’s hand crossing those busy New York City streets.  Now, when I walk with my daughter and I see a penny on the ground, I find myself like a moth around a light bulb on a hot August night, bending down and picking it up.  

 My daughter questions me as I did my grandmother many years before.  I respond to her as my grandmother did to me.  

 “Honey, you’ll never know when we might need this penny” and slip it in my pocket.

My Grandmother, Regina Guilfoyal Scholl Schafer  would have been 106 on September 8, 2011 she died in 2002. She is always with me.I originally wrote this in the Summer of 1996 at the TN Governors School of Writing.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day America! Labor Day is the workers day. A day of saying thanks for a job well done. That is what Labor Day is about, to honor the American worker. To honor the workers who built this country.

The American worker has been maligned for decades by the Right Wing of the Republican Party. They have told the world American workers are over priced and lazy, our cars outdated and inefficient , our teachers don’t teach, and State workers are living on the Government tit.

This was not just idle bad mouthing. This was the long term plan, to take American jobs out of the country and privatize all public sector jobs. If you are a worker and you get payroll taxes taken out of your pay and you vote Republican, you are a bloody fool.

Do you think your pension or employment is secure? Cops, Fireman, Teachers, and all public sector workers are at jeopardy because state tax collections are substantially down and Republicans want to privatize your job.

The Scumbaggers who believe the Stimulus did nothing are so bloody wrong. It saved the jobs of 3+ Million people. The jobs which were saved by the Stimulus are the same jobs that are in jeopardy next summer.

The Stimulus worked, problem was it was not big enough and it did not attack the root problem of job creation. The Republicans have been totally wrong in their assumption that the Rich are the Job Creators. The Rich keep their money in their investments. None of which created any jobs under George W Bush or Barack Obama.

Since the New Deal, America grew to be “The World Power,” on the backs of the American worker. The Hoover Dam, The George Washington Bridge, The Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Interstate Highway system are all examples of what American workers can do when the Government takes the lead. The more the Government takes the lead on job creation the better off the country.

Obama must be bold on Thursday. Obama must be strong. He must tell the American people he is not going to let John Boehner, Eric Cantor and The Republicans stand in his way of demanding for a National Investment in the Future of America and the American worker. He needs to tell the American people we are going to build our way out of this recession just like FDR and the Democrats did in the 1930’s.

The Republicans are so small minded. They are even knocking the vision of fast trains and solar power as pipe dreams and foolish. This is the same mentality that believes in creationism, and our weather is just nature way.

The only way we will get out of this mess is by restoring America to its greatness. America has to build its way out of this hole. Not shrink back into the dark ages. The Republicans want to take us back in time to an America that is seeped in racism, greed and poverty.

At no time in American history did the country’s middle class grow bigger and stronger than in the years from 1935-1970. The middle class grew out of the “Works Programs” of the 1930’s. As Government sponsored building programs took hold, then and only then did the private sector come into the mix as investors, sub contractors and services for the workers and the new communities created by the projects.

America is at a cross roads. Do we take the path of The Republicans, the path of anti science, intolerance, close mindedness, racism and small thinking? Or does America build its way out of “The Great Recession” and boldly reclaim America as the Greatest Democracy on the Planet. I believe the choice is easy. I want to live in an America that honors the American Worker. I do not want to live in an America where more and more Americans are pushed into poverty by the profits of the Rich.

Power to the People!

Fight Socialism

Yesterday’s drive home was terrible; my “normal” hour drive was doubled by a three car pileup. As I sat on a section of the Eisenhower genius I noticed the couple in the car in front of me was pointing at a very large bright canary yellow truck. On the back window of the truck was written in very large yellow letter 

 “FIGHT SOCIALISM.”  

There was another bumper sticker proclaiming to the world that the person who owned the truck did not vote for Obama and "are we all happy now" or something to that effect.  As my car crept slowly past the truck I could not see into the “Alabama” tagged vehicle through the blackened tinted glass. 

I was hoping to see if the inhabitants were of Social Security age and ask them if they liked their checks every month? Or if they liked the government run medicare system they probable used. But sadly I could not engage the driver in any conversation as he sat in his locked up air conditioned machine. 

I started thinking about a running conversation I have been having with friends about the Ancient Jewish custom of redistributing the wealth of the tribe every 50 years. This topic has led to discussions about what is really going on in America today.

One friend, a deeply committed follower of Jesus Christ shared with me “Jesus for President” by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw 2008. 

Here, the authors explore the exact same concept in what they call “Jubilee.” Quoting the Old Testament, Jesus is said to have laid out the framework for his ministry.

           
          “Just like Isaiah had done many years before, Jesus called upon the great economic tradition of the Torah.”  

In the Sermon on the Mount, the authors’ state, Jesus urged his people to remember the Sabbath laws and their alternative economic system of sharing, debt cancellation, and land redistribution. The vision of “Jubilee” is one of liberation of the entire world’s poor and broken people of the “Empire.”

If you really look close at the teaching of Jesus you see a man committed to the poor, weak and less fortunate of society. Calling on the redistribution of wealth is a very radical idea in any society. It sure sounds like Socialism to me. 

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their collaborations used what they thought of “heaven” as their model for their “new” society.

Why the fear of Socialism? If Jesus called for Socialistic ideas what are people so afraid of? Is it the idea the government is going to come take your things? Or take your wealth?

Churches around the globe preach the teaching of Jesus every Sunday why is it so hard to believe the man they worship probable was closer to a Socialist in his thinking than a Republican?

I don’t know what the answers are to our political and economic situations, but this form of government and economic system is not working. Since the industrial revolution and the globalization of banking and currency our political and economic institutions have let the citizens of the world down. 

 The world’s economies are on a constant roller coaster ride of boom and disaster, feast or famine. Throw in a constant state of war “and look what you get another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go, I owe my soul to the company store.”

The story of “sixteen- tons” is not too far off for most of the working poor and middle class Americans. The latest economic reports did not put a smile on many of those same Americans who have been out of work a long, long time.  

Where do we go from here? Do we strip the power of the Federal Government down to the defense of the country and nothing more as is the suggestion from many far right wing Republicans in Congress and in State Houses? Or do we be bold and step outside the box on a new recovery based on good jobs and decent wages for American workers.

Do we continue to act like many on the right and let greed, power and racism take over the will of the people? Or do we take a moral stand and tell our leaders enough is enough.

This form of Capitalism is Not working. It is obscene that 400 Americans own more wealth than 160 Million Americans. It is obscene that 25% of the top CEO’s bonuses where larger than the taxes paid by the companies they work for. It is obscene that Millionaires pay fewer taxes than the average American teacher. 

This system of greed is not working for the majority of Americans. Like the story of "Jubilee," Jesus was asking to turn to a different almost shadow economy based on values of the past. Maybe we should listen.

Roadtrip to see The Mets in DC

Last weekend series between The Mets and The National was an exciting series for the Mets and for me. I got to go to Friday's game with an old friend from my Richmond, Virginia days, Tom Metzler.Tom has a keen baseball and sports mind and it is always a good time chatting through a game with him. The Nationals Park was a very nice place to watch a game and it was great seeing Davie Johnson in the other dugout.

Saturday's game was even better if that is possible. RA Dickey pitched and I have not seen him pitch in person since his University of Tennessee Volunteer days. The big reason Saturday was  a blast because I got to go to the game with John Patrick Long, my oldest and dearest friend. We met on Berkeley Place in Park Slope when we were four years old. John and I have been New York Mets fans from day one April 13, 1962.

Sunday's game with Dillon Gee on the mound was another good game but unfortunately The Mets could not pull it out loosing in the bottom of the 9th.

I went to my first Mets game at the Polo Grounds in 1963, John's dad took the two of us. I have no idea how many games we went to over the years. When Shea opened we thought it was a palace compared to the Polo Grounds. We were Borden Milk Carton Coupon Kids. Hundreds if not thousands of kids would line up outside Shea Stadium. John and I would have a sac lunches and usually a little money for a coke or snack. We kept score and watched every pitch with anticipation of a Mets win. We did not see many victories prior to 1969 but we had a lot of fun.

These Mets are different from those early Mets players 50 years ago. These Mets are young and vibrant and exciting to watch. John and I watched the Mets loose two games and in both they had chances to win just like we did in 1962. Somethings never change but I still think the Mets can catch the Braves. You Gotta Believe!

Orwell was Right

The politics and talk of multinational corporations taking over the world, with puppet governments being run by egotistical ideologues creating a global Oligarch is going to make a wonderful book. Oh Yeah, 1984, people thought/believed Orwell was writing an anti-communist book, little did they know he was talking about now. It was not a warning of Communism; it was a warning of global dominance by Multinational Corporations and their influence and control over society.

Global dominance by Multinational Corporations and weak central governments have put the world economy in peril.


The middle class and the poor of Europe are taking to the streets. When will America wake up? I have been asking myself where is the outrage over two endless wars and the assault on the middle class. I see people just existing, living hand to mouth. The malaise that is engulfing this country is being caused by ineffectual leaders from both parties.

The only way we as a united people will change this is by voting and by taking to the streets. First, we must take to the streets. The current leaders will only understand the power of the people. We have done this in the past. We have turned the political climate. We have changed the world. It will only happen when regular hard working Americans stop what they are doing and March on Washington.

March on Washington DC, Labor Day weekend . Lets get the ball rolling. Come out and show the world we can change the course of this country. We have done this before, we can do it again. 

The Return of David Wright

David Wright is going to knock the cover off the ball the rest of the way. If his first two games are an indication It’s going to be a fun second half of baseball for The Mets. 

I like how he was swinging the bat. Both doubles Friday were hit hard to right field and he looked like the David Wright of past. last night again his swing was good. It was so nice seeing him at 3rd. 

I don't think The Mets are done yet. This is the healthiest they have been since the start of the season. I say that with Jason Bay missing game 5 since he strained his hamstring last week. Bay has been a non factor all season. He has missed games before and his absents affect on The Mets is miniscule. Pridie, Harris and Hairston have all contributed in Bay's absence. Pridie had a very nice running catch on the last play of the game, snagging what could have been the game tying hit. The left fielder by committee has been much more productive offensively than Bay all season. I do not think the Mets can keep Bay out much longer without putting him on the Disabled List. Bay needs some time off from the team. 

The Phillies and the Braves have not had a slump yet. Braves are without Chipper next month. Phillies have lost Oswald. Both teams have some fragile players. Look for the Mets to make a steady run. Come August 30, Citi Field will be rocking and by hook or by crook I am going to be there.

The Mets Lost Weekend

The Mets lost a golden opportunity to show the Phillies and Sandy Alderson they are a team that can compete in the National League East. Friday night the Mets came out flat. They let a young stud dominate them. Saturday they rebounded like we have come to expect they would. Today they were average at best playing a first place team and its showed.The game was never close. The Phillies made The Mets look like the 500 team they are. 

Bay has been puny all year and stayed that way and Pagan, started off slow, got hurt, came back strong and now is mired in a 1/19 or so. He is not hitting his weight in July.

Today Bay went 0/4, had a really crucial error in the field and left 5 runners on in scoring position. I do not think Angel fared any better with the bat. 

This team has been so fun to watch because they give 100% all the time. Murphy has been great, Turner and Tejeda and Duda have surprised. 
Collins has managed as good I have ever seen a manager manage.

Wright and Reyes are coming back soon. Unfortunately, not in time to stop Alderson from trading Beltran. There maybe a bidding war and I believe Alderson is holding all the cards in a deal for Carlos. After today, I think Sandy will try to package Beltran with Pelfrey. He may go for a blockbuster, with Bay, Pagan, Beltran and Pelfrey. He has done this in the past. A blockbuster trade like this would clear a great deal of salary. 

This Mets team has been fun to watch and cheer for. Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling love this team and that is big. They are a player’s team. I bet if you polled the other teams in the league, the Mets are a team playoff contenders do not want to play. They are scrappy and they don’t give up. 
That is a credit again to Collins. 

If he'd had all of his pieces who knows where this team would be. 




Before this series I predicted Mets would have to play 600 ball over next ten days and win 2/3 from Phillies. Can the Mets go 5/7 against Marlins and Cards? I do not think they can do that. I do know they will try their best. If some of the veterans started to hit and pitch like their rookie brothers this team would be right there. It’s the kids, Jose and Beltran that have held this team together.


Reyes has had an MVP first half and I believe he and David Wright will have great second halves. Alderson will get rid of the dead wood and bring up more kids. We are not going to make the playoffs, but we will be competitive. I still think they can win between 85-90 games. We will soon see. 


Let’s Go Mets!

Life After K-Rod

The news of Francisco Rodriguez getting traded to The Milwaukee Brewers reached the world very early today. Trading K-Rod was a no brainer. Sandy Alderson did very well unloading Rodriguez's very costly services. The players to be named later really do not matter at this time, getting rid of $17.5 M bucks was the key to the deal.

What is next for the Mets? They are 1 game over 500 with a 3 game series with the Phillies at Citi Field on Friday. The Phillies are hot. The Mets are holding their own with hot teams.

I believe the upcoming series against the Phillies is going to be the tell tale series that shows the baseball world where the Mets really are as a team. Losing 2/3 like they did to the Yankees ten days ago will certainly show Alderson and his brain trust the team’s pluses and minuses up close and personal.

What happens this weekend on the field may very well determine not just the rest of this year but future years as well. A real poor showing by the Mets could make a wholesale sell off much easier for Mets brass. I am sure the accountants have calculated the returns for many monetary scenarios.

It looks like Bobby Parnell is going to be given the ball as closer. He has been excellent the last couple of weeks, let’s hope it continues. If not, look for a closer by committee the rest of the way. It would be nice for Parnell and the Mets if he is successful and if the last two weeks are an example of his growth into professional relief pitcher he will do well in his new role.
I like this team. They are fighters. The Mets are fun to watch this year. I hope the team continues to fight the rest of the way. Let’s Go Mets!

Carlos Beltran is a Leader

When Carlos Beltran first arrived at Shea Stadium like most of my Mets Fan friends I was so excited to have the young, speedy, powerful center fielder patrolling the Shea outfield. Injuries, bad teams, and bad management soon turned that excitement into "what ifs".

I can still see him caught flatfooted, looking at an Adam Wainwright curveball for strike three and the end of what seemed like such a promising season in 2006.
Now, almost 5 years removed from that unforgettable moment in time Carlos Beltran has become the Leader of The Mets. He is healthy, happy and productive. Where would the Mets be without his consistent play and his presents in the club house?

If Jose Reyes is the motor of this team, Carlos Beltran has been the team's model of professionalism. This is not something to be overlooked. The Mets are one game over 500 and on a top heavy with youth team, his professionalism has rubbed off on the young Mets.

A lot has been said about the pluses and minuses of trading Beltran. I do not see the Mets getting much back for him. First he has a very large contract. So large, if The Mets do trade him they will probable have to eat a large part of that contract. At best they might get some draft choices or minor prospects. They will not be getting someone who can play right field daily. I do not believe The Mets will receive any immediate help from anyone they trade.

I think, unless the Mets nose dive over next two weeks they keep their leader for the rest of the season and if they can sign him to a one year contract with incentives and option for two I would do it.
I don't think given the opportunity again Carlos takes that third strike.