Cash Rules Everything Around [Us]

Who it was is unimportant, but a casual acquaintance today shared the joyous news that he and his wife are expecting their third child. Fantastic.

He then shared that this will be their last child, as he has just received a vasectomy. "Every one of those buggers carries a dollar sign," he said. "We're done."

There are absolutely cases where a family's financial situation needs to prevent them from having children. I'm on board. But for this to be a legitimate consideration, it ought to be for the prevention of true poverty, as opposed to the prevention of lost wealth. [I'm privy to the knowledge that this individual's case qualifies for the latter.]

Don't get me wrong, there are other legitimate reasons to hang up the people-making endeavor. But to shut it down only for the protection of future financial wealth seems grossly out-of-whack to me. It's effectively saying that money is more important than a potential nth child, in his case 4th.

I know that's not the message most people intend to send. But send it they do, and sad it is. [And like Yoda I talk.]

Prediction Time

AL East
Toronto
Boston
New York
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

I've been picking the Jays for a few years now. Eventually I'll be right. All the Yankees did was get a year older last year. Why not Toronto?

AL Central
Chicago
Cleveland
Minnesota
Detroit
Kansas City

Tigers return to Earth due to overused pitching last year. Cleveland and Chicago are both sick underrated.

AL West
Anaheim in the vicinity of Los Angeles
Oakland
Texas
Seattle

Yawn.

Wild Card: Cleveland

NL East
Philadelphia
New York
Atlanta
Florida
Washington

Maybe the Marlins are as good as they showed late last year. Firing Manager of the Year Joe Girardi will probably go ahead and end all momentum there.

NL Central
Houston
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Chicago
Pittsburgh

Toughest division to call. No doubt. The Cubs might push .500 if they're lucky. The Pirates might not be awful if Sanchez gets some pop. I just see this division as a race between two over the hill teams (Houston & St. Louis) and one under the talent team (Milwaukee).

NL West
Los Angeles
San Diego
Colorado
Arizona
San Francisco

Brian Sabean is probably the worst general manager west of the Mississippi.

Wild Card: New York

AL Cy Young: Daisuke Matsuzaka
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
AL MVP: Vernon Wells
NL MVP: Carlos Lee
AL ROTY: Daisuke Matsuzaka
NL ROTY: Homer Bailey

AL Playoffs:
Toronto def. Cleveland
Chicago def. Anaheim of SoCal

Toronto def. Chicago (1993 throwback)

NL Playoffs:
Philadelphia def. Houston
LA def. New York

Philadelphia def. LA

World Series:
Philadelphia def. Toronto

Educational Curriculum, Revisited

It seems clear to me that, by and large, organized education in high school does little to prepare its graduates for the ‘real world.’ Years ago, the test of basic competency was a High School Diploma, which then became a Bachelor’s degree; my own opinion is that the worth of the latter is also fading now rapidly.

Rather than complain, though, I thought it might be fun to create a fictional high school curriculum. I gave the student five required courses each semester; they’re allowed an elective course each semester (or two), means they’ll have a 6 period schedule.

I won’t pretend I know all the challenges about implementing something like this. However, most of these topics are barely addressed at all, and all of them are either a necessary evil, or all-too-stupid to ignore.

Freshmen:
Full year: Science (at an appropriate level to the student)
Gym
Math (at an appropriate level to the student)
Writing
Semester: Health
Typing

Sophomores:
Full Year: Foreign Language (of the student’s choice)
Economics
Intro to Business
World History
Semester: Public Speaking
Intro to MS Office

Juniors:
Full Year: Literature (of the student’s choice)
Best Practices in Parenting
Semester: First Aid
Driver’s Ed
Etiquette
Home Economics (of the student’s choice)
Industrial Arts (of the student’s choice)
Research & Research Methods

Seniors:
Full Year: US History
Intro to Psychology
Personal Management
Entrepreneurship
Arts (of the student’s choice)

Ode to My Former Career

For the last two years, I've worked as a financial advisor selling mutual funds and insurance products. If you didn't know, that's because I haven't mentioned it on this blog, because NASD rules would then require me to disclose this blog to the government, and blah blah blah.

But those days are behind me. Right before my son was born, I accepted a position as a commercial banker for AMCORE Bank.

I've been trying to reflect on my time in that industry. Some thoughts, in no particular order:
1.) Financial advising is a TOUGH nut to crack. It ought to be required that you have prior sales experience, and yet, it is universally held that most firms will hire anyone with a pulse who can get licensed.
2.) Loaded funds are not always the way to go.
3.) The world is disgustingly underinsured on life and disability.
4.) They generally do not care.
4.) A sales position is a great way to go, and far more people should consider it.
5.) A sales position is worth considering fully - all else being equal - if there's either a base salary or some leads provided or some ridiculous natural interest among buyers. Taking a position without any of those, I now realize, was basically financial suicide.
6.) There is so much fun to be had between 8 and 5 each workday, and 90% of workers are missing out entirely.
7.) I will never be a straight employee again.
8.) Some people get it, some people don't.

If Only Sommers Had Gotten By...

Annette Ziegler didn't quite annoy me during the primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court. I'd liken her campaign to a scab on the roof of your mouth; it takes up a lot of your attention, but doesn't hurt.

Now I'm annoyed.

While I was on hiatus, it was revealed that Annette Ziegler failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest in dozens of cases. Her husband is a paid member of the Board of Directors of a West Bend Bank; she heard 46 cases where said bank was a litigant without disclosing the relationship.

Says her opponent, Linda Clifford, "Did she ignore the rules or was she unaware of them?"

That pretty much sums it up.

Ziegler's response: "I am confident [it will be determined] that I showed no bias toward any party and there was no financial gain for me or my family in any case in which I was involved as judge." This response is ten sticks of stupid.

Guess what Miss Ziegler - the extent of bias you showed or didn't show is irrelevant! It's not up to you to decide whether your outside activities are relevant. Litigants thought you were a fair and impartial judge, for you to present yourself in any other way is asinine. I would argue that alone should disqualify you from the Supreme Court.

If can write in Joseph Sommers, I will.

Back, And Literally Better Than Ever

Hiatus is done, let's start the blogging!

Blogging Break

We had a baby on Sunday! Hot dog. The price, though, is that I'm on a blogging hiatus.

God's Mercy Overflows

When I was in college, I borrowed my roommate's car, only to get into an accident and need $1200. I scrounged up what I could, but I still wasn't close. Miraculously, a cashier's check arrived in the mail for $300 -- a huge help. There was a note "someone cares," and the postmark was Palatine, IL, whence I know no one.

This last year hasn't been the smoothest financial year in the Lyons family. I'm not complaining, it is what it is. However, my landlord is reporting that for the third month in the last seven, my rent has been anonymously paid for me.

In addition, Madison Birth Center called this week to inform us that our deductible (for which we had only yet paid half) had been taken care of anonymously.

Whoever you are, you wish to remain anonymous, so I'll respect that. But you have a knack for going way beyond help and saving my tookas when I need it most. If that's not collective virtue, I don't know what is. So, on the hope that you're a Lyons Den reader, thank you. And for everyone else, here's my testimony that virtue is alive and kicking.

Good News, Bad News, Worse News

The Washington Post says that Obama is gaining on the Hildabeast. Hilary's lead is now 12 points, which still isn't great for Obama, but it's a huge turnaround. He's also tied the poll among likely Black voters; he'll need more than a tie, but a 40 point deficit to Hilary in January was u-g-l-y.

That's the good news.

According to Dick Morris, political genius, in his recent column on Fox here,

"If it seems early to be focusing on the ups and downs of national polling, consider the expedited calendar for pursuit of the nominations this year and next. Nineteen states, with half of America's population, have moved or are moving their primaries up to February 5, 2008, barely three weeks after the Iowa caucuses and two after the New Hampshire primary. Among these states are California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina and Georgia.
The effect will be to choose a nominee within a three-week window in the first days of 2008. To be able to mount a campaign in at least half the country by February 5, 2008, a candidate will have to amass a huge war chest in 2007. Anybody who does not have a huge bank account, perhaps as much as $100 million by January of 2008 isn't going to win the nomination.
This steep fund raising curve makes it imperative to be the front-runner in the fall of 2006. Only the leader in each party's pack of candidates will be able to make the financial cut."

I could be way off, but I just don't see Obama out-fundraising Hilary. Bad news.

For the Republicans, Giuliani is smoking McCain, who is using all of his efforts toward being the exact opposite of the 2000 version of himself. Not that McCain is my boy - he and I have some disagreements - but Rudy Giuliani might be a 170º political turn from myself.

Critiquing Judge's Campaign

So my boy, Joseph Sommers, got smoked in the primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court last week. Annette Ziegler took 57% of the vote, which blows my mind.

Not that I'm pooh-pooing Ziegler, but she's running on the classic, totally overdone "tough on criminals, tough former prosecutor" thing.

Pardon me for being skeptical, but I want my elected prosecutors to be tough on criminals, not judges. I want judges to be tough on criminals to the extent they're tough on prosecutors. (Sommers was the only candidate with the sac to say that, which, along with no money, is probably why he got smoked).

The next time a judge runs on a "tough on prosecutors" message, I'll donate to their campaign right after I wake up from fainting.