Palin Fiddles While Anchorage Burns

The title of this post is very likely to be a headline in some major newspaper if Mount Redoubt erupts and causes any sort of disaster in nearby Anchorage, Alaska.  That city is bracing itself for a likely eruption in the near future.  We pray that nobody is harmed when it does.

CNN article on Mount Redoubt

Fox News article on Mount Redoubt

Of course, we all remember Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 and the terrible aftermath when the levee broke the next day filling the city of New Orleans with the contents of Lake Pontchartrain.  The mainstream media have all heaped plenty of blame on President Bush and FEMA for the fiasco that followed.  (Some whack jobs even promoted the idea that Bush and/or Cheney blew up the levee so that black people would be flooded out of their homes!)

Except for those of us who have roots in Louisiana, I doubt if very many of you can name the person who was that state’s governor during that time.  This is because nobody wanted to place any blame on the local government — it was too much fun to denigrate President Bush!  (It was Kathleen Blanco — a Democrat — yet another reason the media did not harp on her failures in that disaster.)

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, will happen if this volcano erupts and causes another natural disaster for an American city.  I’ll be willing to bet that the blame this time will fall squarely on the Governor of Alaska — Sarah Palin.  The media will talk about how local and state government has first response obligations.  The President will not be held to the same level of accountability.

And, of course, we will all be blamed for the “climate change” that will result from a major volcanic eruption.  These events do far more to affect the global environment than anything that humans are capable of producing.  That won’t matter to the watermelons, though.  Even though climate change is a natural phenomenon, we will still be forced to give up freedoms, taxes, private property rights and other lifestyle choices in the name of trying to control the weather.


January 2009

Just saw a sign…

Just Read a Sign:

CHANGE:

Abort Babies
Free Terrorists
Raise Taxes
Destroy The Economy

Where do I sign up?

Couldn’t have said it better myself…


January 2009

IT Execs: What to do to survive 2009 (almost) intact

The recurring theme in conversations that I’ve had with senior IT executives at large corporations and with senior management consultants seems to always come back to the same thing:  How do I protect my team in ‘09 for continued execution in the future?  Seemingly, every company, regardless of how well or how poorly they are doing, are all cutting back people in a self-fulfilling prophecy of an even weaker economy.  That means that those companies that are cutting back on people will not (or should not) engage in very large, multi-year, longer-term payout technology investments without a very significant compelling event.  So, what is the technology exec to do?

My answer has been the same to all of them:  re-invent yourself, your team, and your theme.  Get closer to the business revenue streams by working on the things that matter to the business now:  Time to Cash and Internal Efficiency.  Adopt a new theme:  FAST.

Ok Carlos, what they heck does that mean?  Well, it’s quite fundamental:  everyone is looking at how to get to cash quickest and to make the most with less or equal. And everyone wants to see very fast paybacks with very little hit on cash flow.

In the first case,  that could mean quicker consolidation of financials, tracking systems/business intelligence, new credit reporting features in your CRM systems, CRM systems, etc.   Whatever it takes to shorten that cycle will help the business.  In many of those cases shown above, implementation could be very quick: less than one quarter, with a very rapid payout.

In the second case, it means re-inventing how you do business.  Systems implemented in ‘09 should focus on expedience of both IT and corporate staff.  That means finding ways of implementing systems quicker if not more superficially, with a significantly more tactical focus.  Huh, you say?  Let me explain:  implementing technologies such as business intelligence that enable you to look at your information quicker also enable you to serve analytics that can boost the business.  Implementing technologies such as process management (or workflow) enable a company to rapidly develop very focused (and tactical) solutions that can easily integrate into your backend systems for very rapid application development.    Both of those technologies can greatly boost the day to day interaction and the monthly delivery of solutions to the business, raising IT’s standing, boosting profitability, and greatly enhancing efficiency.

Now, let me get a bit deeper into business intelligence and how it can be used in both Cash and Efficiency.  Let’s say that your CFO has asked to cut DSO by 3 days to improve cash flow.    Using business intelligence, we can build a dashboard that looks at the habitual late payers and puts them on a call rotation BEFORE they are late, as a friendly reminder.  It can take the worst offenders and put them on a tighter call pattern to shorten those cycles, and it can give management an idea of what effect a “pay early” promotion might have.  That’s a really simple dashboard that can be quickly built on top of just about any ERP that typically has huge benefits.  There are literally dozens of those types of solutions that can be used to enhance the call to cash process with little investment.  Most companies already have that business intelligence infrastructure;  all they have to do now is to change focus and take advange of it.

On the process management side, it’s even bigger:  The ability to deliver solutions extremely fast so that the needs of the business are immediately fulfilled.   In the early 90’s we called it the SWAT approach.  The difference being is that with a strong process management solution, the development of the solution itself becomes all about the definition of the process and the integration of it vs. standard development.  That means that you can quickly and easily integrate into your backend systems, drive the development thru the description of the process, and be able to implement a solution in a matter of hours or days, not weeks and months.  Furthermore, when tied into business intelligence dashboards, you can have closed loop management of issues as soon as they are identified.  I have seen team members of organizations using these types of technologies release as many as 5 process-tied solutions per week.  YES, PER WEEK!

Those are just two enablers for Time to Cash and Internal Efficiency.    There are dozens of quick payback investment opportunities out there.  It’s just up to you, Mr. IT executive, to choose the right ones for your organization.  Just remember, 2009 is NOT a good year to embark on an SAP implementation IF you dont have a very significant compelling event.  However, it would be a great year to implement Business Intelligence, Enterprise Performance Management, or Enterprise Process Management.  And to aid with cash flow issues, always remember that the big software vendors are always at the ready to provide you with credit lines to not affect your organization’s cash flow.

Both of these solutions are relatively low cost and provide for a lot of very quick wins.  And as I have told some of those IT executive friends, they are also in place today at some of their competitors.   In 2009, the fastest IT dogs are going to survive.  Those engaged in the longer investments are going to get hammered as companies look to streamline.  It’s your choice.


January 2009

Congratulations, President Obama!

Being born in 1962, I have the good fortune of having no personal recollection of the type of segregation that I know existed during my childhood in the New Orleans area.  I was also blessed with a mother who would tolerate no hint of racism in our household.  However, it was impossible not to see the racism that existed all around us.

We have come a long way since the 1960’s.  Thanks to heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and all those who quite literally put their lives on the line to insure that black people were given access to the rights that they deserved to have all along.  No society will ever be completely rid of racism.  This will exist as long as there is ignorance, jealously, and resentment among certain people.

We as Americans can be proud of the progress this country has made toward providing equal opportunity.  All of our lives, we have heard the question, “When will America be ready for a black president?”  The answer is we have been ready for a black president for quite some time now.  However, we had to wait for a black candidate who people were willing to vote for.  (You can substitute the word “woman” for “black” and get the same answer.)

I am proud that the United States finally has a black president.  This is a milestone that is long overdue.  My problems with President Barack Obama have everything to do with the color of his politics and not the color of his skin!  But I will save that for other days.

Today I just wish to say, “Congratulations, Mr. President!”


January 2009

Thanks President and Mrs. Bush!

When the George W. Bush took over the White House in 2001, the outgoing team was less than gracious.  The outgoing team, not the outgoing President.  There was a considerable amount of vandalism inside of the White House.  The bitterness was obvious as was the lack of class.  We all remember the “W” missing from all the keyboards, don’t we?

Move forward one administration later and the complete change in class – on both sides – is evident.  President Bush and his lovely wife not only behaved themselves with complete class, but made it even more special by making the transition easy and comfortable for the Obamas.  They were received with enthusiasm and class, and were helped along the way.  Even thru the final moments, when the Bush’s were about to take off, it was obvious that the Bush’s were making the process as easy as possible for the Obamas.  And there seemed to be quite a bit of good will there.

I’m so glad that President Bush and his team showed complete class threw the entire 8 years in DC.  Now is up to the rest of us to make sure that we DO NOT threat the new President with the complete lack of class the liberals treated (and continue to treat) President Bush.  We can and SHOULD disagree with the policies that we do not believe in.  However, we need to class it up like the President did and do not personally attack the Obamas.

Also, THANK YOU for keeping us safe.  For taking the hits to do the right thing.  For keeping our taxes low.  For defending life.  For taking us thru our darkest hour.  For caring for our military.  For guiding the ecomomy during the recession you inhereted.  And the one that happened because of 9-11-2001.  And the current one that happened because of the many problems introduced by both sides.  Thru it all, you remained calmed and collected, never over reacting.  We appreciate your service.


January 2009

We’ve come a long way, baby!

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m not a fan of liberals.  President Obama is a liberal, but let’s set that aside for the moment.  He is also black.   When MLK, just 45 years ago, predicted that there could be a black US President within 40 years, people must have thought that he was nuts.  The country was mired in a nasty racial discriminative nightmare that was truly the shame of an otherwise great country.  Yet, he predicted it and was right on the money.

Not only is it amazing that a member of a minority that was so heavily discriminated against such as short epoch ago could be President, it is amazing that that could happen when that minority is only 14% of the population of this great country. That means that the great majority of voters in this country are really truly color blind.

The words of the great MLK, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”" have become a fact in this land.

People can continue to complain about inequality and the like.  They can continue whining about them not having something they have not worked for because someone that has worked for it does.  That will not ever change. This moment is not about them.  Not about the race-mongers that make a living creating a racial divide.   The truth, as stated above, is now self-evident.  The truth is that we are all equals in this country regardless of the color of your skin, your God-given gender, your national origin, or even the roots of your name.  We have come a long way in a very short amount of time.  The shame of racial divisiveness is over. The only major blemish in this great country’s history is now fixed.

As MLK said in the next part of that very famous speech:  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”.  That dream is now reality.  God Bless us all, God Bless and guide our new President, and God Bless America.


January 2009

Why does the left find it so hard to recognize true evil?

If I know nothing else about a person, I can use certain indicators to tell if their moral compass is off kilter.  Some of these include:

  • Wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt
  • Buying into the “No Snitching” campaign to protect neighborhood criminals
  • Thinking that Hamas is in the right in this conflict with Israel

Why is it that people on the left consistently tend to blame Israel in these conflicts and take the side of terrorist organizations?  The latest flare up in that part of the world is the result of Israel finally responding to two years of rocket attacks on civilians from Gaza by Hamas.  When did these attacks begin?  They began just as soon as Israel voluntarily withdrew all of its citizens out of Gaza so that the Palestinian Authority can have it all to itself.  The rocket attacks were the “thanks” that Israel got for this gesture of goodwill.

What other nation on earth would be expected to sit idly by while a neighboring country hurled bombs into its territory on a daily basis?  These attacks by Hamas intentionally target civilians.  When women and children are killed by Hamas, they celebrate the victory.  When civilians are killed in an attack by the Israeli military, it is the result of collateral damage.  They are not the targets of Israel.  Most, if not all, of those casualties are the responsibility of Hamas and their practice of embedding their military operations in population centers, mosques, and hospitals.

The following illustration proves the adage that a picture is worth 1,000 words:

 

It is inaccurate, however, to use the term “soldier of Palestine” since they do not identify themselves as soldiers by wearing a uniform.  Instead, they blend in with civilians so that it is nearly impossible to kill them without also killing innocents.

Those on the left claim to care about protecting freedom.  Compare Israel to Gaza (or any Islamic theocracy).  Where do people enjoy religious freedom?  Where do women enjoy the most rights?  Where are homosexuals protected?

 


January 2009

A ‘hood ball for inaguration…

In the department of “I’m not making this up folks”, President Elect Barrack Obama announced that he is going to host a “Neighborhood Ball” for his inaguration (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/05/obama-host-neighborhood-ball/).  I get the common man theme, but the respect that people have for the presidency is not just in its power but also in the way that presidents conduct themselves.  I urge the president elect to select common folks that belong in that setting, remembering that the world laughed at the Beverly Hillbilly ceremony in January of 1977.

BHO, remember that you were elected by ALL of the people, not just those “in the hood”.


January 2009

The most important GOP election GOP’ers cannot vote in

If you, like me, consider yourself a Republican, you must be feeling the same sense of betrayal that I feel.  Our party was taken over by people who wanted to win races over doing the right thing, but instead ended up throwing the baby out with the bath water.  My party is:

  • The party of Lincoln:  Overall color blind, making decisions based on goodness that is propted up by equality versus decisions based on affirmative action.  As a Hispanic American, it is very important to me that I’m valued as others, not because of my national origin.
  • The party of Theodore Roosevelt:  Overall individualism.  The value of the individual as the major contributor to society and individual rights versus village rights.  The support of the merit system.
  • The party of Barry Goldwater:  Overall conservative values based on morality vs. doing what feels good.
  • The party of Ronald Reagan:  Fiscal conservatism coupled with unwavering love for country.  Peace thru strength.  Unapologetic patriotism.

Our party has obviously gone away from those principles that made it so popular from 1994 until 2006.  The first wave of strong leaders committed to the values listed above (people like Dick Armey, Jeanne Kirpatrick, and Phil Grahm) were replaced with politicians who in many cases were former Democrats seeking office as well as other GOP politicos that wanted nothing more than just the power.  Since we didn’t get control until the latter group was in power, we ended up acting just like Democrats, with huge spending, a huge number of scandals and behavior that looked corrupt.   From the national to the local level, the new breed screwed it all up, scaring away our base of conservatives, our frequent supporters in Reagan democrats, and the little support that we had in minority communities.  Just look at how badly we fared amongst Cuban-American voters this year, which once was a guaranteed voting block for the GOP. We gave up our fund raising edge thru stupid legislation without balancing the pendulum with like cuts in Union influence.

To me, the single biggest mistake the party made is when our congress closed ranked to defeat the bailout without tellling our presidential candidate.  That stupid mistake cost us the election.   McCain had a 2 point lead at the time that became a 14 point deficit just a week later.  If the party had leadership, it would have closed ranked behind McCain and had him be the spokesperson for the people (not the party).  We looked like idiots and we all know the results.

So, now, the party must elect a new leader to take us forward after this two most embarrassing election cycles.  The list of candidates is wide as our future depends on this cycle.   We are in danger of becoming irrelevant.  I really like three of the seven.  The list of candidates and my view of them follows:

  • Mike Duncan, Chairman, Republican National Committee:  Absolutely not.  It might not be completely his fault that the party is in such an incredible mess, but come on.   Let’s be real here.  If you don’t think that the party went significantly down during his watch, then you need to be drug tested.  I say enough is enough.
  • Saul Anuzis, Chairman, Republican Party of Michigan:  Ok, he is the male Sarah Palin.  This guy rides a Harley, attracts Reagan Democrats, Union workers, etc.  Blue Collar all the way.  He is very likeable.  He is also very tech savvy, which means that we can use technology to even the playing field.  The first of my three.
  • Ken Blackwell, former Secretary of State, Ohio:  We all remember Mr. Blackwell from the elections of 2000 and 2004.  The only voice of reason in a sea of idiots.  The man already has a plan in place that he talked about during today’s debate.   He is very impressive.  He is the second of my favorites.
  • Katon Dawson, Chairman, Republican Party of South Carolina: OK, I admit, I like this guy.  BUT, he is very southern.  We need a uniting voice right now.  He has a great plan, understands the issues, but I don’t think he can deliver nationally.  If I had my way, I would put him in charge of a Southern strategy.
  • Chip Saltsman, Former Chairman, Republican Party of Tennessee: Ok, Chip is a nice guy, has great ideas, like the others, BUT was dumb enough to send a Christmas CD with a song called “Barrack the magic negro”.  It shows that either he is dumb, a racist, or just not with it.  That right there shows me that he should not lead our party in time of the necessary growth we need.
  • Michael Steele, Chairman, GOPAC:  Michael is still my favorite.  This guy makes you feel like he is talking to a friend when he speaks on TV.   He seems to have the characteristics to bring all elements of the party back.  Some say he is not conservative enough.  I call BS.  This office is for chairman of the RNC, not elected office, so if he does not agree with your conservative views 100%, it does not matter.
  • Tina Benkiser, Chairman, Republican Party of Texas:  Being from Texas and seeing what a complete and utter disaster this election was, I cannot, in good conscience, support Ms. Benkiser for this most important office.  As a matter of fact, I think that the state party is re-thinking their choice of her leadership.
  • Jim Greer, Chairman, Republican Party of Florida:  Jim has done a fantastic helping the RPF win big elections in the state.  Using the state of Florida as a microcosm of the nation, with its large hispanic population, large southern white population, large black population, and large jewish retiree population, he would seem like a good candidate.  However, McCain got trounced in the state where the GOP spent the most money and they lost some offices in the state.  I would live Jim to help rebuild the brand in that important state, specially since it looks like Jeb Bush is going to run for Senator Mel Martinez seat in the Senate, which might become a pivotal seat.  He did not attend the debate, so I don’t think he is not really into it anyway.

So there:  My three are Saul, Ken, and Michael.  Big Veto on Tina, Chip, and current chair Duncan.

BUT, since you are not likely to be an RNC delegate, you cannot directly vote on this election.  So, how can you influence it?  Join the supporter pages in Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.  Contact your party committe chair and ask, etc.  I will dig deeper and report back if I find other ways.  In the meantime, I encourage you to look at the candidates and decide what kind of party you want to have moving forward.


January 2009

We have a word for someone who has a uterus and vagina – it is “woman”!

There has been a lot of buzz during the past year regarding Thomas Beatie.  This is the person who is constantly billed as “the pregnant man”.  Wow!  A man who is pregnant?  That’s incredible!  How on earth could that happen?  Where is this baby growing?  How will it be born?  Surely there has to be a Cesarean section, right?  How else will this “man” give birth?  And just where is that baby again?  It can’t be in the stomach!  Gastric acids would kill the child in minutes!  Where else in a man’s body could a baby gestate for nine months?

Oh, wait a minute.  It turns out that after doing just a little bit of research into the matter, this “man”, actually a woman who has had some surgery done, still has her female reproductive organs intact.  The baby grew inside of a uterus and was born back in July 2008 by traveling through a vagina.  Gee, what a news flash!  A pregnant woman delivers her baby via natural child birth.  The following article seems to describe the situation fairly well (although I’m sure he would count me among those he calls “haters”):

Boston Globe TV review of Pregnant Man on Discovery Health Channel

If you wish to mischaracterize my position as “hatred” then that is your choice.  It would be wrong, though.  I simply would like some clarity.  Thomas Beatie is not a pregnant man.  She has a uterus and a vagina.  We have a word for people like that.  We call them women.


January 2009