On December 24, 2006 Tim Russert had Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek and Pastor Richard Warren, author of A Purpose Driven Life on Meet the Press. It was an interesting broadcast. Two areas of discussion were significant in my view. During the interview Warren made the point that the problem with China is that they want to have the economic freedom of the West without a moral underpinning. He argued that China could not have the success of the West…
On December 20th, President Bush signed a Congressional bill dealing with postal reform, but then issued a "signing statement" in which he claimed the right of government to open anyone’s private mail without a warrant or judicial permission. A statement by a U.S. President about a bill being signed into law is not new. The first president to issue a statement about a law he was signing was James Monroe. A statement by the President about a new law has…
Another CEO has been rewarded for a bad job. We have previously chronicled America’s corporations rewarding its CEO’s with excessive pay packages and golden parachutes even when they have failed in the job they were hired for. It’s a common story of greed & corporate board irresponsibility which keeps being repeated. See posts for 12/29/06 12/19/06 12/14/06 & 12/9/06. Now Home Depot’s CEO Robert Nardelli will be paid millions for the job he did when he took over in 2000…
My New Year Resolution is expressed in the poem by Edgar A. Guest Lord, Make a Regular Man out of me: "This I would like to be – braver and bolder, Just a bit wiser because I am older, Just a bit kinder to those I may meet, Just a bit manlier taking defeat; this for the New Year my wish and my plea- Lord, make a regular man out of me. This I would like to be – just…
Blaming others is a national pastime. We have all seen people use excuses to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. It’s a lot easier to hide behind a lame excuse then to own up to the truth and take our medicine like we should. Most of us have used some kind of cover up to avoid being accountable for what we have done. Blaming others for our wrong doing is so old it is in the Bible. When God ask…
HAPPY NEW YEAR Hong Kong – New Year’s Celebration
Saddam Hussein was hanged today. I know the vast majority of people cheered the hanging, but I don’t agree with the state killing people for their crimes, even when it is a brutal dictator like Saddam. I know that is an unpopular view with most people and that the majority of Americans agree with capital punishment, but I believe it should be abolished and punishment of life in prison without possibility of parole substituted in its place. It is true…
The National Law Journal reports (12/4/06) that the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, a case involving global warming. The EPA declined to act under the Clean Air Act, claiming it had no authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. Not only did it duck its responsibility, it said that even if had the authority to act, it wouldn’t do so because of the "uncertainty" about global warming claims. The state of Massachusetts sued to require…
After weeks of opening statements, the plaintiff’s attorney in the Microsoft trial in Iowa, showed not one but two videos to the jury as the opening evidence in the case. The jury spent six days watching video testimony. The first one was a ten hour video deposition of Bill Gates. That was followed by a video deposition of the former CEO of Novell, Richard Williams which was not completed. In three weeks the jury has heard opening statements and the…
The scandal of greedy CEO’s and irresponsible Corporate Boards includes the outgoing CEO of Eddie Bauer, Fabian Mansson. I’ve reported about this fact before (12/19), and now the Seattle P.I. reports that even though Edie Bauer lost $275 million this year and is worth just one third of it’s value a year ago, the outgoing CEO will be paid a $10 Million dollar golden parachute after four years as head of the failing company. Mr. Masson was hired in 2002…
