Cantor is Not Good for the Republican Party

GoneGator    Sports    

Eric Cantor is a nasally, whiny defeatist with absolutely no ideas to present. Is he really the best the Republican Party can offer as minority whip in the House? Says it all about the GOP.

Conference Tournaments ARE Meaningful

GoneGator    College Basketball    

Doug Gottleib needs to do his homework before opening his mouth.

For three days, I’ve listened to this ESPN college basketball “analyst” rationalize an early exit by a potential No. 1 seed as having no bearing on their NCAA seeding or their national title hopes.

First he rationalized No. 2-ranked Pittsburgh’s loss to West Virginia in the Big East quarterfinals. Then No. 3 UConn’s loss to Syracuse in the same round. Now, No. 1 North Carolina’s loss to Florida State in the ACC semifinals.

In fact, Gottleib suggested that it might be a good thing that those teams lost so they can be more rested as they enter the NCAA Tournament.

That struck me as wrong-headed, so I did some research and discovered that the road to the national championship followed a familiar route in recent years.

The last five NCAA champions:

• 2008: Kansas Jayhawks. Warmed up by winning the Big 12 Tournament.
• 2007: Florida Gators. After winning the SEC Tournament.
• 2006: Florida. Won the SEC Tournament.
• 2005: North Carolina Tar Heels. Lost in ACC Tournament semifinals.
• 2004: Connecticut Huskies. Won the Big East Tournament.

So, four of the past five NCAA champions also won their conference tournament. And I’d bet that any of those teams would agree that the experience they gained winning their conference tourneys — by winning three games in three days — better prepared them for the grind of the Big Dance.

Doug, are you paying attention?

Finally, there’s the most important reason conference tournaments matter. If you win one, you get to raise a championship banner over your home court that will be there forever.

I don’t recall banners being raised very often for earning a No. 1 seed.

Stimulus working in SW Va.

GoneGator    Economy, Politics    

Southwest Virginia may be populated by a large “good Republican” majority, but they sure seem to be falling in love with a Democratic initiative: the $8,000 tax credit to first-time home buyers. http://snurl.com/d0mbo

Petri Dish Politics: It’s What’s for Dinner

GoneGator    Economy, Florida Gators, Politics     Barack Obama, Florida Gators, population control

It’s been too long since my last blog post, but several things have been beating me down. Illness. Economic meltdown. Winter blues. So rather than focus on a single subject, I’m gonna hit you with some recent ruminations.

A verbal drive-by, if you will, in a nod to my pal Miss Andrea.

Let’s start with the Florida Gators. Right now, I’m watching them get their asses beat in Gainesville by the hated Tennessee Volunteers. Just as I feared, the Gators’ weak early-season slate (their strength of schedule ranks 101st in Division I) has left them totally unprepared for the intensity of the stretch run. And it’s looking more likely that a second straight NIT bid awaits.

As the Gators struggle, President Barack Obama is backing his campaign rhetoric with action in the form of ambitious plans and proposals that at once inspire and scare the shit out of me.

I firmly support his three-pronged strategy to reform our health care system, foster energy independence and a green economy, and ensure that Americans are the most educated population in the world. But I just can’t see how he’ll pay for it without raising taxes across the board.

So a theory hit me today (one that relies upon the Dems holding onto power for 12-16 years): Obama and the Democrats are gambling on this “new new deal” being a runaway success, delivering myriad benefits of undeniable value to society. Affordable health care. Better roads and bridges. Cleaner, cheaper energy. Reformed entitlements. World-class education.

If that becomes our reality, the majority will come to happily rely upon the feds for essential services. Then when they stick us with the bill by raising taxes, we might not mind as much.

Dems may deny it, but we are headed down a more socialist road. And perhaps that is necessary as our nation’s population grows too large to be supported by a purely capitalist system.

That provides a nice segue to some thoughts on population control. Genesis 1:28 (yes, I’m quoting the good book) commands us to “be fruitful and multiply,” but when those words were written I doubt anyone imagined a world of 6.8 billion souls. There are simply too many people inhabiting the planet, and they’ve stretched the world’s resources to the breaking point.

We must make population control a priority. Nothing would go further toward solving the world’s crises.

Having a large family in this day and age is one of the most selfish acts I can imagine. That’s why it infuriates me to hear news of the birth of quadruplets, quints, and now even octuplets. What are these people thinking? If you need in virto fertilization to have a child, perhaps nature — or your God, if you believe in such — is making its own attempt at population control.

In an op-ed piece last year in the Roanoke Times, Robert F. Boyd wrote:

“What kind of world will we have if we are crowded together like a colony of rats? Are we no better than the planet’s ‘lower’ animals? If not, we too may suffer the fate of overpopulation, famine and possibly extinction.”

The answer is not a Chinese-style limit on offspring. I do not believe couples should be denied their right to have a family, if that’s what they desire and they are able.

But they must have a plan. And that requires sex education (sorry GOP) and an altruistic world view. (You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.)

Consider your motivation to have a child and your ability to care for one. Think about the impact on the lives of others. No matter what you decide, practice birth control.

And please — put down the damn tubes and Petri dishes. If you can’t conceive naturally and still must have a child, there are plenty of unwanted children waiting to be adopted.