OPEN POSTS WEEK FIFTEEN

The more I watch President WOW the more I suspect a smooth talker long on rhetoric and short on details. IMO the recent bailout was jammed through with little detail. The budget will face closer scrutiny but with control firmly in the hand of Democrats the Republicans will be pictured at shrill know nothing obstructionist. Meantime WOW is pontificating about his latest broken campaign promise and that is removal of troops from Iraq. Of little notice will be the consistent buildup in Afghanistan and that will be far more costly in lives than Iraq. Despite our presence in Afghanistan for the last eight years our influence has shrunk to small enclaves. The Russians have warned us of the fruitlessness of operations in this area.

Barney Frank that paragon of intellect and virtue has pronounced the latest bailout of Citi Group is not a sign of a weak banking condition that could be magnified - first 40 Billion and now another 25 billion - Sure, Barney, just like you told us the Fanny and Freddie were solid.

The ongoing casino drama play is just so tiring. One week one group has the pom poms out and then the next week another group. The only real issue I feel exceptional strong about is how Native Americans are occasionally portrayed. When you speak to Native Americans around the country you begin to realize the extent of animosity that is embedded and I cannot blame them one bit. You hear of the reservation system and in the opinion of many that reservation should be ours.

The Middleboro gin mill is now in its death throes as the economy and roadblocks continue to mount. Since I have replaced my usual dunce cap with my prediction bonnet I will say that casinos are inevitable (sorry, MT) in Massachusetts and the perfect place is as a keystone to urban development.

I cannot express my dismay over how our Great and Honorable General Count and Executive Branch have chosen to approach the economic situation in Massachusetts. Despite all common sense and logic the approach is simply to fall back on the same old - taxes! I am on several sports boards and have made contacts virtually all over the world. It seems a day rarely goes by when I get an email asking WTF is the matter with you people?

SCOTUS…they were in the news locally but what really slipped by was not having illegals using a false SS number or a number belonging to someone else classified as identity theft. I actually read the article twice hoping that my comprehension was the result of decreasing brain cells.


I saw that Gary Russell is getting the big kiss that is in several public sector contracts and that is sick leave/vacation buy back. In too many contracts this is extremely liberal and can amount to as high as a few years of getting money for nothing. Yes…I know…they earned it. A comparison. Are teachers in the same handout? Not for me or where my wife worked. In Attleboro I received 15 sick days a year that were cumulative so after my first 12 years I had the maximum amount in the bank - 180 - less two days that I would contribute to a sick bank for those who had exceeded their sick time allocation. So my total was 162. Unfortunately my last year I had two major surgeries and that vaporized 120+ days. Full pay! Not much of that in the DPS (Dreaded Private Sector). Now if I had finished out the year I'd have close to 180 when I coasted into retirement. What would have been my compensation? Nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. Here is why. Retired teachers on our contract will receive $30 for each unused sick day up to a maximum of 120 days provided they have worked in the system for 15 years. Therefore - zip! Not enough service time. As for my wife she had 39 years in the Weymouth system and had no sick days! Why? Their contract did not allow carry over. Fifteen a year and use 'em or lose 'em and most choose to loose 'em. All depends on town to town contract and administrators are different. This state is in desperate need of pension reform. Another interesting fact is I had 30 years of qualified earnings under social security and 15 years under MTR (Massachusetts Teachers Retirement). My teachers retirement was based on three highest years of earnings and the formula allows approximately 2% for each year of service. I actually had higher earnings in the DPS for at least 10 years versus the MTR yet my teachers pension is higher than my SS! Thirty years versus fifteen years. However, with SS you do get COLA and with MTR you can - at the whim of the governor - get a 3% increase per year capped at first $12,400.

I’ll post odds on the great potential match between Dog and Monkey. Even the non gamblers at CFO will get in on this one. This is probably a win-win situation since I’ll run the book.

Post away….if anyone wishes to do a guest blog I’ll post it.