Don't crucifiy, Max Hall. But he's still a dumbass.

Poor, Max Hall. Wins a big game, redeems himself from last year's six turnover loss to, Utah. Then shoots his mouth off, and ends up all over the news. He used the word, "hate". That's awful! Except, I HATE, BYU, too! So I understand where he's coming from. And my wife is a BYU alumni! Yes, Ute fans, I married a, "BYU Co-ed". And I'm ok with that.

The kid with the crappy, Mormon hair cut, and the jug ears, just like the basketball player from last year, Cummard, I think his name was? They both look like the guy on the porch, playing the banjo in, "Deliverance", don't they? Is using the, "H" word. Oh, my, Goodness!

Give him a break. He's a college kid. He's not old enough to know better. He said what he was thinking, so good for him. He joins the legion of people from, "But You're Uneducated" who have said stupid stuff after a Utah/tsds game. Remember, Lenny Gomes? "They are low class losers! When I'm making fifty grand a year, they'll be pumping my gas!" And that was after we BEAT them!

Low class? Your opinion. But, "losers"? We just BEAT your ass!

But I expect nothing less from BYU fans, players, students, hell, ANYONE associated with that place. Remember a few years ago when the President of the, "University" said the flags the cheerleaders where running around the stadium should be banned because they cause fights? No. Your students who can't control themselves, run out of the stands, and attack cheerleaders with flags, should be banned!

I have more experience in college football stadiums than anyone you know, trust me. And there is one thing that is a constant. Some fans will be assholes. They will get drunk, and students will get drunk, and even the ones who don't drink, will say dumb stuff that when they get older, they will wish they didn't say. And do stuff they wish they had not done. And they will wish they had acted in the spirit of sportsmanship, instead of like jerks. Max Hall is a jerk, but he's not any worse than anyone else.

Deb and I have been to many, many college football stadiums. Mostly because she wants to see a city we have never been to, and I want to see a football game she can't see. But she's a good sport.

And in the Mountain West Conference, the worst fans are at, Colorado State. Total assholes, without exception. A classless college for cow punchers and future Veterinarians, and nothing more.

The worst fans ever, are at CSU or, Arizona State. When walking into ASU's stadium in 1990, with my 3 year old daughter on my shoulders, their fans were yelling, "Utah Sucks!" in my face, since I couldn't punch them as I was holding a kid.

San Diego State's fan's are idiots. The few of them that there are. That school just doesn't need an athletic program, they need a school. It's awful.

New Mexico's fans are also jerks, but again, there are not too many of them.

Wyoming's fan's get a bad rap. Most of them are great people. They are glad you made the trip to Laramie. In 1986, my friend, Phil and I made the trip to, Laramie and our Utes lost 66-7 (I think. It was ugly) And I walked into a bar/liquor store to buy some beer since we were going to pick up a pizza at, Little Caesar's and just go back to our Motel 6 room and watch college football that night, before driving home on Sunday.

I had on my Utah shirt, and a guy in the bar yells at me, "HEY! You from Utah!?". And I'm thinking, oh shit, here we go, I'm getting into a fight. So I say, "Yeah. I'm from, Utah." And to my surprise, he reaches out to shake my hand, and says, "You must feel terrible. Can I buy you a drink?" Good people in Wyoming. I've had people there want to fight, but when they do (mostly kids), the grown ups always step between us. Good folks in, "Wyo".

And the best experience's we have had have been back east. In Louisville, we were walking out after beating them a few years ago, and an older, Black woman, walking with her son helping her, like I was helping, Deb who was walking with her white cane, tapped, Deb on the shoulder and said, "We're not glad you won, but we're sure glad you come! Enjoy, Louisville."

And in Michigan last year, it was unbelievable. They were remodeling their stadium, so they had to stop people from going in a few times, to let the crowds clear. After all, 108,000 people in one place, takes a little time to get in.

We are standing at the gate, and not even the drunken students have said a bad word to us. It's all, "Thanks for coming", and, "I can't believe you guys came all this way for a game!" And they start to close the gate on, Deb and her white cane. A REALLY drunk, Michigan student starts to get pissed. She jumps up in front of, Deb, and starts putting her finger in the chest of the Security Guard, and, while trying not to spill her beer, is yelling at him, "You, CAN NOT push a BLIND woman back out! What are you thinking!?" Well, she made her point. Deb and I got inside the gate to wait for the crowd to thin out.

After the game, there were two guys, older than me, in their Michigan shirts, standing at the base of the stairs where the Ute fans came out, shaking hands with everyone, and saying, "Congratulations on your win. Thank you for coming. And don't let anyone you know go to Ohio State."

Really? They were that cool? Yes they were. Not the pompous jerks we heard they were. I guess I should expect it in, Ann Arbor. A town with 114,000 people, and 60 book stores. Smart people.

So give, Max Hall a break. He didn't say anything we haven't all thought. He's still a jerk, but he's young, and he'll learn. Or not.

Hey, Max! We HATE YOU, TOO! Maybe someday, the football team down there will have a University to be proud of (but, I really, doubt it. That school sucks for all the religious reasons and firing professors for thinking). And your fans are every bit as nasty as ours. Live with it. Jerk.

You might feel good about your win yesterday. But because of your defeat last year, and the six turnovers, you will never play in the NFL.

Feel the, HATE, kid.

Thanksgiving

Well, it's, Thanksgiving Eve, here in the Mountain Time Zone. And it means the start of the, "Holiday Season"! Shit. I hate the holidays.

Too much traffic in Murray, since we have a Mall. Too much shopping. My kids are too old to believe in, Santa, so it's not a big deal for them. Except what they will get.

I love my family, I love having them around. But I hate to SHOP for them! My birthday is Christmas Day, and I DON'T WANT any presents! You want to buy me something? Buy me a pass at a local golf course for next summer!

Put it in a card. End of story. End of holiday.

Or, let me pick out a new set of Irons at, Golf Galaxy, and you bring them home for me. That would MAKE my Christmas!

Bah. Humbug!

I don't like the holidays, and I hate to deal with them. Deb's birthday is on the 3rd of December, so I have to come up with something spectacular for THAT, and then, three weeks later? An awesome Christmas Present! December sucks for me. Good thing I'm rich.

I've spent about $5K this year, already. And bought TWO gifts. I hope my kids don't want shit for Christmas. I spent all the money on their mother.

Christmas sucks.

And I share a birthday with, Jesus Christ, and Jimmy Buffett. I've SEEN, Jimmy Buffett, a lot. Jesus? Not so much. I have to believe that, Jimmy Buffett exists. And, Jesus Christ is a figment of imagination. Or I'm, Jesus, since I was born on his birthday! Highly unlikely.

Our Society is Sick and Wrong.

I should, probably, get out of, Face Book. But I LOVE it so much! I've hooked up with so many OLD friends! By, OLD, I mean some folks I have not had contact with since high school, and sometimes even before. And for the most part, it's been great! I love hearing about their lives, and their kids, and the jobs they ended up in. It's a great read every night when you first hook up with these folks. I can't wait to come down here, and see what my old friends are up too!

For a while. Then, you lose touch with the people you were most excited to find at first. And you find that they were, pretty much, what you expected them to grow up to be. If they were really, "Goody-Goody" Mormon's when they were kids? Well, they are now, too.

If they were not very smart when you were kids? They watch, "Faux News" now, and think our, President was born in, Africa.

If they had an unusual fascination with guns and/or drugs when we were kids? They are in prison or the State Legislature, now. Sometimes, they can do BOTH if you follow them long enough!

I was just on FB for a while tonight, and I was amazed at the amount of folks that I thought were smart, and some of them really, GOOD, Agent's, too! Who were , "In tears", or, "Totally Disappointed" at the results of, "Dancing With The Stars"! WTF? Really? You're SURPRISED, that the FAVORITE, didn't win your favorite, "reality show"? Really?

OK, here's your reality lesson. All you fans of, AI who live in, Murray, Utah, do you remember who finished in FRONT of the little, Gay, Artchuletta, Kid from, Murray High? The one who's father recently got busted for trying to hire a prostitute? No? Neither do I!

But if he'd won, we wouldn't remember the other guy either, so they gave, David second place, and TWO of their people a career! Or possible, career.

Yeah, David was the best singer, but if you follow the money, they had to drag one more in. It was the next guy. No, I'm not going to Google him, I don't give a shit.

You really think your, "votes", that were just charges to your cell phone account meant ANYTHING? Really? You do? Are you smoking crack? Because they didn't mean SHIT!

So tonight, my friends are SO upset about the results of, DWTS? Yeah, like, Kelly and her fat legs were going to win. And Marie, with her MH problems had a shot? She's so beautiful, trust me, she's my age, and even, Non-Mormons in my Jr. High were in love with, Marie Osmond. I'd have HAD her 8 kids! Why, not, me!

Reality TV sucks. Network TV sucks. I have 500 channels, and mostly I watch, HBO, Showtime, for the series. Comedy Central and, MSNBC for the truth (Because, Comedy Central, keeps, MSNBC honest). And every week, when I'm not watching, college football, I watch, "COPS" on, Fox on Saturday night. To remind me why I retired from that job.

You cried at the end of, DWTS? Really? Oh, I have to re-assess my friends.

More football.

The Utes beat the dog stuff out of SDSU today. As they should. But they don't get on ESPN's, "Football Final" even though they are ranked in the top 25. How much does the BCS suck? A LOT!

Alabama played, "Bob's College" today so they didn't have to have any serious competition before they get their ass kicked by, Florida in two weeks. The SEC is a joke.

Oh, and speaking of, Florida? They played, "Bob's College South" today. Beat them by a lot.

The BCS (Bullshit Championship Series) is such a joke, that the only people not getting it, are the ones perpetrating it on the rest of us!

I don't agree with, Orinn Hatch on anything, except this: The BCS is a Monopoly that needs to be busted.

Chris Buttars

I was intrigued to see on the news tonight, that State Senator, Chris Buttars, R (Ratfucker), Jordan Directional (West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton West of Jordan, Herriman West West Jordan, etc.) has come out in favor of the Mormon Church's position on, "The Gays". And said it's not right to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation. But, he doesn't want it to get out of hand, so he'll only back legislation that meets, "The Church's" guideline.

First of all, the image that came to mind was of the old, RCA dog in front of the, Victrola, and the caption, "His Master's voice."

Secondly, I thought to myself that if there was ever ANY doubt about who is really pulling the strings in this state, it was completely answered tonight.

If I believed in a God, I'd have to ask him to save us from the jerks that are the, Mormon's and Chris Buttars.

I have a Gay friend coming to visit in a few days from back east. I'm really surprised that he even wants to come back to this state.

And so it goes.

Sweet, sweet, Sarah!

Have you been watching the, "Goddess Of The North" on her book tour? It's been awesome! And all the talk of her being the Republican candidate for President in 2012? Couldn't be happier to hear hear it!

What? Your thinking, Stickley's a LIBERAL! He's rooting for Sarah Palin? Yep. I sure am. Because if this vacuous, lying, MILF IS, in fact the Republican nominee, it will signal the fact that the Republican Party has shot itself in the head with it's own, un-restricted handgun, and is no longer a factor in American politics.

Our President is struggling to get his changes accomplished. I know. Some of us have become impatient with him. But hear me out on this.

I met with my broker last week. They had a lunch for us investors where the Schwab, "guru" of forecasting gave us all a video presentation about how they think things are going to go. They said the unemployment rate is right where it should be before the recovery from every recession for the last 100 years. That the GDP is doing exactly what it should be doing, just before the end of every recession for the last 100 years. That all the other indicators, housing starts among them, are doing exactly the same thing they have done for the last 100 years. Just before the recession ends!

This exactly the opposite of what, "Faux News" is saying, and just what I was hearing, Joe Biden tell, Jon Stewart tonight! Kind of like in the old movies where you think everything is lost, and the hero steps forward and says, "We've got em' just where we want, em'!"

So, the recession ended in September, we are about to pass an historic health care bill after a serious fight about it, but still, it's going to pass. And then, just in time to insure another four years of the right people, instead of the, Right Wing being in control, the, Republicans will nominate, Sarah Palin as their Presidential Candidate, and go down in flames that will rival the Northern Lights in it's brightness!

They will get 10% of the vote, and even guys like, Newt Gingrich will have to be holding their heads in disbelief and saying, "What have we done?!" They will win Alaska, and Utah.

Look how well the endorsement of, "Sarah Of The North" worked for the ultra Conservative in New York's 23rd Congressional District? Oh, he lost big time to the Democrat, don't ja know?

And as a final pronouncement on why, Sara would be the best choice to run against for a second term to be assured for, Barack Obama? The pre-order price for her book at, Wal Mart was almost $30 last month. Now? That's she's opened her mouth about it? Not so much. You can pick it up for about $8 there. Any one need to start a fire?

Cigars and food

I took my wife, and and my best fiend and his wife, to La Caille on Wednesday night for a, "Cigar Dinner". Deb and I had never been there for dinner before. Even though I had grown up here in SLC.

It's not like we are adverse to spending big money for dinner. I took the family, all four of us, to, Charlie Trotter's in Chicago this summer, and the bill was $1200. So it's not about the money. But we had never had a reason to go to, La Caille.

It was AWESOME! Great food, great cigars, and great service! I had the best cooked carrot I have ever eaten! And the steak was awesome as well.

If you ever get the chance, please take it. It's worth the money to have the experience, and the food that you get there. We paid $100 a person for an awesome dinner, with three drinks, and two cigars each (Deb doesn't smoke cigars, so I'll enjoy hers this weekend) and tip included. Treated like Royalty, and really good food.

Berlin Wall

I have to admit, that until I was watching the late news last night, I had NO idea that it was the 20th anniversary of the falling of the, Berlin Wall!

I was 30 years old, my daughter was just less than a year old, and her mother and I were both, "wage slaves" for the, Utah Department of Corrections.

I spent my youth as a kid with a father who was a rocket scientist for, Hercules out near, Magna. Does anyone remember, Hercules? We transferred out here from West Virginia in 1963 when the company moved all it's, Naval Operations to a desert! Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Design missiles that will be launched from Submarines, in a place with no water deeper than a few feet? The Military was brilliant back then!

I'm grateful. It got me out of West Virginia.

So as a kid, I knew what, "Throw Weight", and, "MAD" (Mutually Assured Destruction, which really WAS, Madness!) meant when none of my friends did. My dad got copy's of, "Ordinance" Magazine. I knew about all the new tank models that would be on hobby shop shelves MONTHS before my friends did.

I remember asking my dad, one time, "Can those, stupid, Russians launch missiles that can EVEN hit us?" And he said, "I can drop one of mine within 50 yards of the, Kremlin Dinning Room in a half an hour. And those guys aren't stupid. We have to assume they can do the same." That was the first time I realized, at about 8 year's old, that all the talk, wasn't just talk. This shit was serious.

I asked him, "Once they launch the missiles, how long before they hit us?" And he said, "How long do we have to live? About a half an hour." No talk about shelters, no talk about running to the mountains, no, "survival" stuff. Just, "How long do we have to live? About a half an hour." Real matter of fact. So I started to pay attention to politics then.

When we had, "Civil Defense" classes in 8th Grade Science, they brought the, "biscuits" out of the basement of the Jr. High for us to taste, and told us to listen for the sirens. A three blast in, Murray was for the Volunteer Fire Department. A long one, was missile attack! Get underground!

I never raced. I listened to, Dad. You'd be better off dead.

Then, in college, the proposal for the MX Missile, which would have been built by, Hercules came around. I was all for it! My dad was paying my tuition! But my friends hated the idea! I couldn't believe that. Jobs at home, they were hating?

I was wrong. With the steel mill, the Air Force Base, and the Nerve Gas Storage in, Tooele, we really, didn't need ANOTHER reason to be a target.

But then, things started to change in the 80's. And I'm not talking that, assclown, Regan. He was full of bluster, and lots of, "R's" like to think he won the cold war, but he didn't. My DAD and his buddies did, because they needed to. But they really weren't the ones, either.

Satellite TV, MTV, Levi's, and, Van Halen records, won the cold war! And, Radio Free Europe! By the time, "Ronnie Ray-Gun" mumbled, "Mr. Gorbachev? Bring down this wall!" it was toppling over from the weight of the American Jeans that were being tossed over it!

The weapons kept both sides at bay. The consumer products won the war.

You want to end the last, bastion of Communism in the world? And no, I'm not talking, China. They are driving, Audi's and snorting cocaine off hooker asses just like Las Vegas.

Viet Nam? Please. Totally gone legit.

I'm talking, Cuba! The last bastion of dumb, American political thinking in the world. End the embargo, let us all spend our money there, and the, "Commie's" are gone in six months. Tops.

Fidel is 200 years old! His brother is waiting for a reason to get rich. We Americans consume, according to, Cigar Aficionado, a TOTALLY RIGHT WING publication, about $100M in cigars ever year. They estimate that if we open trade with, Cuba, it would be $300M each year! And good for, Cuba! They could throw the bums out, and start over.

My wife and I went there (legally, Cultural Exchange Trip with KUER, the local NPR station) in 2003. And it didn't take a rocket scientist, to see that weapons were not the weapon of choice to win THIS battle. Money. American, Money! Would turn, Cuba. Jobs, tourism, can win the battle.

I could take my American money and buy ANYTHING I wanted in the local, Mercado. Bikes, toys, basketballs, rum. But I never saw a Cuban kid with a toy. They played, "basketball" with empty soda cans.

So, lets take a lesson from 20 years ago. End the Embargo (The locals call it, "The Blockade") and normalize relations with Cuba. It's been a 50 year pissing match that no one has one. And they buy cars, and wheat and everything else from us, and we buy rum and cigars and coffee from them. That sounds like, "free trade" to me? On the 20th anniversary of the falling of the, Berlin Wall, lets bust down the, "Cigar Wall"!

Just a thought.

Health Care

Well, the Dem's finally stepped up in the house, and passed the health care bill. Good for them. buy why do I have to wait to 2013 for insurance? Get some balls, and smack these, "R's" (for, Ratbastard) down and pass a national health care bill! You have a chance to do something good. Do it!

And as much as I want to blog about politics, I just can't get away from the BCS (Bullshit Championship Series). Utah wins, and drops two places. Oklahoma has lost three, and was still ranked 20 yesterday? WTF? They stink.

Playoff. It needs to happen.

I'll be happy that we have a national health care plan when all is said and done. Might keep me from moving to, France, as the, "Assclown", Ti suggested I do on Face book. He's the biggest dumb shit I have ever dealt with. He actually said that, "It looks like the, Eiffel Tower behind you in your picture" when it WAS the, Eiffel Tower! Dumb ass!

Gary Herbert surprised me this weekend when he brought, Ted Wilson on to advise him, and the rest of the, "Rightouslature" on Global Warming. He's actually picking someone who believes in SCIENCE! Really? That's good. Maybe this guy isn't as dumb as we thought.

Keep sending money to Democrats out of state, since, Matheson is an idiot. I'd rather have an, "R" in his seat than his dumb ass. He hates, Gays, he hates truth, and he doesn't want me to have health insurance. He sucks. I'll send $100 to any one who runs against him. Hell, I sent $1000 to a guy I used to work with who was fighting cancer, and I never even got a thank you card for any one at AP&P. I'll send that much to anyone who will be a true Democrat and run against, Matheson.

Morons

I just came back form my Facebook page, and I have to admit, I have admitted some morons to my, "Friends" list. Two guys actually posted that the shooting at Fort Hood yesterday was not appropriately addressed by, The President.

WTF? How did he NOT address this appropriately?

I guess he didn't suggest that all the Muslim's in the country be rounded up and shot?

I have to admit, I don't watch a lot of TV in the fall, except for college football, so I have not seen the news reports about this tragedy. But, I can't imagine that, The President, said anything inappropriate about this shooting by a nut ball, Muslim or not. The guy was born in VIRGINIA! He's not a foreign terrorist, he's just an unstable, nut!

I spent 23 years in law enforcement, and I know that, "Nuts" happen. And sometimes they kill people. I doesn't matter who, The President is. But I do know that the reason we are in two wars we didn't need to fight is the fault of the last, President.

I have nothing but sympathy for the victims and the family's of yesterdays shootings. But you can't blame the current, President for the situation that put them there. You have to blame the last, President. He did it. No one else.

Why, "R's" suck. A Health Care Story.

More than 20 years ago, a young woman I didn't know, and I both went to work for the State of Utah. This young woman, later became my wife. I'll spare you the details, but we both ended up working in different parts of The Department of Corrections, and became Peace Officers. We were promised 50% of our pay and Public Employees Health Plan (PEHP) when we retired after 20 years. We would pay for our insurance by turning in 8 hours a month of unused sick or vacation pay we kept when we retired. A simple plan, and a good retirement package.

Both of us were offered other jobs, making more money, or doing something more exciting than being, Probation/Parole Agents, but we kept the job for the retirement benefits, and the stability. After all, by now, we had a daughter who was Autistic, so we needed those medical benefits.

In 1995, my wife was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, (RP) a degenerative, genetic eye disease, that will, eventually, take all her eyesight. The Department did everything they could to expedite her, Medical Retirement, PEHP fought for her disability with, Social Security, and she had to quit working. But now, she had half her salary, could no longer drive, and we were expecting another child via adoption, who would later join our family.

Deb used to say she wished there was a way she could stay home with the kids. Be careful what you wish for, sometimes in comes true in ways you could not possibly have imagined.

One thing I bet most public employees don't know about, "going on disability" is that you can't do it until you have exhausted ALL of you sick/vacation leave. You have to use it all up before you retire so you have no health insurance, and you are eligible for Medicaid. No problem, we thought. I still will have insurance to cover us both, and started to try to save some more of those personal hours. We were going to get through this, no matter what.

Step in, Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. Who felt that State Government should be run more like a business. Trim the fat, privatize, etc. One of his first moves was to get State Legislator, Chad Bennion (R, Murray) (who those of us who live in Murray tossed out of his job at the next election!) to sponsor HB 213. This bill took away Public Employees retirement health care from PEHP, and didn't let them use saved hours to pay for it. It took away the five years of PEHP that had been given to all retiree's before they had to start using their saved hours, if you retired after December of 2006. Very, "Business" like, no? But not very kind to people who had been counting on that insurance, or maybe kept a job they didn't really like, because they knew they would NEED that retirement insurance.

Oh, there was, one, tiny loop hole left open by HB 213. If you serve in the State Legislature, or you are a Judge? YOU get lifetime PEHP. I believe you only have to have served in either of those jobs for 6 years to get that lifetime benefit.

Six years of doing your best to keep the evil cable company's at bay, trying to stop abortions that are Constitutionally protected, censoring history in school books and bringing the hate to Gay people, and the concealed weapons to the University of Utah, and YOU get lifetime insurance. Well, You ARE doing, God's work, right?

But, spend 20 years working in the state's Prisons, on it's highways, and in it's methlab's (doctor, I have this cough?) and what do you get? Nothing, Nada, zip, good luck with that, thanks for your service, and don't let the door hit you on the way out, I have two guys from my Ward and a nephew who wants your job.

My wife's five years is up. I have a year and a half left, and then, no one, and I mean NO ONE, will insure my 21 year old, Autistic daughter who takes several hundred dollars of medications a month to control her anxiety and other problems. No one is going to give a supplemental insurance policy to a blind woman with some other pre-existing conditions.

I'm a little over weight, but I don't even take any prescription drugs, and short of a back surgery last year, I'm doing OK. I could get a policy for me and my son, but here's where it gets weird.

My father died a few years ago, and left me some money. Enough money that I can take, "The Blind Lady" to see the world and still live normally. But it puts me at a disadvantage. If anything bad happens to my uninsured daughter, she's 21, no one can sue, ME. But of course, I won't abandon her. But to protect myself if something happens to my under insured wife, a serious car accident, she needs a transplant, etc. Someone can still sue me, as her husband, because I have money.

Now, in this family values state, the only way to protect my self and my son is divorce my wife of 25 years, cut all ties to my adult daughter, and buy insurance for my son and I and hope for the best?

Well, not so fast. The Federal Government wants to offer a National Health Insurance, a, "Government Option" for those who can't get insurance from their employers. And for those who are otherwise insurable! Awesome! I'm off the hook. If my daughter gets hurt, or my wife has an accident, I don't have to lose everything to IHC, or what ever hospital treats them. This is great news. I can't wait.

But then, I'm watching the news last night, and I see, Governor Gary Herbert (R, Kolob) telling me that my state might, "opt-out" of any Federal Insurance Program. WTF? Why? What is to be GAINED from NOT taking the Federal help to insure that all, Utahan's have access to health care?

Well, it's a Socialist plot, for one thing. Oh, and the Democrats voted for it. And a BLACK guy came up with the idea!

Nah, couldn't be that.

How about that fact that Intermountain Healthcare, a non-profit organization, by the way, controls about 60% if the hospitals/doctors and INSURANCE in this state. And those guys are tight with the, "R's". And if the, "R's" stand for anything, it's the invisible hand of the free market (unless your bank/insurance agency/or investment house is failing. If that's the case, "We need to BAIL now, and BAIL here!" Or you want to make a living selling dirty movies. They want to legislate that away, unless your, "porno house" is a, Marriott Hotel).

So, here I sit. I can't get insurance for two members of my family after the, "R's" promised it to me for 20 years and then took it away. Now my Federal Government wants me to keep my money and take care of my family by giving me insurance, but the same, "R's" that took it away a few years ago, are going to make sure I can't have it now, because it would hurt the bottom line of the biggest health care/insurance provider in the State.

Does any one know how you emigrate to Canada. Because I just don't see there being any chance of electing smart politicians in Utah before my insurance runs out in a year and a half.

The BCS sucks.

I've been talked into doing this by some friends, so here goes. If the worst thing that can happen is nobody cares, well then I'm no worse off than I am now.



The BCS should be renamed, "Bullshit Championship Series".



There, I said it. Twice this year, I have had had the unpleasant experience of having to, "talk" college football with two , Clowns from BCS schools, who think the sun sets on them because they have more TV sets in their states than we do in Utah. I'm really getting tired of these guys.



The first one was an extremely unpleasant little, "Frat Boy" from the University of Oklahoma , sitting next to me at a Jimmy Buffett concert in Las Vegas last May. He didn't even know what conference the University Of Utah played in. I'm sure he knows now that, BYU (Stands for: But You're Uneducated in my book, but I'm still glad they beat, OU) ruined their season, and their quarterback, in the very first game of THIS season!



After spending a little time with this guy, I now know why, Texas fans sport t-shirts that say, "You can't spell, Cocksucker without, OU!".



The second was a Friend of a neighbor. My buddy brought this guy over for a drink and to watch a football game one night a few weeks ago. He went on and on about the PAC 10. More like PAC 2, Sack 8. Oregon and USC are all that's left after they beat the crap out of each other every year. And they STILL can't beat Boise State!



Both of these guys are riding the short school bus when it comes to college football. And both of them used the same tired argument, "How many National Championships do YOU have?".



Well, our Women's Gymnastics team, and our ski teams have 10 each. Because we actually get to PLAY for those! We don't have to be voted into the title game, and see if we impressed enough Eastern Time Zone writers to be VOTED #1.



It would have been as relevant for me to ask them, "How many, Great Salt Lake's do YOU have in YOUR state!" You can't join that club, Pal. And the BCS won't let us in. They control every outcome.



You don't think so? Ask a University of Indiana Fan if they scored on that reviewed touchdown against Iowa on Saturday, or if they think, The Big 10 (where they can't even COUNT, they have 11 schools) play review official was TOLD that Iowa was going to win that game so the Conference has a shot at an undefeated team and a National Title game See what they have to say. I'm with the, Hoosier's on this one. They score there, they win, Iowa is no longer a contender, and the Big 10 (Elegant 11? Enormous 11? I'll work on it) in no longer a player this year.



You want to fix college football in this country? Here's the, Truthstick plan. Number 1. The NCAA MUST take control of it's own game back from Disney, ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC, and television in general. Change TV to accommodate the games, don't change the rules to accommodate the TV schedule!



2. You have 11 Division One conferences, so you need a 16 team playoff. Win your conference and you're in. You have room for five, "at large" teams. Pick the next five good ones. The guy who lost the SEC title game should probably get a shot (but the SEC went 0-2 against the Mountain West Conference last season when Wyoming beat Tennessee at home and Utah kicked Alabama to the curb in their own back yard in the, Sugar Bowl. So maybe it should be the Big 12 loser. Roll Tide? I don't think so).



3. You don't have to lose the Bowl Games. You just move them up. The Las Vegas Bowl becomes a first round play off game the second week in December. Same with the other lower tier Bowl Games. 16-8-4-2 teams, with the National Championship game always being the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. And the rest of the Bowl Games? They don't have to go away. There are 34 of them now, just because you didn't win your conference, doesn't mean you shouldn't get to go to a Bowl Game. I don't think we're going to be worse off as a culture if we have to move the Gaylord Hotel's Music City Bowl to a different day.



4. The NCAA must control all the officials. Again, witness the theft of a game in Iowa City last Saturday by an officiating crew who works for a conference that had a vested interest in seeing, Iowa go undefeated. And anyone who's ever seen their team play IN a PAC 10 stadium has witnessed this first hand. A few years ago, Utah beat North Carolina in Salt Lake City by 40 points. Same two teams next year in NC? Thirty flags on the Utes, and we lose. If you're a college football official, you should NEVER work a game in a conference you have any contact with.



There, in a nutshell, is how we save college football in this country.