The Toyota Recalls, The Tea Bag Party, Death in the Olympics, and more!
The Toyota Recalls, The Tea Bag Party, Death in the Olympics, and more!
Welcome to another week at Bogworld. Lets get right to the things that are on my mind today...
Toyota
I love Toyotas. Did the company screw up in a big way recently? Sure. But here’s what I know about this company;
A few years back Toyota made a sort of odd looking mini van. It was mostly glass and looked a little like the Walt Disney World Monorail engine. I had a friend who had one. It was incredibly comfortable and smooth riding. Visibility was amazing. But when it turned out this van did not hold up very well in a crash, Toyota removed the model, went back to the drawing board, and introduced a replacement that ended up being rated the safest vehicle in crash tests you could buy.
Thats why I think Toyota is going to recover just fine from this mess. I own a Toyota built Scion TC and I could not be happier with it.
Quite literally a Toyota saved my life once. No kidding. Years back, driving a Corolla sports hatchback called an FX-16, I got rear ended by a big a semi-truck hauling gravel. I swear I put a bigger dent in the truck than he inflicted on my little car. My insurance company literally told me that what commonly happens when a semi-truck hits a compact car is the semi-truck drives right through or over it. I was able to drive away from the accident. My hatch was bent but the car’s frame was still straight. No injuries. Nothing really. Now thats a well built little car. And that’s why I love my Toyotas.
Quite frankly after all this I think the 2010 and 2011 models are going to end up being some of the safest cars on the market because this is a company that knows it needs to repair it reputation in a big way! Just like what they did with that van, they are going to be making reeeeeeeaally solid, reliable cars from this point on.
Tiger Woods
This week Tiger Woods apologized publicly for his recent behavior. The press was filled with commentary saying it wasn’t enough or how it didn’t sound sincere or that he did not seem to be expressing enough remorse.
My question is this: My does Tiger Woods owe ANY of us an apology. Sure, he owes his wife and family plenty of them. But he doesn’t owe me, or any of one else, a damn thing.
If he was a single guy I dare say most males in the world would secretly be applauding Tiger. Having hordes of beautiful women is one of the prime driving forces behind any male mentality for striving for success. Girls are what makes most musicians pick up that first guitar. Girls are why athletes try out for the football team. Girls are what make aging soon to be divorced executives push for those bonuses. Am I wrong?
I am not defending Tiger Woods for cheating on his family. I just think its a little hypocritical for us to be demanding an apology from any celebrity when its that kind of lavish lifestyle that we all secretly wish we could lead. Not the cheating part. But the lavish lifestyle, the cars, the recognition, the special treatment, the money... Whatever it might be, there is a part of us all that kind of wishes we had some of that too.
Louder does not mean righter.
The Tea Party has been getting a lot of press lately. Realistically they are a tiny fraction of the Conservative side of the table. They are getting a lot of press mainly because they are saying a lot of ... Well... Stupid things. And people who consistently say stupid things tend to get a lot of camera time in our country these days.
Michelle Bachman for example.
Sarah Palin for example.
And they both are becoming favorites at Tea Party gatherings.
I am all for having two political parties. Frankly I think we need more than just Republicans and Democrats. But the problem I have with the Tea Party folks is they are ignoring that the American political system already has checks and balances in it so that the people can vote and change the face of the political landscape when it stops reflecting the will of the people.
I really did not like George W. Bush. And I exercised my right as a voter to vote him out. I was not happy with the court interference and voter shenanigans during the Bush elections, but I knew in four or eight years things would change again. Eventually the people voted and out went the Republicans.
So now President Obama has at least four years to prove to us that he’s better at the job. Four to Eight years just like everyone else.
I find it insulting and frankly un-American for the Tea Party folks (well all Conservatives really) to suggest that Obama’s policies have been failures one year into his term. The ludicrous demands of impeachment strike me as nothing more than thinly veiled racism. Every other President has been given the courtesy of time to prove his policies and if you look at the Obama Presidency with unbiased eyes, you have to acknowledge he was effectively elected Captain of a sinking ship. Blame it on Bush or the wars or whatever, but Bush Jr. Drove this country quite nearly into the ground. Then handed the keys over to the Obama Administration. Thats a historic fact. No President, Democrat, Republican or Tea Baggers would have been able to turn the economy 100% around in one short year.
Yet the Obama Administration managed to avoid what probably would have been another great depression. Like it or not, the unpopular spending led to a more stable economy. In fact almost all economic indicators are showing growth and renewed strength for the first time in eight years. The only lagging indicator is jobs and that is historically the last indicator to show improvement during a recovery. And there are signs thats turning around now too.
Sure it gets lost in the debate for other things like Health Care Reform. But its there if you look for it. This country has a stronger economy thanks to the Obama Administration.
So despite their loud ranting, for the most part the Tea Party folks are absolutely wrong about their own reasoning for being. And their open talk of revolution and even violent actions against sitting officials is not “free speech”. Its treasonous and criminal. If someone wrote the President saying those things they would be rounded up by the Secret Service. If you wrote your boss a note like that you would be talking to the police. The Founding Fathers did not make freedom of speech one of the bases of our Democracy so people could threaten and bully others. Freedom of speech exists so we can have a healthy open forum for debate.
Sorry Tea Baggers...
Global Change is a scientific fact. Healthcare has to be reformed (and we are all one accident or major illness away from actually understanding why), The Obama Administration is far from radical (in fact its so middle of the road many Liberals have issues with them). And like it or not, The Obama Administration has some major successes under its belt in the first year.
If you are factually wrong about something being louder and angrier about it does not make you any less wrong in the end.
The Death In The Olympics
The accidental death of the Luger on the opening day of the Olympics has left a little bitter taste in all our mouths about sports. Last week I commented on how most winter sports are incredibly dangerous so that fact that someone died was unfortunate, but was it really unexpected? Lugers barrel down icy tacks at 90 mph virtually unprotected. Downhill skiers are doing the same. Skaters have sharp blades on their feet and really hard surfaces to fall on when they make a mistake. Snowboarders are doing wild aerial stunts that could easily lead to a broken neck. The examples go on and on.
David Letterman made a comment on his show that really made sense to me. He said, “These are games. Someone should not have to lose their life because they made a mistake in a game.” And he’s absolutely right.
It was really kind of heartless for the Olympic folks to blame the death completely on the young Luger himself. They said his own error on the track led to his demise. It was not the fault of the track or the competition itself. They made that pronouncement while crews were putting pads on the exposed metal beams and putting up walls masking other objects riders might possibly hit. They even moved all the starting points hundreds of yards down the course.
So if the death was a result of the rider’s mistake why did they rapidly make changes to the entire course?
Toyota
I love Toyotas. Did the company screw up in a big way recently? Sure. But here’s what I know about this company;
A few years back Toyota made a sort of odd looking mini van. It was mostly glass and looked a little like the Walt Disney World Monorail engine. I had a friend who had one. It was incredibly comfortable and smooth riding. Visibility was amazing. But when it turned out this van did not hold up very well in a crash, Toyota removed the model, went back to the drawing board, and introduced a replacement that ended up being rated the safest vehicle in crash tests you could buy.
Thats why I think Toyota is going to recover just fine from this mess. I own a Toyota built Scion TC and I could not be happier with it.
Quite literally a Toyota saved my life once. No kidding. Years back, driving a Corolla sports hatchback called an FX-16, I got rear ended by a big a semi-truck hauling gravel. I swear I put a bigger dent in the truck than he inflicted on my little car. My insurance company literally told me that what commonly happens when a semi-truck hits a compact car is the semi-truck drives right through or over it. I was able to drive away from the accident. My hatch was bent but the car’s frame was still straight. No injuries. Nothing really. Now thats a well built little car. And that’s why I love my Toyotas.
Quite frankly after all this I think the 2010 and 2011 models are going to end up being some of the safest cars on the market because this is a company that knows it needs to repair it reputation in a big way! Just like what they did with that van, they are going to be making reeeeeeeaally solid, reliable cars from this point on.
Tiger Woods
This week Tiger Woods apologized publicly for his recent behavior. The press was filled with commentary saying it wasn’t enough or how it didn’t sound sincere or that he did not seem to be expressing enough remorse.
My question is this: My does Tiger Woods owe ANY of us an apology. Sure, he owes his wife and family plenty of them. But he doesn’t owe me, or any of one else, a damn thing.
If he was a single guy I dare say most males in the world would secretly be applauding Tiger. Having hordes of beautiful women is one of the prime driving forces behind any male mentality for striving for success. Girls are what makes most musicians pick up that first guitar. Girls are why athletes try out for the football team. Girls are what make aging soon to be divorced executives push for those bonuses. Am I wrong?
I am not defending Tiger Woods for cheating on his family. I just think its a little hypocritical for us to be demanding an apology from any celebrity when its that kind of lavish lifestyle that we all secretly wish we could lead. Not the cheating part. But the lavish lifestyle, the cars, the recognition, the special treatment, the money... Whatever it might be, there is a part of us all that kind of wishes we had some of that too.
Louder does not mean righter.
The Tea Party has been getting a lot of press lately. Realistically they are a tiny fraction of the Conservative side of the table. They are getting a lot of press mainly because they are saying a lot of ... Well... Stupid things. And people who consistently say stupid things tend to get a lot of camera time in our country these days.
Michelle Bachman for example.
Sarah Palin for example.
And they both are becoming favorites at Tea Party gatherings.
I am all for having two political parties. Frankly I think we need more than just Republicans and Democrats. But the problem I have with the Tea Party folks is they are ignoring that the American political system already has checks and balances in it so that the people can vote and change the face of the political landscape when it stops reflecting the will of the people.
I really did not like George W. Bush. And I exercised my right as a voter to vote him out. I was not happy with the court interference and voter shenanigans during the Bush elections, but I knew in four or eight years things would change again. Eventually the people voted and out went the Republicans.
So now President Obama has at least four years to prove to us that he’s better at the job. Four to Eight years just like everyone else.
I find it insulting and frankly un-American for the Tea Party folks (well all Conservatives really) to suggest that Obama’s policies have been failures one year into his term. The ludicrous demands of impeachment strike me as nothing more than thinly veiled racism. Every other President has been given the courtesy of time to prove his policies and if you look at the Obama Presidency with unbiased eyes, you have to acknowledge he was effectively elected Captain of a sinking ship. Blame it on Bush or the wars or whatever, but Bush Jr. Drove this country quite nearly into the ground. Then handed the keys over to the Obama Administration. Thats a historic fact. No President, Democrat, Republican or Tea Baggers would have been able to turn the economy 100% around in one short year.
Yet the Obama Administration managed to avoid what probably would have been another great depression. Like it or not, the unpopular spending led to a more stable economy. In fact almost all economic indicators are showing growth and renewed strength for the first time in eight years. The only lagging indicator is jobs and that is historically the last indicator to show improvement during a recovery. And there are signs thats turning around now too.
Sure it gets lost in the debate for other things like Health Care Reform. But its there if you look for it. This country has a stronger economy thanks to the Obama Administration.
So despite their loud ranting, for the most part the Tea Party folks are absolutely wrong about their own reasoning for being. And their open talk of revolution and even violent actions against sitting officials is not “free speech”. Its treasonous and criminal. If someone wrote the President saying those things they would be rounded up by the Secret Service. If you wrote your boss a note like that you would be talking to the police. The Founding Fathers did not make freedom of speech one of the bases of our Democracy so people could threaten and bully others. Freedom of speech exists so we can have a healthy open forum for debate.
Sorry Tea Baggers...
Global Change is a scientific fact. Healthcare has to be reformed (and we are all one accident or major illness away from actually understanding why), The Obama Administration is far from radical (in fact its so middle of the road many Liberals have issues with them). And like it or not, The Obama Administration has some major successes under its belt in the first year.
If you are factually wrong about something being louder and angrier about it does not make you any less wrong in the end.
The Death In The Olympics
The accidental death of the Luger on the opening day of the Olympics has left a little bitter taste in all our mouths about sports. Last week I commented on how most winter sports are incredibly dangerous so that fact that someone died was unfortunate, but was it really unexpected? Lugers barrel down icy tacks at 90 mph virtually unprotected. Downhill skiers are doing the same. Skaters have sharp blades on their feet and really hard surfaces to fall on when they make a mistake. Snowboarders are doing wild aerial stunts that could easily lead to a broken neck. The examples go on and on.
David Letterman made a comment on his show that really made sense to me. He said, “These are games. Someone should not have to lose their life because they made a mistake in a game.” And he’s absolutely right.
It was really kind of heartless for the Olympic folks to blame the death completely on the young Luger himself. They said his own error on the track led to his demise. It was not the fault of the track or the competition itself. They made that pronouncement while crews were putting pads on the exposed metal beams and putting up walls masking other objects riders might possibly hit. They even moved all the starting points hundreds of yards down the course.
So if the death was a result of the rider’s mistake why did they rapidly make changes to the entire course?
The Toyota Recalls, The Tea Bag Party, Death in the Olympics, and more!
Category: Bog Blog
Posted by: joe
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