SEC football coaching jobs ranked

I am a little confused about these rankings below. I don’t know why Auburn slipped in before Tennessee. I understand why the recruiting base put some of the schools in the leader position but I think the tradition should have been weighed more.

ESPN’s website had this article below:

Ranking the SEC coaching jobs

July, 10, 2012

Jul 10
9:00
AM ET
By Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com

The SEC has the reputation of being the toughest conference to play/coach in. But what is it like to be in charge of one of these high-profile programs?

That’s where we come in. As we take a deeper look into programs around the country this week, we’re looking at how each program stacks up in every conference. In the SEC, there’s always a fierce arms race going on, and getting left behind can be dangerous.

Today, we’re ranking each coaching job in the SEC. We considered a lot of factors, including location, tradition, support, fan bases, facilities and recruiting access.

Here’s how we ranked all 14 SEC jobs.

1. Florida: For starters, Florida is all about location, location, location. It’s in a state that produces some of the country’s top talent and it’s a state that players around the country will flock to. Thanks to Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, Florida has become a national brand like Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame and Texas. Recent significant facility upgrades and a tremendous fan base have only helped this be the top job in the SEC.

2. LSU: It’s one of just a handful of schools around the country that’s considered the school in the state. Every football player in Louisiana grows up wanting to play in Tiger Stadium. Louisiana is also extremely bountiful when it comes to producing football players, and Texas is right around the corner. The facilities are top notch and the program has great tradition and a tremendous fan base.

3. Alabama: Talk about extraordinary tradition. Though there were some down years before Nick Saban took over, there’s no escaping the success this program has had. Prospects from all over are drawn to Alabama. There’s tremendous support inside and outside for the program, and the facilities are some of the best in the nation. This is also a school that didn’t hesitate to pay Saban the big bucks when the opportunity arose.

4. UGA: There is so much talent around Athens that it’s hard for Georgia not to have a top recruiting class year in and year out. Georgia’s facilities are near the top of the conference, and the campus is gorgeous. The tradition and game-day atmosphere would draw anyone in.

5. Auburn: While it’s constantly knocking heads with Alabama, Auburn has plenty going for it. The campus is gorgeous, the stadium is one of the best game-day venues in the league and the fan base is extremely passionate. Auburn is in the heart of recruiting central in the Southeast, and the recently updated facilities are a major plus.

6. Tennessee: While the Vols have struggled with consistency on the field lately, this is still an attractive job. Nearly $50 million was spent to build a brand-new football complex, Neyland Stadium has been spruced up over the years and the program does have a rich tradition. Though with the state not being so talent-rich, coaches are forced to target other areas in the Southeast to recruit.

7. Texas A&M: The Aggies’ tradition is well-known in college football. The game-day atmosphere is one of the best in the country, there is a great alumni base, their home state is filled with elite talent and the school is huge. Now Texas A&M can sell playing in the SEC to Texas athletes. But one thing that does hang over the program is that it’s still playing second to the Longhorns.

8. South Carolina: Spurrier has completely transformed South Carolina and proved he can win there. The state has an underrated talent pool, and Spurrier has made it a priority to get the best talent to come his way. The fan base is one of the most loyal ones in the country, standing by the Gamecocks even during the rougher years.

9. Arkansas: The Razorbacks are basically the pro team of the state, and Bobby Petrino’s success made it a very attractive job nationally. The fan base takes great pride in its program, and recent facility upgrades have really helped draw more attention to Arkansas. However, the state isn’t as rich with talent as other southeastern states, meaning the Razorbacks have to turn to other states, such as Texas and Oklahoma, for more prospects.

10. Missouri: New to the SEC, Missouri is making sure it keeps up in the arms race by upgrading and expanding Memorial Stadium. There’s good tradition at Mizzou, but Gary Pinkel really turned things around and made the Tigers more relevant when he arrived in 2001. Location could be an issue for some southeastern prospects, but Pinkel and his staff are making a conscious effort to expand recruiting efforts into Georgia and Florida.

11. Ole Miss: Oxford is the quintessential college town, rich with history and a game-day atmosphere envied by many, thanks to the Grove. The campus is beautiful, and the football facilities are pretty impressive. However, consistently recruiting top talent to Ole Miss has been a major issue for coaches, as the Rebels have won nine games or more just five times since 1971 and have had 11 head coaches during that time.

12. Mississippi State: Starkville can be a little out of the way for people, and like Ole Miss Mississippi State is having to try to keep top Mississippi talent away from the likes of Alabama and LSU. The fan base is very loyal, and the program has seen a bit of resurgence since Dan Mullen’s arrival. The school is also breaking ground on a new $25 million football facility.

13. Kentucky: The football program will always be in the shadow of the basketball program. Even though Rich Brooks turned things around, it’s hard to sustain that when Kentucky has to go out of state so much for recruiting and has to do a lot of projecting with prospects. Before last season, the Wildcats went to five straight bowl games, and recent upgrades to the Nutter Training Facility have players excited.

14. Vanderbilt: The high academic standards leave coaches without the opportunity to recruit some of the top prospects, and Vandy only has been bowl eligible five times in school history. While the administration drug its feet on facilities for so long, the school agreed to upgrade facilities, including adding a new multipurpose practice facility, when James Franklin received a new contract last fall.

July 17, 2012 – 8:19 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (Part 4)

Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 1

Uploaded by on Sep 23, 2007

Part 1 of 3: ‘What Does Judah Believe?’
A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, perhaps his finest.
By Anton Scamvougeras.

http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/
antons@mail.ubc.ca

_____________

One of my favorite films is this gem by Woody Allen “Crimes and Misdemeanors”:

Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

 

Crimes and Misdemeanors
Directed by Woody Allen
MGM/UA 12/89 DVD/VHS Feature Film
PG-13 – adult situations

This film is a metaphysical comedy about how we conduct our lives in a time when many think the world is devoid of moral purpose. Woody Allen, who wrote, directed, and acts in the film, is joined by a repertory company of actors including Martin Landau, Sam Waterston, Anjelica Huston, Alan Alda, Mia Farrow, Claire Bloom, Jerry Orbach, Jenny Nichols, Joanna Gleason, and Caroline Aaron.

The story revolves around two men who, in the end, share their feelings briefly with each other at a wedding. Judah Rosenthal (Martin Landau) is a successful ophthalmologist and philanthropist whose mistress threatens to tell his wife about their two-year affair and his financial improprieties. When he conveys his dilemma to a rabbi, he is advised that honesty is always the best policy. But Judah’s brother, who has connections with the underworld, convinces him to have his mistress killed.

Meanwhile, Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) is making a documentary about his brother-in-law, a pompous television celebrity. Unhappily married, he falls in love with the associate producer. Convinced they are soul mates, Cliff shows her a serious film he’s working on about a philosopher concerned with values and the modern world.

Crimes and Misdemeanors starring Martin Landau

In his 19th film, Woody Allen provides a thought-provoking portrait of the amorality of our times when individuals are no longer troubled by guilt over their crimes and misdemeanors. Power, greed, and self-interest animate men and women who only worry about getting caught.

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July 17, 2012 – 8:17 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Open letter to President Obama (Part 116.2)

Uploaded by on Feb 26, 2012

_________

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here. 

I wish we would put in real spending cuts in the USA instead of fake ones like the ones in the United Kingdom.

Looking at ‘Austerity’ in Britain

Posted by Juan Carlos Hidalgo

I’m going to jump into the debate about austerity in Europe because it is being closely followed in Latin America, and many people are drawing the wrong conclusions about how austerity is strangling the European economies. But first, we have to be clear about what we mean by “austerity.”

As the debate between Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center and Ryan Avent at The Economist shows, there are different definitions of austerity. The term could mean fiscal consolidation only by spending cuts. It could mean a mixture of spending cuts and tax increases (the so called “balanced approach”), and it could even be just tax increases. So when people blame “austerity” for Europe’s economic malaise, we could be talking about a very different set of policies in each country.

Let’s look at Britain, which just entered into a double dip recession because of, according to Paul Krugman, “the evident failure” of austerity policies. If we look at spending levels in the UK both in nominal and real terms, we can clearly see that despite the announcement of deep cuts, government spending continues to rise:


Source: European Commission, Economic and Financial Affairs.

It’s clear that, at least in nominal terms, the rate of growth of spending has declined, but that hardly constitutes brutal cuts as Krugman and others want us to believe. If we look at total government spending as a percentage of the economy, Britain reached a peak in 2009 at 51.5%, and that came down to 49.9% in 2011. Can anyone seriously argue that Britain is in a recession because of that tiny drop in spending as a share of the economy?

Now, let’s remember that the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government that came to power in May 2010 adopted what The Economist hailed as a balanced approach of fiscal consolidation based on £1 of tax increases for £3 of spending cuts. To be fair, the British magazine also said that if economic recovery proved hard to achieve, the government should consider a reprieve in tax increases, but not on spending cuts. We all know that the tax increases already took place (the VAT rate went up from 17.5% to 20%, for example). But as we can see, spending cuts haven’t taken place at all. Thus, austerity in Britain consists only of tax increases.

It’s hard to estimate the impact of tax increases on the British economy. Certainly the economic turmoil in Continental Europe has played a role in taking the U.K. into a second recession. But those who claim that “austerity” is responsible for Britain’s economic malaise should be honest and acknowledge that by austerity they mean only tax increases, not spending cuts.

____________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

July 17, 2012 – 8:15 am Categories: Cato Institute, President Obama, spending out of control, Taxes | Post a comment

Top football stadiums in the country (Part 18)

Here is a list of the top football stadiums in the country.

Power Ranking All 124 College Football Stadiums  

By Alex Callos

(Featured Columnist) on April 19, 2012 

When it comes to college football stadiums, for some teams, it is simply not fair. Home-field advantage is a big thing in college football, and some teams have it way more than others.

There are 124 FBS college football teams, and when it comes to the stadiums they play in, they are obviously not all created equal.

There is a monumental difference from the top teams on the list to the bottom teams on the list. Either way, here it is: a complete ranking of the college football stadiums 1-124.

_________________

I remember back in the 1990’s when I went to play golf in Florida and ran into Emmitt Smith. He had just finished up his time at Florida and at that time was a beat up running back at the Dallas  Cowboys. As a cowboy fan I was hoping for the best and sure enough the Cowboys delivered with three super bowls in the 1990’s with Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer (two former razorbacks) as their coaches.

The Florida Gators made some noise when Emmitt was there but when the old ball coach got there they took off and have never looked back.

  
8. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: Florida Gators
300px-ben_hill_griffin_stadium_display_image

Known by everybody in Gainesville as simply “The Swamp,” this stadium has been around since 1930.

It seats 88,548 people and offers a college football experience that few other places do.

Many people consider it to be one of the toughest places in college football to play. The intimidation starts with the video board before the game even begins and continues throughout, as “The Swamp” can get rather loud on Saturdays.

 

7. Notre Dame Stadium: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Stadium-450w_display_image

South Bend has always been a college football town and located right at the heart of that town is Notre Dame Stadium.

Home to 80,795 screaming fans, this stadium has been around since 1930 and has seen some of the greatest players, and teams take the field here every Saturday.

There is more tradition here than anywhere else in the country, and the stadium has a classic feel to it, unlike anywhere else in college football.

Touchdown Jesus is a trademark statue that helps to set this place apart from the rest.

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July 17, 2012 – 8:13 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Has President Obama proven himself as a capable businessman? Why does he make it sound so easy?

Obama 7.13.2012: If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

Published on Jul 15, 2012 by

Obama at campaign event in Roanoke VA 7.13.2012: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

__________________-

Has President Obama proven himself as a capable businessman? Why does he make it sound so easy? (Early I pointed out my favorite example of Fred Smith of Fed Ex.)

Mike Huckabee pointed out that those roads and bridges were built because of the taxes that many businesses paid and many successful individuals paid a large portion of that bill. The lower 50% of wage earners don’t even pay any income taxes.

Obama is just trying to set the stage for raising taxes on the job creators. Instead of being in his ivory tower for most of his life he needed to start a business on his own. He would know how the other side feels. Again Huckabee pointed out that one business leader told him that if the government is a partner with him then why when he is still working at midnight he is always alone?

Obama’s Elizabeth Warren Moment

Posted by Aaron Ross Powell

Our president’s channeling Elizabeth Warren. Speaking in Roanoke, Obama hit all her government’s-the-reason-we-have-nice things notes. “I’m going to reduce the deficit in a balanced way,” he said. “We’ve already made a trillion dollars’ worth of cuts. We can make another trillion or trillion-two, and what we then do is ask for the wealthy to pay a little bit more.”

Why should the wealthy–who already pay quite a lot, mind you–pay a little bit more?

[B]ecause [the wealthy] want to give something back. They know they didn’t–look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. … I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something–there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.

About this, Obama’s right. Lots of very smart people aren’t rich. (I’ll assume that’s what the president means by “successful” and roll with it, while remaining totally aware that there are myriad ways to define “success” that don’t involve accumulated wealth.) Lots of hardworking people aren’t rich, either. Which means getting rich, while often involving both smarts and hard work, depends on other things, too. Such as background, family, networks, opportunities, and just plain luck.

Back to Obama:

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive.

Again, true. Every successful person in this county benefited from the help of someone. None of us are capable of getting far at all entirely on our own.

The confusion for Obama and his fellow progressives comes in locating that “someone.” Because for Obama, “someone” isn’t friends, family, colleagues. It’s government.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.

At some fundamental level, Obama simply doesn’t understand that “we” are not the state. For him, acting together simply is the same thing as legislating, regulating, and taxing. That’s why he can say with a straight face such inanities as his fire service line above. He appears unable to comprehend voluntary, cooperative, non-governmental coordination. The government doesn’t run bookstores, but we don’t each have our own Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.

And while he’s right that there are some things we probably can’t do without government (or, at least, can’t do as efficiently without government), that class of activities is vanishingly small when compared to all the things Obama wants government to do–and wants you and me to pay for.

The argument against paying more taxes or creating more federal programs is not that we all should keep our money even if it means accomplishing nothing and having no nice things. Rather it’s that if we kept our money and had fewer federal programs, we’d accomplish more and have more nice things. Without the state stifling innovation, hindering entrepreneurs, wasting resources, and crowding out private action, we would get even more done together.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we haven’t each gained something from Obama’s welfare/warfare state. But the fact that we have doesn’t do much to support the president’s call for higher taxes. After all, even an abusive parent can give birthday presents.

There’s a certain class of argument that sounds utterly convincing to those already convinced–and entirely preposterous to those not. Obama’s remarks exemplify it. In order for his argument to get off the ground, Obama has to assume the truth of his conclusions. He asks us to believe that it is only through government that good things happen. He asks to us accept that we’d be helpless without Washington’s officiousness.

Obama wants us to think that we, as free citizens striving to better our own lives and our world, are incapable of the task.

The president hasn’t made an argument so much as he’s demonstrated a failure of the imagination–and a lack of faith in the American people.

July 17, 2012 – 7:59 am Categories: Cato Institute, President Obama | Post a comment

Response to John Brummett’s idea of letting the federal government take over our healthcare in Arkansas: Laughter!!!

Third-Party Payer is the Biggest Economic Problem With America’s Health Care System

Published on Jul 10, 2012 by

This mini-documentary from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation explains that “third-party payer” is the main problem with America’s health care system. This is why undoing Obamacare, while desirable, is just a small first step if we want to reduce costs and boost efficiency

__________

John Brummett in his article “Bad state of mind,” Arkansas Democrat Gazette, July 17, 2012 asserted:

It is self-serving and exciting for us to take three years of full federal funding, and 90 percent federal funding after that, to put a quarter-million more of our desperately poor people on Medicaid.

Brummett disagreed with State Senator Jason Raport that we should not choose to expand Medicaid (as part of Obamacare) and he also takes exception to State Representative Charlie Collins’ view that we should cut the state income tax income tax in order to cause economic growth.

Evidently Brummett thinks that the badly flawed Mechicaid system would withstand the expansion and the government will take care of all of our problems. How good is the government doing with running the post office? How good is the federal government doing at running the Washington D.C. school system? Do the feds even know how to implement Obamacare? To me this is just laughable and that is why I wanted to offer a little humor below:

Cartoons about the Supreme Court’s Obamacare Decision: Laughing in the Face of Tragedy

June 29, 2012 by Dan Mitchell

I’ve already thrown in my two cents on yesterday’s disappointing decision, and I was planning on ignoring the issue for a few days because I’m so irked by the result.

But they say laughter is an effective part of grief therapy, so let’s take some solace in these cartoons.

This first one is about the very serious issue of increased authority and power for the IRS.

Technically, the Supreme Court decision didn’t give the IRS any more power than it already had been given under the legislation, but the cartoon isn’t claiming otherwise, so it gets points for being accurate and (tragically) amusing.

By the way, here’s a cartoon making a similar point from back in 2010 when Obamcare was being debated.

Next we have a cartoon about Chief Justice Roberts and his new BFF status with Obama. I almost didn’t include it because Roberts deserves nothing but scorn, but I don’t want my feelings to interfere.

Speaking of Roberts, this next cartoon is accurate in many ways.

It’s designed to blame Bush for appointing a Justice who would put establishment approval before fealty to the Constitution, but I think it’s also true because Obama might not have won – and the Democrats certainly wouldn’t have picked up so many seats in the House and Senate – if Bush had not imposed so much statist legislation and weakened the economy, thus paving the way for big Democrat victories in 2006 and 2008.

And here’s a cartoon making the obvious point that Obama prevaricated.

I’ve saved my favorite for last, showing how the Supreme Court botched its responsibility.

But even though it’s my favorite of the five cartoons, I would make a change (just like I suggested alterations to a very good Chuck Asay cartoon back in April).

In this case, I also would amend this gem by replacing “economy” with “Constitution.”

I hope all these cartoons make you feel a bit better. If not, you can look at some R-rated Obamacare humor here, here, and here. And, just for the heck of it, here’s a PG-rated Obamacare joke to end on a more subdued note.

July 17, 2012 – 7:39 am Categories: Cato Institute, Healthcare, President Obama | Post a comment

Johanna Larsson “Tennis Tuesday”

From Wikipedia:

Johanna Larsson
Country  Sweden
Residence Helsingborg, Sweden
Born 17 August 1988 (1988-08-17) (age 23)
Boden, Sweden
Height 1.74m (5′ 9″)
Weight 66 kg
Turned pro 2006
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money $449.950
Singles
Career record 220–124
Career titles 11 ITF
Highest ranking No. 46 (July 11, 2011)
Current ranking No. 58 (January 30, 2012)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open 1R (2011)
French Open 2R (2010, 2011)
Wimbledon 1R (2011)
US Open 1R (2010, 2011)
Doubles
Career record 141–79
Career titles 2 WTA, 15 ITF
Highest ranking No. 62 (June 13, 2011)
Last updated on: August 19, 2011.
July 17, 2012 – 1:23 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Balancing the Budget Without Cutting Spending Would Cause Taxes to Skyrocket

Balancing the Budget Without Cutting Spending Would Cause Taxes to Skyrocket

Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.

America is running massive deficits, and a balanced budget requirement is often considered a way to rein in red ink. Without serious entitlement and other spending reforms, the level of taxes required to balance the federal budget would reach economically stagnating levels.

PERCENTAGE OF GDP

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Balancing the Budget Without Cutting Spending Would Cause Taxes to Skyrocket

Source: Heritage Foundation calculations based on Congressional Budget Office data (Alternative Fiscal Scenario).

Chart 37 of 42

In Depth

  • Policy Papers for Researchers

  • Technical Notes

    The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More

  • Authors

    Emily GoffResearch Assistant
    Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
    Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor

July 17, 2012 – 12:01 am Categories: spending out of control | Post a comment

The best quarterbacks in the SEC in 2012? (Part 6)

Below is an article from ESPN’s website:

Ranking the SEC quarterbacks

July, 9, 2012

Jul 9
1:00
PM ET

Earlier, we ranked all 14 quarterback groups in the SEC. Now, it’s time to rank the top 10 SEC quarterbacks heading into the 2012 season.

Again, we are looking at overall talent, game-changing ability and experience. We also looked at past performances and projections for 2012.

Here are our top 10 SEC quarterbacks:

[+] Enlarge
Tyler WilsonAP Photo/David QuinnArkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson passed for more than 3,600 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.

1. Tyler Wilson, Sr., Arkansas: He could have easily left for the NFL after passing for more than 3,600 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. His big-time arm and incredible toughness weren’t too shabby either. While his decision-making came into question sometimes last season, Wilson made tremendous strides this spring and should be an even smarter passer this fall.

2. Aaron Murray, RJr., Georgia: Murray has a chance to own a few more school and SEC records before his time at Georgia is up, but he does have to get over his turnover issues. Murray has some of the best technique and mechanics around, and when he’s on and focused, he is one of the most talented passers out there.

3. Tyler Bray, Jr., Tennessee: Bray might have the strongest arm in the SEC, and has the ability to make some of the toughest throws in traffic. If he’s healthy, he could go for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. His focus hasn’t always been great, but he made sure to correct that this spring and appears to finally be transforming into the real leader he’s wanted to be.

4. AJ McCarron, Jr., Alabama: He has the tools and the moxy to be a real star. As last season progressed, he looked better and better, and capped things off with a marvelous performance in the BCS title game. If coach Nick Saban is really going to let him loose, McCarron has to improve some of his on-field decisions.

5. James Franklin, Jr., Missouri: If he’s healthy, Franklin will be the SEC’s top dual-threat quarterback. During a breakout season last fall, he passed for 2,865 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 981 yards and 15 more scores. Franklin wants to be a pass-first quarterback in his new league, but his shoulder injury is a concern.

6. Connor Shaw, Jr., South Carolina: Shaw showed his inexperience when he was first thrown into the starting spot last season, but seemed to improve and calm down every week after. Coach Steve Spurrier wants him to be more of a pass-first quarterback, and that seemed to be the case at the end of last season and this spring.

7. Zach Mettenberger, Jr., LSU: Mettenberger was a top quarterback prospect coming out of high school, but has very little experience outside of a stint at the junior college level after leaving Georgia. Still, he’s certainly an upgrade for the Tigers, and showed this spring that he should make LSU’s passing game stronger and more explosive.

8. Jordan Rodgers, RSr., Vanderbilt: Rodgers was an instant playmaker for the Commodores when he replaced the struggling Larry Smith last year, but he struggled with turnovers. This spring was all about him improving his leadership skills and his game management. Vandy’s coaches left spring more confident in Rodgers’ play.

9. Tyler Russell, Jr., Mississippi State: He bided his time during his first two years, but is now the guy in Starkville. The hope is that he’ll be more consistent and more comfortable now that he knows he’s the starter. It looks like the Bulldogs will have a more downfield passing game with Russell taking over.

10. Maxwell Smith, So., Kentucky: Smith played in eight games last season, but proved to be a much more effective player than former starter Morgan Newton. Despite averaging just 102.4 passing yards per game, Smith earned SEC All-Freshmen honors last fall. Smith looked even better this spring, and it appears the Wildcats’ starting quarterback spot is his to lose.

July 16, 2012 – 2:03 pm Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Did Fred Smith start and build Federal Express or did the government?

Obama 7.13.2012: If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

Published on Jul 15, 2012 by

Obama at campaign event in Roanoke VA 7.13.2012: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

__________________-

President Obama said on July 13, 2012:

Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

I got a simple question. Did Fred Smith come up with the idea for Federal Express and then spend every cent of his own money and gamble to see if his idea was workable or did the government take those risks?

Did you know that Fed Ex started in Little Rock? Entrepreneurs like Fred Smith need to be encouraged, not discouraged by government. This comment by President Obama actually insults them.

 Here is a funny Fed Ex Commercial from the 1980’s.

A few more funny commercials from Fed Ex:

I love the movie Castaway:

 
On July 3, 1981, I was in Prague, Czechoslovakia in the middle of a 20 country student tour. Our group of 48 American students had the opportunity to speak to a Communist government official for over an hour. We asked him several questions. My questions were quite direct and I will share some of them at a later time.
 
However, I did want to share one question that I asked. I told the official about an entrepreneur from Memphis named Fred Smith. Back in the early 1970’s we heard about how Smith had this crazy idea about delivering overnight packages from LA to San Francisco via Memphis. Sounded like it would not work, but Smith was able to invest all his money and eventually it paid off. His idea was successful.
 
I asked the simple question: Could something like this happen here in Communist Czechoslovakia? He responded, “No. That is because no private citizen is allowed to own that much capital. The government must do things like that.”
 
There was no chance for entrepreneurs to exist in communist countries. I was simply pointing out that economic freedom allows an environment for entrepreneurs. Why would someone put the time and energy in putting together a grand plan like Fed Ex when the benefit and reward would just go to a communist government? Entrepreneurship should be encouraged, but many times today in the USA we find that our lawmakers pass laws that discourage entrepreneurs. Now our President has insulted these same entrepreneurs!!!!
 

Amy Payne

July 16, 2012 at 9:02 am

That sound you hear is silence—as millions of small business owners and entrepreneurs were left speechless this weekend from President Obama’s latest insult.

The slap in the face to hard-working Americans conveyed Obama’s belief that it takes a village—a heavily subsidized village—to create that venture you’re profiting from:

Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

Obama pushed his policy goals of infrastructure (aka stimulus) spending and “government research” as part of a collectivist utopia “doing things together.” It’s simply stunning that he would tell Americans, “If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that.”

After all, could individuals be resourceful and hard-working enough to create whole new enterprises? Obama said:

Look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart.

It is this view of successful businesses—essentially, “You owe us”—that drives Obama’s continued attacks on the country’s job creators in the form of tax hikes and regulations.

It’s a tough time to be a business owner and entrepreneur in America. Surveys show small business owners are struggling, and they are not expanding or hiring because of tax and regulatory uncertainty. Federal agencies, from Health and Human Services to the Environmental Protection Agency, are regulating them to death. And just last week, President Obama announced his latest economic plan was to hit job creators with a tax increase.

The President’s plan to raise taxes on earnings above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) would hit 1.2 million small-business employers who pay their taxes through the individual income tax, known as flow-through businesses. These businesses that are creating jobs earn almost all—91 percent—of the income earned by flow-through employer-businesses.

The new tax increase could be equivalent to one employee per small business. According to calculations by The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis, the average American with $250,000 or more in income can expect an average $24,888 tax increase next year under Obama’s proposed policies. That $24,888 figure is often enough for a salary. So the President could be putting about 1.2 million jobs—perhaps even more—at risk with this tax hike.

Hitting private job creators while advocating more stimulus spending and government jobs. That’s the President’s plan for the economy.

Meanwhile, businesses large and small suffer from the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. This has long made the U.S. an uncompetitive place for new investment and has driven new jobs to other, more competitive nations, meaning fewer jobs and lower wages for all Americans.

If the U.S. is to see economic recovery, we must encourage entrepreneurship. Stopping the biggest tax increase in American history, Taxmageddon, would be a good place to start. It’s a $494 billion tax hike set to hit on January 1, when a number of tax policies expire and just a few of Obamacare’s new taxes kick in. Businesses are already hesitating on hiring decisions because of the impending effects of these taxes.

Democratic leaders are demanding tax hikes, however, and threatening to allow Taxmageddon for the sake of politics—despite warnings that it would send the U.S. back into recession.

Real recovery will take even more than saving job creators from punishing taxes and regulations. It requires leadership that appreciates and values the long hours that America’s business builders put in and the personal sacrifices they make for their dreams. It will take leaders who say, “If you’ve got a business—you built that. And we want more of that in America.”

July 16, 2012 – 10:32 am Categories: Current Events, President Obama | Post a comment

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