Mark Knows It All

Now for my anti-socialist rant. How much of your life are you willing to give to the government? The news I read about General Motors today was only given cursory attention by the press. Yet, it is probably one of the most profound events in our history. General Motors offered the government controlling interest in the company (that’s more than 50% of the common stock) in exchange for cancellation of GM’s $10 billion debt to the US Treasury. The balance of the company would be split up mostly to the UAW, and a small portion to the bond holders. What does this mean? It means that GM’s management has given up. It is walking away. And the once proud US automaker will be owned and run by the government and the unions. Does that mean anything at all to you? It is the signature event of our times: Americans are capitulating their freedom to the government. As we sit idly by, Big Brother is moving towards a centrally planned economy…forcing its way into the banking and manufacturing sectors o...

I opened up my email last week, and tucked in between the email from the Zappo’s wanting to sell me a pair of shoes and Citibank offering me another “got to have” low interest credit card was an email from a law school chum of mine that I talk to several times a year. He was passing on a message from another of my law school classmates that it was time to plan for our 35th class reunion (Ohio Northern Law School/Class of 1975) in spring of 2010. Ouch. 35 years? Hard to believe!! It sure doesn’t feel like 35 years, but then again…. I have never been a fan of school reunions. My insecurities float to the surface like scum on a pond. Believe me, there is a lot of scum. I looked at myself in the mirror: my balding head, my expanded girth, the rings under my eyes, my sagging chin (not that I ever had one to start with), and the various wrinkles and growths that magically have appeared on my face over the years. As a comedian once said: How did a hair grow there? All I could think of is that...

With spectacular sets, pimped up music, and lighting alone that is worth the cost of admission, American Idol has topped American television ratings for the past 8 years. It is a star machine, producing Oscar, Grammy, and CMA Entertainer of the Year award winners. Are you an American Idol fan? I am. In an era of recession, shrinking 401(k)’s, and “big brother” government pounding at the door, it is a treat to sit back and watch talented young people try to grab the brass ring. If you haven’t been watching, this year’s group of singers is probably the best group presented in the past several years. The last couple of seasons were a tad dicey to the point where I was tuning the show out. Not one of them was particularly outstanding. But this year…there are several who are on the road to show biz success whether they win the competition or not. At the end of the day, this is basically an old fashioned variety show. There is a certain comfort level for those of us who grew up watching The...

I was thumbing through Business Week the other day, and came across an article about the new Verizon wireless home telephone system called the Verizon Hub. It claims that the home phone has been reinvented. Wow! I was SO impressed. This baby is a wireless console that you use in place of your land line because, as you know, people are deserting land telephone lines in droves. Millions upon millions of people are canceling their land lines every year. This Verizon console integrates all of your wireless functions, including your Blackberry, your broadband, and of course, you wireless telephone. In addition, you can watch movie trailers, buy movie theater tickets, monitor traffic, monitor your “little darl’ins”, send photos and videos, and keep you calendar….all from the Verizon Hub. And you don’t need a telephone line. Technological nirvana has been achieved. I don’t know about you, in my purpose driven life, the purpose for using the telephone is to call somebody to talk, and hopefully...