Breaking News In The Race For Governor...
Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman has decided that he is no longer a candidate for Governor of the State of Ohio. I know only a few people care about this so we can discuss in the comments.

I have pasted the full text of his email to supporters in the comments section.

By Kyle - 11/29/2005 16 comments from:  Kyle,  Anonymous,  Chuck,  Chuck,  Kyle,  Anonymous,  Chuck,  Chuck,  Anonymous,  Kyle,  Anonymous,  Ben,  Chuck,  Anonymous,  Anonymous,  Anonymous,

Source: The Polling Report.com

By Kyle - 11/29/2005 1 comments from:  Kyle,

The Sky is the thing above the Bar

Many of you were just home for Thanksgiving and many of you will be back soon come Christmas.
If you find yourself sinking into your parents' couch one December afternoon, head on down/up to the basement/attic and dust off those boxes of childhood memorabilia. See if you can't find any writing assignments from your youth, especially those of the "when I grow up" variety. Then compare yours to the response below. Pasted below is a not-so-uncommon response by an area 6th grader that my girlfriend teaches, when asked where she saw herself in 5, 10, and 20 years:
"In five years I think I will have a job at a fast food place because on your break you can eat whatever they serve there…In ten years I hope to be in college so I can be a cosmetologist. So that I can pay for the house and go to the mall a lot. My boyfriend can pay the gas, cable, internet and the rest of the payments that I won’t pay for because that won’t be my job…In twenty years I will be thirty-one years old…31 is the age that turns you into a old lady. Because most people that age start to drink a lot more because, they realize that their life is a waste of time…When I’m 31 I will be out of college and into some kind of job that I’ll probably hate to death so very much."

Ahh...there's nothing quite as sweet as the idealism of our youth.

By Robert - 11/28/2005 7 comments from:  Kyle,  Leslie,  Kyle,  Anonymous,  Jeff is Angry,  Leslie,  Kyle,

Is this man a Republican or a Democrat?

Hints:
1. Congressman from California

2. First name is Randy and his nickname is "Duke"

3. AP: "He pleaded guilty today to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators..."

Answer in the comments!

By Kyle - 11/28/2005 2 comments from:  Kyle,  Chuck,

Akron's Business Relationship With China

An Insider's Perspective and Prognosis

- Mike Zelin is an op-ed writer for The Chief Source. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Business Administration, he currently lives and works in Shanghai.
Today I attended the Factory Automation Show in Shanghai, China. I have always been an avid collector of floor trunking, electrical wires, and automation robots, but my main purpose in attending was to see the one and only Mayor Don L. Plusquellic. The mayor, Deputy Mayor Bob Bowman, and a small team of Akronites, are in China to promote Akron and attract business to our dear home.

This is the first time I have met Mayor Plusquellic, and I must say, he is a stand up guy. His delegation and I sat for about 3 hours talking about Akron, Midwestern job joss, China's growth, and shared some old stories about Akron. It was great to have a talk with him and to be honest, I had mixed emotions about the current and future state of my dear city.

Let's start with the bad news:
As many already know, the Midwest has been losing jobs to cheaper foreign labor and cost cutting, over the past years. The mayor indicated that the city is desperately trying to attract new jobs and industries to the region. Akron needs to compete against all other midsize cities in America with incentives and other carrots to successfully market itself. The road is hard and tough and most prospects usually end in nothing, as far as job creation in the greater Akron area.

The good news:
The mayor and his economic development team are very proactive... (continued in comments)

By Kyle - 11/28/2005 7 comments from:  Kyle,  Chuck,  Kyle,  Anonymous,  Zelin,  Kyle,  Zelin,

Headlines (and my ticked off response)

By Chuck - 11/27/2005 0 comments from:

Happy Thanksgiving

Hopefully you enjoyed real turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner, as opposed to this FAKE TURKEY Bush presented to the troops/cameras in Iraq.

By Chuck - 11/24/2005 0 comments from:

GM - An Alternative Perspective From China
A response to Sigalow's General Motors post

- Mike Zelin is an op-ed writer for The Chief Source. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Business Administration, he currently lives and works in Shanghai.

As a follow-up to Ian’s insight on GM, it is quite a different story in China. General Motors is one of the largest, if not the largest client of ours in Asia Pacific. We handle all of their real estate transactions whether it is an office premises for executives or an industrial plant to build auto parts. If I was void of access to the NY Times and other forms of US media, I would believe that the car behemoth is making boatloads of cash. Here in Shanghai alone, they are going through massive expansions. It is almost weekly, that we get word of a new large office requirement to house an expanding business unit or GM auto group. Funny enough, when GM initially announced their massive layoffs last month in America, I was actually meeting with them that very same day to discuss a 30,000 square foot expansion space they needed for their financial wing.

America, my mother country and the land I love (imagine me singing that), wake up to China!! It is not a mystery that companies like General Motors are choosing labor in Chengdu rather than Chillicothe, due to low cost and an endless supply of labor. America has tried to combat this by instilling protectionist trade barriers while attempting to dictate Chinese Economic policy. As China rises further, and it will, our influence will lessen here. It will continue to forge relationships and increase trade with other nations (China has recently taken over the U.S. as Japan’s number 1 trade partner). US politicians can either continue to use China as a scapegoat in their constituencies, or embrace/accept globalization and enhance trade negotiations, not hinder them. I believe that the fate of American jobs will increasingly depend more and more on our alliances with Asia. We better start getting proactive, and make a few.

On another note, Mayor Don Plusquellic will be in Shanghai next week to try and attract jobs/industry to Akron. I am going to try and arrange to meet with him and will make sure to update the Chief Source right away!!!

By Kyle - 11/23/2005 10 comments from:  Kyle,  peterpattakos,  Jeff is Angry,  California Steve,  Kyle,  Anonymous,  Zelin,  Chuck,  Jeff is Angry,  Chuck,

The bigger they are, the harder they fall?
The US Economy (part 1)
- Ian Sigalow is an op-ed economics writer for The Chief Source. With a bachelor's in economics from MIT, he lives in NYC where he is working on his MBA at Columbia. He's back home for Thanksgiving and I (Kyle) will try to plant him in the snow during our annual turkey bowl football game.

“General Motors stock collapses to its lowest point in 18 years.” That was the headline last Wednesday. It seems almost impossible that a company that was once the largest in the world, and the first American company to make over $1bn in a year, is on the verge of bankruptcy.

For almost 100 years, General Motors was a cornerstone of American Industry. The oldest unit of GM, Olds Motor Corp., was founded in 1897, and through acquisition GM became the world’s largest automobile manufacturer with offices and manufacturing plants on 6 continents. During World War 2, GM was the industrial backbone of the US war effort, delivering over $12bn worth of planes, tanks, trucks, guns, and shells to the Allies. At its peak in the 1960’s, GM employed 600,000 Americans and had over 60% market share. GM also founded well known companies such as Frigidaire, Electronic Data Systems, and DirecTV, eventually selling off these businesses for billions of dollars.

Today, GM is still the world’s largest auto manufacturer, but its market share is only 15% percent. GM is a conglomeration of 12 brands and employs approximately 80,000 Americans, and has over $55bn of cash and short term investments (that is more than Microsoft). All of this information is available on GM’s website and on their financial statements. But here is what the casual observer doesn’t understand – GM is bankrupt... (continued in comments)

By Kyle - 11/22/2005 8 comments from:  Kyle,  Chuck,  Jeff is Angry,  Anonymous,  Chuck,  California Steve,  California Steve,  Chuck,

The Original Dirty Ol' Bastard

If you're looking for a pick me up, Sigmund Freud's book Civilization and Its Discontents is definitely one to avoid. In fact, if you wrestle with bouts of depression, this short read may just push you over the edge. On the flip side, if you suffer from mania, masochism, sadism or are just incredibly horny, you'll feel, well...right at home.

For those maintaining the facade of normalcy, I recommend this book, as well. It was one of the last of Freud's books, in it he addresses the relationship between religion, civilization and human happiness.

Want the meaning of life without all that tedious reading? Here it is in a nutshell: Life, or more accurately 'reality,' is absolutely unbearable. It's unbearable because there is no purpose, no justice, no loving God, and no way to avoid ending up maggot food sooner than later. In order to swallow this horse-pill-of-truth, we all need to coat it with some type of delusion, fantasy-land peanutbutter (or booze).

The latter part of the book goes on to say that, "Civilization is built on a renunciation of instinct." Freud points out that as life-expectancy and technology make leaps and bounds, general happiness doesn't. This, he says, is because civilization is both the cure and root of our unhappiness and that our worst pains come from inescapable social interactions.

In closing: one route to happiness is renouncing JC, punching your neighbor in his fat gut, banging his wife and returning to your deserted island to meditate (basically, Fight Club minus the soap). A second is looking the Medusa-we-call-reality square in the face and waiting calmly as the madness sets in. Last but not least, Freud mentions left-leaning, political blogs as the only other safe haven for the sanity of the human race...oh, that and stimulating our genitals.

By Robert - 11/21/2005 6 comments from:  Jeff is Angry,  Robert,  California Steve,  Chuck,  Jeff is Angry,  California Steve,

Three Things Democrats Must Do On Iraq

1. Support Our Troops, Fire Someone - When Republicans are backed into a corner, they attack to distract. Rep. Murtha had the perfect response to Vice-President Cheney's latest attack on Meet The Press yesterday: "Well, I tell you, Cheney's a friend of mine. We work very closely together. He was a good secretary of Defense, but he's wrong. They should have fired people. The president should be furious with this--the people that work for him giving him bad intelligence." The problem isn't our troops. The problem is a lack of accountability for those senior officials who have made mistake after mistake. The fact is the White House hasn't been forthcoming with the American people about the lack of progress being made in Iraq.

2. Fight Dick Cheney - Today Vice-President Cheney will give another speech on the war... yawn. Have the fight with Cheney. People like him less than Bush. Cheney on Nov. 16: "What we’re hearing now is some politicians contradicting their own statements and making a play for political advantage in the middle of a war... The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone -– but we’re not going to sit by and let them rewrite history. " Oh Dick, let's see what President Bush has to say on the issue...

3. Don't Let Bush Flip-Flop - Bush is starting to flip-flop again. Cheney, your thoughts? Bush said yesterday, "This is not an issue of who's patriot and who's not patriotic. It's an issue of an honest, open debate about the way forward in Iraq." Bulllllllshit you flip-flopping cover-upping change-your-opinions-because-your-poll-numbers-are-dropping bastard. It is time to look back and see how things have gone so that we can have a better understanding of how things are going. Democrats must not let the White House or Republicans cut and run from their record.


Unrelated, just funny: Click here to watch this short, but funny moment with good old Dubya. Hat tip: Crooks and Liars

Click here to see it broken down frame by frame. Hat tip: Atrios

By Kyle - 11/21/2005 7 comments from:  Anonymous,  Kyle,  sappho,  Chuck,  Coral,  Anonymous,  Kyle,

GOP Intentionally Tries to Demoralize Troops

According to Republicans, questioning the war sends the troops the wrong message and demoralizes those stationed in Iraq. Bush, Cheney, and others have said so in the last week. Just yesterday I heard Republicans go crazy about how the troops were being demoralized by House Democrat John Murtha’s suggestion that we should leave Iraq.

Well, I disagree that this demoralizes the troops. Logically, I would think having no idea when they are coming home and being required to spend long tours in Iraq has a much more demoralizing effect. However, I guess I get what these Republicans are saying, while I clearly disagree with them (not to mention, I question their motives of such claims). But lets just suppose that Republicans really feel that way: calling for the troops to come home is demoralizing to the troops.

So why in the hell would the Republican-controlled House of Representatives present a resolution today, calling for the U.S. troops immediately from Iraq? If they genuinely believe this hurts the troops morale, then why would they do this? To me, if they genuinely believe their claim, this is an intentional assault on the troops morale by the Republicans. Again, I don’t agree that it does demoralize troops, but if I thought it did, I would feel like such a piece of crap for trying to tally the number of Congressmen that want to withdraw the troops.

So what was this really all about for the Republicans? 1) Obviously it was an attempt to embarrass anti-war Democrats, by forcing them to vote against the war (note: I am not sure why they think that will work, but they think it). 2) Also, this was an attempt to abuse their control of Congress - Republicans know it will fail (and planned on it failing), so they were just wasting time (instead of spending time on doing things like figuring out why the troops still don’t have proper body armor). 3) Finally, it is really about them being dicks – why else would they do this an hour before everyone was ready to leave for Thanksgiving vacation.

By Chuck - 11/18/2005 13 comments from:  Chuck,  Chuck,  Kyle,  Kyle,  Chuck,  Petey,  Jeff is Angry,  Chuck,  Anonymous,  California Steve,  Chuck,  Chuck,  Jeff is Angry,

Good Enough for Saddam, Good Enough for All

By Chuck - 11/17/2005 5 comments from:  Chuck,  Anonymous,  Anonymous,  Anonymous,  Kyle,

Eviction Notice (and Brownie is going to hell)

Remember Hurricane Katrina? Remember how all those people were abandoned at the Superdome for days? Well, many of the evacuees mine as well head back to the Superdome. Because FEMA has decided to evict evacuees that are living in hotel rooms. There are 150,000 people that are now being evicted. They have 2 weeks to leave. So, Bush is planning on spending $200 billion on recovery.....but housing for the homeless is not in the budget? I knew Halliburton, Carnival Cruise, and other corporate interests were going to clean up on this, but it now seems they will be the sole beneficiaries.
Happy Holidays!

Related: Remember how Bush said "Brownie you're doin a heck of a job"? Well, some info came out a few weeks ago about that "heck of job" he was doing.....
- Two days after Katrina, a FEMA regional director sent Brown an urgent e-mail about patients dying "within hours," a lack of food and water, hundreds of rescues and a situation "past critical." Brownie's response: "Thanks for update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"
- On September 2nd Brownie sent emails explaining," my last hurrah was supposed to have been Labor Day. I'm trapped now, please rescue me." He also complained about having to pay for a dogsitter.
- Also, here is a hilariously upsetting analysis of a series of emails between Brownie and some bum woman that he is friends with. Among many things, she informs Brownie: "Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt, all shirts. Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more hard-working." Forget actual hard work, just LOOK hard-working. What a joke.

I beg everyone to never forget: BUSH DID THIS! This piece of crap Brownie was Bush's guy. It was who Bush thought was best to handle emergencies. Bush is the one that said he is "doing a heck of a job". Bush is directly responsible for Brownie's failures. Hence, Bush should be on trial, alongside Brownie, for the negligent homicide (oh yeah, Brownie is still getting paychecks.....so, in summary: no more money for Katrina victims, but more money for Brownie).

By Chuck - 11/17/2005 7 comments from:  Chuck,  Tim,  Chuck,  Anonymous,  Chuck,  Chuck,  Jeff is Angry,

Spreading Freedom, Ties Optional

What must President Bush seem like to the people of Asia? He's this suave (watch Bush on mute) confident guy who is the most powerful man in the world. Whoever is putting these photo-ops together is doing one heck of a job and I mean that. More great pics.

In the U.S., we are numb to President Bush's use of the word freedom because he says it so much and it is his answer to every question where "tax cut" is not applicable. However, imagine living in Asia where the largest country (China) is communist and and the emerging nuclear threat of North Korea is a closed communist dictatorship where people are starving. Imagine being a South Korean seeing President Bush in your country shaking the hand of your president and saying the following: "We're bound by our love of freedom." That has got to be a powerful thing in this part of the world.

I wonder what would have happened if we had gone to war with Kim Jong Il (his absurd website) instead of Saddam Hussein? It seems to me that Asia would be much more fertile ground for the spread democracy than the Middle East has proven to be. I give President Bush credit this trip abroad. I sincerely think this trip is a good use of his time.

Related: I don't know if anyone saw CNN Presents: Undercover In The Secret State. Watch it. It is hidden video smuggled out from North Korea dissidents showing what life is actually like in that hell on eath. It is absolutely crazy that a place like that exists.

Unrelated: Happy 57th Birthday to Democratic Chairman Howard Dean. When you blow out those candles, wish for good things in 2006.

By Kyle - 11/17/2005 6 comments from:  Robert,  Jeff is Angry,  Anonymous,  Chuck,  Tim,  Kyle,

Katrina proposed as Time's Person of the Year

Dear friends and neighbors,
If ever there was a time for us to put down our partisan squabbles and join together across party lines to protest a great injustice it is now. Read this (it's real):

NEW YORK (AP) -- Time magazine's 2005 Person of the Year may not be a person after all. A panel of notables has made a strong case for awarding the distinction this year to Hurricane Katrina.

A shark is not a person. A robot is not a person. An idea is not a person and a hurricane certainly is not a person.

By the way, what is it that makes the members of this panel so notable? Is it due to their noteworthy imaginations which have allowed them to consider a large gust of hot air with a name eligible for this great honor?

All I am saying is that this will set a dangerous precedent. This year a hurricane wins. Next year it’s a shark. Then a person. Then an idea. Then maybe a person again. Then a robot. All the while the global population of actual humans is sky rocketing. How can I be expected to hold onto my life-long goal of winning Person of the Year if now, in addition to being in competition with 6 billion others, I must compete with non-humans? With non-beings!? I simply cannot compete with 140 mile an hour winds and a 30-foot storm surge!

And furthermore, will this not just encourage destructive, hurricane-like behavior in America’s impressionable youth?

Due to this terrible injustice I ask for your vote in next year's Hurricane of the Year Awards, where I will be competing for Best Category 2 Storm [blowing dangerously hard on computer screen and keyboard].

Thank you for you support,
Robert Hewitt

By Robert - 11/15/2005 8 comments from:  Chuck,  Kyle,  Chuck,  Robert,  Robert,  Jeff is Angry,  bj,  Anonymous,

Owens Now Playing Political Football

The Terrell Owens story is receiving some random support: Jesse Jackson's Comments and Ralph Nader's letter to the Eagles. African-American commentator Morris O'Kelly said, "Most importantly, don't tell me that Terrell Owens is even in the top 175 causes that you, the Rev. Jesse Jackson should be using your notoriety, political clout and good name to champion. This isn't racism and Terrell Owens doesn't even attempt to conduct himself in an honorable manner. Both of which absolve Jesse of any responsibility to 'save' him. " What should the NFL do?

By Kyle - 11/15/2005 9 comments from:  John,  Kyle,  Chuck,  Jeff is Angry,  Robert,  Chuck,  Tim,  Robert,  Tim,

Do not F with Prince Charming!

I just finished reading the Prince by Machiavelli...Let me just say: two thumbs up! (Up into the eye sockets of those who dare stand against the state!!)
I must warn you that the beginning is the least engaging part and the real meat and potatoes is parts 15 through 23. Either way it is a quick, worthwhile read…and it's fun to imagine that Machiavelli might very well be the devil incarnate while reading.

Here are some of my favorite one liners…

"Men must be either pampered or crushed, because they can get revenge for small injuries but not for grievous ones."
"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others."
"The bond of love is one which men, wretched creatures that they are, break when it is to their advantage to do so; but fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which is always effective."
"There is simply no comparison between a man who is armed and one who is not."
"When he has the chance, an able prince should cunningly foster some opposition to himself."
"Princes should delegate to others the enactment of unpopular measures."
"Men are so simple, and so much creatures of circumstance, that the deceiver will always find someone ready to be deceived."

This leads me to my question...

Is it possible in today’s day and age for a virtuous man to get elected to office? Do the virtuous candidates always "come to grief among so many who are not virtuous?" Is the nature of our 2-party system/election process inadvertently insulating us from virtuous leaders? Your thoughts…

By Robert - 11/14/2005 5 comments from:  bj,  California Steve,  Jeff is Angry,