Texas State Bobcats

Last weekend I went back to my Alma Mater, Texas State University, to support the Fighting Bobcats and to tailgate. Things have changed a lot from when I left six years ago. It seems as though people actually care about the football team, well some people care.

One of the changes made in San Marcos is the University's support of tailgating events. If fact all of the fraternities had booths set up and coolers and barbecue pits set up. There was a free concert outside the stadium with Cory Morrow. The fact that this was homecoming also meant that there were a lot of alumni present well except around the tent I was hanging out in. There were about 5 other alumni hanging around the Sig Tau tent. A poor alumni turnout even for our standards.

Maybe I am a little unfair in my determination but it seems as though there were a lot more people tailgating that actually didn't go into the game. It isn't as if the game was sold out. I mean we are a Championship Subdivision team, there is always a seat. It is also a little unfair that I have been to several Texas Longhorn tailgating events and I live in Austin and see how proud they are of their school and football teams. That being said I was the only alumni in my tent who went in to watch the Cats.

Why? My first reaction was one of anger. I asked a fellow alumni why he didn't want to go and he said because nobody ever goes to the games. He was right! When I graduated in 2002 I went to a total of 3 games in 4 and 1/2 years and never stayed past halftime. My buzz was usually wearing off and I needed to recharge. But this was a different time things had changed, why didn't he share the same passion that I did? So I broke off into a very argumentative mode and made a lot of valid points to why it was important to support the events and why he should go into the games. His only response, "I am going to my house to watch UT play Missouri and barbecue!"

I was incensed with a feeling of betrayal. I felt like they were giving money to a school they didn't even attend, even though I knew I would be watching later too. One alum was wearing a longhorn baseball cap? I said man that game doesn't come on until 7:00pm this game will be over by 6:00pm. He said he didn't want to go because the games weren't any fun. I was passionately arguing now. I explained to him that the free concert with Cory Morrow that you just listened to was here because of football and that Texas State will soon be moving to the Bowl Subdivision and we need as many people at the games as possible. He ignored my plights and was determined to leave as soon as kickoff happened.

So how does that translate to the students that actually attend Texas State. Well of the active fraternity members that were present for the tailgate, about 30, five members made it into the game and all but one left at halftime. Which means when they become alumni they too will forgo the Bobcat experience to support a school that doesn't support them. It was a great game the Cats lost a close one to the 14th ranked Central Arkansas Bears. In fact it was almost as if we jinxed the kicker because we were playfully heckling him and he missed two field goals.

So what is my point? Why have I just spilled my guts about my passion for a college football team? The answer is that hopefully I can convince one alumni that things are not the same. That it is fun to return to the college and support your team as they make the transition to the Bowl Subdivision. That going San Marcos for more than just a party is okay. If I can convince one person to buy season tickets and then actually use them then it would be worth my time.

So far this season the Bobcats are 4-3 with a big win over conference rival McNeese State. They are 1-1 in Conference after dropping the heartbreaking game to Central Arkansas 31-24. Texas State has a great opportunity to win the conference this year and make it back to the playoffs. This weeks game is against the SFA Lumberjacks in Nachadoges, TX. SFA is 2-0 in conference and tied for first place with Central Arkansas. The next home game is November 1, 2008 against Northwestern State.

The 10 Websites I Stumbled Upon Today.

So I limit myself to ten Stumble's while I am at work. Of course I only do it while I am on break or lunch (just in case you are wondering boss). This is not a ranking or anything just a short review of what it was and my opinion. Just in case you are wondering or have never heard of it Stumble Upon is a great add on for most web browsers that allows you to pick your favorite topics and find new and interesting websites. Find out more at www.stumbleupon.com.

1. http://www.webmoneysuccess.com/2008/10/free-blog-home-income-tricks.html - This is a blog that talks about Home Businesses and gives advice on generating leads, and making money online. This particular article talks about driving traffic to your blog. All in all the article gets to point and is short and sweet. Networking is the key.

2. http://www.amigamccc.org/journal/0711fact.htm - The MCCC has been in existence since 1983 supporting Commodore computers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We have supported the Amiga since the Amiga was introduced. This is a list of useless facts but interesting. Pretty basic website about a group of people who support obsolete technology.

3. http://mwcnews.net/content/view/25966/26/ - This is an alternative news website. Their catch phrase is news with a conscience. This article is from Greg Palast the author of Armed Madhouse. He is making the claim that the GOP has been purging one in every six votes. Ten times more than any other state. This is obviously biased propaganda meant to perpetuate a certain agenda. Blah on party loyalty. Vote for the candidate already.

4. http://www.jrsbible.info/bible.htm - The Bible at your fingertips................ Click on any chapter........ This is a pretty groovy application of the Bible. It separates all of the chapters of each book and puts in on one page. At the bottom it gives you a neat reference point.

5. http://www.stockgumshoe.com/ - Frustrated or intrigued by email teasers from investment newsletters and advisers? We solve them and track their performance here … so stick around, participate and subscribe (it’s free)! This is a site giving umm free financial advice. It looks as though he played someones stock guessing game and reported the results. I stopped reading shortly into it.

6. http://www.fun2fun.info/beautiful-bridges-photos.html - This is a website that post list of pictures of certain items. This particular post is about bridges. Some nice pictures but other then that not much to it. Good post.

7. http://zentofitness.com/tabata-training-short-and-effective-workouts/ - The simple, no-nonsense guide to staying fit while living life. The particular article talks about Tabata Training - Short and Effective Workouts. I am always looking for new fitness routines to keep my workouts interesting. This article is pretty cool because it actual shows you fitness regiment that you should try.

8. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/17/mccain-biden-earn-different-treatment-late-night-appearances/ - This is Fox News' attempt at reporting. It seems as though they were saying that the GOP are being asked more relevant questions from late night variety show host then the Democrats. You know tough hard hitting journalistic reporting questions. At this point who cares. All hail the King, Long live the Queen.

9. http://www.blahblahtech.com/2008/10/rocket-racing-league-to-leave-environmentalists-fuming.html - This is a technology blog that has been around for three years. This post talks about the possibility of a rocket racing league, a manned Rocket racing league that is. The post makes claims that these rockets will be met with major criticism from environmentalist because of the pollutants it releases. No opinion on this one.

10. http://worthworkingfor.com/ - Inspiring the Inspirers by Featuring Workspaces That Make Working Worth the Work. This website shows interesting work spaces that are set up to to inspire those using it. I found that some of the workspaces seemed a bit ridiculous but I wouldn't turn them down.


Well there goes another day of Stumbling. All in all nothing too exciting but then again with my topics what did I expect?

The Great American Greed

I recently read a post on Portfolio.com where they put together a March Madness style bracket asking, "Who Killed the Economy?" The usual cast of characters were there, President Bush, Alan Greenspan, OPEC, hedge funds, etc... In the bracket the liberal readers have blamed the economic collapse on President Bush. Being that he is the person in charge I understand why people are quick to blame Bush but lets really take a look at whats going on because playing the blame game is going to lead to a waste of more taxpayer dollars on things like Grand Juries and investigations that will lead to nothing but a slap on the wrist.

First we have to look at the Greed of Americans, yes that is right you and me. Our greediness caused us to look past the obvious slow down and ask is what I am doing moral? No we didn't and why? To pay the mortgage, all three of them. You see the banks were handing out loans left and right to people who did not qualify under traditional lending measures. Which means people who couldn't afford to buy a home were getting loans. We can thank the Community Reinvestment Act for that. I won't get into the specifics because it again is playing the blame game but we must learn and then not make the mistake again.

We have seen a paradigm shift in these United States. People are no longer savers and have started building up large wads of debt. They are falling prey to the advertising they see on television, internet and in print. People would rather have it now instead of saving up and paying cash for merchandise. I can remember when I was 16 my dad taught me a valuable lesson, that at times I have chosen to ignore. He encouraged me to save my money up and buy my first car with cash. My first car was $1000 and it took me six months to save that much money. It was 1993 and I bought a 1985 Ford Escort.

When is the last time you saw someone pay cash for a car? I would estimate that 90% of all new cars sold are financed. I would also estimate that people flip flop from car to car these days every three years. That reminds me of our family car growing up, that is right one car. My dad and stepmother bought a 1989 Mercury Topaz and they kept it for ten years. In my driving life I have had 8 different cars. I have financed all but two of those and I have paid off 2 of the 6 that I have financed. Yes I know what you are saying, do what I say not what I do but I recently was awakened to this.

There was a time when people paid cash for homes. There was also a time when home equity loans were illegal. That is another problem people are using their homes like ATM machines. Instead of saving up cash to pay for a renovation they are instead appraising their home and cashing in on the equity.

So what happens when home prices sky rocket in a matter of 5 years to unprecedented levels and then drop all of a sudden. Well people are paying for an asset that is worth more then what they paid for it and now they cannot refinance because a bank will not give them enough money for the house. People are walking away from their homes and then buying them at auction for a thousands of dollars less then what the original loan was for. This is dishonest and I refuse to do business with anyone who does this. In fact I had a business owner in New Jersey who applied for a lease for some equipment for a dry cleaning business he was starting. He said he wasn't going to pay for his home again until the government fixed the housing crisis and the bank wasn't going to foreclose because they could not sell the home. I was disgusted. I told the man that not only is that dishonest but I doubt anyone will lend you money again. The sad thing is that someone probably will.

So what is my point? My point in this rant is that we do not control what Bush does, we do not control what CONgress does nor do we control what banks do, at least not directly. We do control how we buy. We would not be in this financial mess if our greed did not get in the way. American's wake up! Stop buying things on credit. Live within your means. Stop buying CRAP. Save your money and pay cash for things. If you cannot pay cash then you don't need it.

Bailout = Socialism

Well one thing is for certain, this bailout plan is not over. I am not a very smart man(and I will take this from Glen Beck) but I am a thinker and in my business anytime someone pushes to get a deal done in a hurry, I always take a step back. Why? Because usually when someone is in a hurry it is because something in the deal stinks. Why the rush now. Why do we all of a sudden need 700 billion. There was no media lead up and in fact President Bush maintained up until a few weeks ago that the economy was not in a recession. So why the rush now?

I will tell you why, because something stinks and it smells like a big ball of socialist BS. Essentially what is going to happen is the government is going to be the owner of 80% of the nations mortgages. Which in turn is the first step to a government controlled socialist economy.


Not only that America does not have the money to bail out the irresponsible companies. We will then need to borrow more money from the Federal Reserve with interest which will inflate our currency even further. (Gold and Silver people). Then again maybe that is the point. Inflate our dollar to equal that of the Mexican peso and the Canadian dollar. Then we can just combine our currencies and call it the Amero similar to the Euro.

Okay seriously we could take Ron Paul's advice and move our currency back to something tangible like gold and silver. Then we could abolish the Federal Reserve system, balance our budget, reduce government and lower taxes. Sounds like the perfect plan to me.

It seems to me that if we let the companies fail on Wall Street that made the bad investments then the 700 billion could be lent to investors willing to do business correctly and start new companies. We are a country of spenders and we should be a country of savers. Look at China they have now stopped lending us money. What happens when they call out loans? how are we going to pay them back. Who is going to let us borrow more money if we don't have any saved up?

The moral of this rant is to let your Senators and Congressmen know that we say NAY to any type of Wall Street bailout. Including the AIG, Freddie and Fannies bailouts.