 12.26.11 #1 - Good morning and welcome to the best week of the year: The quiet, relaxing week between Christmas and New Year's Day is customarily characterized as one of "holiday intimacies" as well as Christmas cheer and New Year's celebration. Traditionally, the week's mix of booze, socialization, partying, and gaiety have always contributed to increased sexual activity in Western societies in between the two holidays. A 2008 news item reported that sales of Trojan brand condoms in the US spike between Christmas and New Year. Yet, despite the increased Trojan sales, the article also recounted a predictive surplus of babies being born the following September-which leads me to speculate whether "holy" Trojans may be a factor in the increased birth rate in the month that marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Comment | #2 - Another obvious prediction that can be made this week: Even with the upcoming 2012 Presidential Election, there will be increased dysfunction in Washington within the GOP. The open hostilities between realistic Senate Republicans and their ideological counterparts in the House that delayed the passage of a temporary extension of the Bush Social Security payroll tax cut was not only a major PR victory for President Obama and the Democratic Party, but the beginning of what promises to be the implosion of the Republican effort to unseat the President and maybe the party itself. A quote by a freshman Republican congressman complaining about House Speaker John Boehner's leadership during this mess really says it all about the self destructive attitude of GOP Tea Party ideologues in the House: "I'm disappointed in leadership. The freshman class came to change Washington, to make it more principle-based. But this is just more of the same decision-making based on political expediency," said Rep. Tim Huelskamp, of Kansas. One is elected to Congress not to vote strictly in terms of dogma or change Washington overnight, but to work for ALL the constituents of a congressional district and the nation as a whole. Pushing ideological agendas is only part of the job. Being a Congressman is really about balancing political philosophy with realpolitick pragmatism not only to do what is right at the time for the American people, but to preserve the integrity and force of the ideological fight for future battles. In their two years in office, the Tea Party Republicans, much like their constituency, have demonstrated an out of touch intransigence on minor budget issues such as the tax extension bill that encompasses a lack of empathy and understanding for hurting Americans. As a result, they further tarnish a Republican brand already severely damaged by the legacy of President Bush and the party's deference to Wall Street and endanger the GOP effort to unseat Obama in their overall refusal to engage in a certain practical level of "political expediency" that is still needed to preserve the entire integrity of the two party political process. Did the bill that Washington Post Columnist and Fox News pundit Charles Krauthammer deftly described as "one of the worst pieces of legislation in years" merit the criticism of Huelskamp and other Republican members of the House? Absolutely. But like Krauthammer argued in his recent article, it was the wrong battle at the wrong time for Tea Party congressmen to stand their ground once Senate Republicans correctly chose not to fight passage of the bill. As poll numbers improve for President Obama and economic indicators begin to show that our economy may be improving in the next few weeks, Huelskamp and other Tea Party intransigents should decide whether they really want President Obama out of the White House next year. If so, they should get smarter and more "politically expedient" about how they push their agenda in the next 10 months so that they don't destroy GOP chances in the 2012 election and the Republican Party as a whole with their stoic, bad behavior. Based on their track record, I don't think that is going to happen. Comment | #3 - Speaking of bad behavior: A new study released last week by the journal Pediatrics reported the results of a study that found that about one-third of American youth reported have been arrested for a non-traffic related offense. That figure is absolutely astounding-and if it is truly accurate, is a sad commentary on today's parenting skills as well as an indication of the desensitization of our kids toward crime and depravity caused by exposure to Internet, TV and game violence and immoral behavior. This "Arrested Development" data also points out a need to overhaul a failed juvenile justice system that is broken down and antiquated both in terms of rehabilitation and deterrence. It also brings into question whether too many young people just get arrested too quickly for minor offenses. Comment | #4 - More Food for Thought About American Youth: The major government effort to change the way young Americans eat so they are less obese and more healthy, lead by First Lady Michele Obama (which I wrote about back in June) was recently reported to be an absolute failure in the Los Angeles school district. The Los Angeles Times reported school children wasted massive amounts of healthy food as menu items like black bean burgers and vegetarian curies were instantaneously thrown away. The school district stated that dissatisfied students dropped out of the lunch program by the thousands. Kids just refused to eat the mandated healthier food. This caused school officials to bring back those terrible foods like hamburgers, and even pizza, to the school menu. Well, well, the state force-feeding good food to school kids is not working. Surprised? What's next? How about a more practicable approach involving educational initiatives for both parents and kids, encouraging lower prices for healthier and organic food in supermarkets and even implementing tax incentives for keeping the family in shape? Not very statist, but these ideas might just work better than mandatory tofu. Comment | #5 - And please protect our impressionable American youth from cigars at bowl games! - and two more predictions too: Several health groups called on the NCAA and the Orange Bowl to cancel a three year deal with Comancho Cigars sponsorship of the event, which takes place in Miami on January 4th. "The association of cigar smoking with one of the nation's top collegiate sporting events sends the wrong message to impressionable young fans and helps market cigars as athletic, masculine and cool," the groups wrote in the letter. "Linking tobacco use to sports also downplays the serious health risks of tobacco products." Do you really think that Commacho sponsoring the Orange Bowl will cause kids to smoke cigars? And asking the NCAA to police tobacco after they haven't shown an inclination to monitor their perverted coaches is really a joke. Let me ask a blunt question: How many kids really smoke cigars? Not many at all. If you ask the average Commacho cigar smoker, I bet they will tell you they did not light up a stoogie until well into their 20s, if not later. If teenagers do buy cigars, they don't smoke them, but hollow the tobacco out of them to instead smoke pot and other illegal goodies in the wrappers.-and that may go back to why a third of our youth get arrested in this country. Why just single out cigars? How about also banning beer and junk food companies sponsoring the Orange Bowl event like Corona, Frito Lay, Gold Coast Beverage Distributors, Sparkling Ice, Stella Artolis and others? They too market "unhealthy" and "addictive" products (like Hot Cheetos and fruity beers which are the equivalent to food crack for teenagers) that encourages childhood obesity and teenage drinking. And since when are sponsors of sporting events supposed to convey an aura of health and wisdom to young sports fans? Michelle, is there future Federal legislation coming on that too? Even though cigars may be under attack at the Orange Bowl, two things are predictably certain at this year's game-West Virginia will beat Clemson and vegetarian curry will not be on the menu at tail gates or concession stands there. Comment | Have a great week...Kurly. | 
