Print Edition: November 22, 2008
CHANGE AND SANDWICHES
Outta the Zone…He’s hasn’t ask me for my opinion, nor do I expect that he will, but if he did here’s what I would tell President-elect Obama. "You were elected President because America bought your message of change. So, don’t pack your cabinet with Clinton-era retreads. If America had wanted a third Clinton term it would have elected Hillary. Change means fresh faces, so go find some.
As for Hillary, do not appoint her Secretary of State. I agree with liberal columnist Sally Quinn of the Washington Post who gave four reasons for not appointing Hillary: Jay Leno, David Letterman, John Stewart, and Stephan Colbert. These guys are praying you appoint Hillary because when you get Hillary you also get Bill and that’s a gold mine of comedy material. It will be all Clintons all the time on the comedy shows and an Obama administration doesn’t need that dragging it down. Simply put, America is dog tired of the Clintons. Move on and don’t look back."
Still on the semi-topic of the presidential election, USA Today founder Al Neuharth posed an interesting idea in a recent column. Neuharth, age 84, observed that John McCain’s age was a factor in his defeat. As Neuharth says, "It’s indisputable that after 70 our stamina slows down." Recognizing that, Neuharth suggests that McCain should sponsor a constitutional amendment to set a maximum age of 65 for anyone to be inaugurated as president. Neuharth reasons that it would be a great legacy for McCain and not age discrimination in any way: "The Constitution already says no one can be inaugurated president who is not at least 35 years of age. A cutoff after age 65 would treat young and old alike."
If you didn’t know that there was a 35 years-of-age requirement for the presidency, apparently you’re not alone. In fact, when it comes to civics Americans fail the test – young and old alike. In a study by the non-profit Intercollegiate Studies Institute, it was found that only half of adults in the United States can name all three branches of government. Only 43% know what the Electoral College is and some people said it was established to supervise televised presidential debates.
The study also found that the old chestnut about today’s youth not knowing as much about government as older Americans is just hogwash. Ages 25 to 45 had an average score of 49% while ages 45-64 scored a 52%, just about a wash. Both age groups got a letter grade of "F." That’s still better than the scores of people who actually held elected offices, 44% was their average. Scoring the highest were those with advanced college degrees, a 65% score good for a "D" letter grade.
If politics in this country drives you crazy, at least it’s better than what’s happening in the state of Orissa in India. There, some Hindu extremist groups with an agenda of establishing a Hindu state are offering rewards to those who kill Christians. According to the Times of London this week, everything from money to alcohol is being paid to mobs who murder Christians. The going bounty on a pastor is about $250. A run-of-the-mill Christian can bring as little as one chicken. Isn’t it wonderful to know that our allies, a country that has received billions in our foreign aid over the decades, is so politically advanced? Yup, I’d rather give taxpayer money to these people than to our own domestic auto industry to save millions of American jobs – that makes a lot of sense.
Here’s a sports question for you. Would you pay $84 to see the national championship college football game on television? Or how about this: Would you pay $84 to not watch the game?
Now, I love watching football. I’ve been a high school football player, a high school football coach and a high school football radio broadcaster. On a typical Saturday, it’s not out of the ordinary for me to watch a half dozen college football games. Even so, I don’t think it’s fair for you to pay for my viewing preferences.
Perhaps you know that cable network ESPN will be the exclusive carriers of the BCS bowl games starting in 2011. This means that the major bowl games will no longer be broadcast on so-called "free" TV.
Now, you might think "so what?" Here’s what. According to Kevin O’Malley, a former Turner Sports and CBS Sports executive who now advises college conferences on television deals, ESPN now charges cable and satellite providers $3 per household-per month for the right to carry ESPN. Most providers include ESPN on their basic service, so even the people who don’t watch sports pay this $3 fee.
Because ESPN will be paying $125 million for the BCS package, O’Malley sees that monthly subscriber rate eventually climbing to as high as $8-$10 per month. That’s $5-$7 more per month, $60-$84 more per year, for a fee that will inevitably be passed on to each cable or satellite subscriber. This is not pay-per-view, every subscriber will get nailed. If this comes to pass as O’Malley predicts, in essence, if you have cable or satellite you will be contributing $60-$84 to the BCS bowl system whether you want to watch a BCS bowl game or not.
Finally, here's what to do with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Simply make the best sandwich in the whole wide world -- turkey and peanut butter. Bread, a thick layer of peanut butter, a layer of bird, and a dash of salt. It's a Neff family tradition and if you try it once you'll be hooked.
Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.
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