Dear Congressman,
It appears with the advent of the internet has led to the demise of professional journalism, as newspaper and magazine alike have been savaged by this new forum over the last 15 or so years. So it is not unusual to see articles that, for lack of a better word, cut to the chase...
Case in point, a well known Ohio State Senator was arrested in Southern Indiana for driving under the influence. Mr. Robert Mecklenborg is a local attorney for a reputable Cincinnati law firm, who as a card carrying member of the Republican party, decided that Democrats should not be the only one's to have fun. I think this clip from the Cincinnati Business Courier covers it nicely:
Mecklenborg resigns after DUI Date: Monday, July 18, 2011, 5:34am EDT Ohio Rep. Robert Mecklenborg, R-Green Township, resigned Sunday after being arrested for drunken driving in Indiana with a stripper in his car and Viagra in his system. By making his resignation effective Aug. 2, Robert Mecklenborg, R-Green Township, ensured that he will be paid for July, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
To recap, it only took one sentence of 24 or so words to inform the reader that Mr. Mecklenborg has been accused of a) consuming intoxicants b) picking up a younger woman of somewhat dubious repute c) having erectile issues as he had to pop a "woody pill" while in the company of the younger woman of somewhat dubious repute d) operating his motor vehicle while having alcohol and viagra in his blood stream e) implying that the younger woman of somewhat ill repute was in his vehicle to be transported for purposes of participating an impeding episode of adulterous behavior and f) has acknowledged that he could no longer represent his district in southwestern Ohio while defending himself against the allegations that he went on a bender complete with booze and loose women.
It goes without saying that Mr. Mecklenborg is happily married with three children. He has yet to really explain why he was giving a ride to an employee of Concepts Show Girls, LLC, but I'm sure there is a logical explanation.
The second sentence also makes short work of pointing out the timing of Mr. Mecklenborg's announcement, showing that even though he did not demonstrate moral restraint, he is still capable of financial responsibility when it comes to his own pocketbook.
Personally, I would hate to have the two sentence blurb from the Business Courier be the main historical record of my existence, but then I don't remember ever (allegedly) driving while liquored up with an exotic dancer in my car....
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Polls Apart...
Dear Congressman,
From a recently poll performed by the Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Research Partners, the following information was gleaned:
95 percent of voters say owning the home is the best long-term investment they can make
73 percent of voters who do not own a home aspire to become a homeowner in the future
95 percent of homeowners say they are happy with their decision to own a home
73 percent of voters believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to encourage homeownership
The poll queried 2,000 people and claims an error rate of + or - 3.5%.
Here's the issues I have with this particular poll:
1. Duh! 1/3 of the population of this planet wake up in the morning in quarters that have no electricity or running water. Suffice it to say the rest of us that do have running water and electricity and have endured the stigma of crappy landlords would rather be a homeowner than a tenant. Would you rather own your dog/cat or rent one from the pet store that could repossess it at any moment in time for any whim? It is still... after all... the American Dream.
2. The poll was paid for by the National Association of Home Builders. Needless to say, if this survey had demonstrated that only 17% of people though owning a home as a good idea, this poll would have been buried somewhere under Jimmy Hoffa's final resting place quicker than you can say "Fargo" three times. I have a sneaking suspicion that the NAHB's Christmas wish-list includes every person in the United States, regardless of race, sex, religion or age, would march to the bank, get a loan lined up, and put a dormant homebuilder to work building new homes for new homeowners. And everyone would smile and wave from behind the white picket fence in front of their brand new home!!!!
3. I am always a little leery of polls that have a small sample size. Since the US population is about 307,006,550 (google data) and they polled 2,000 of them, then our sample size to represent the feelings of the average US citizen was 0.000065% of the population at large, or 1 in every 153,503 American's were asked their opinion. Seems a pretty thin slice to me.
From a recently poll performed by the Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Research Partners, the following information was gleaned:
95 percent of voters say owning the home is the best long-term investment they can make
73 percent of voters who do not own a home aspire to become a homeowner in the future
95 percent of homeowners say they are happy with their decision to own a home
73 percent of voters believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to encourage homeownership
The poll queried 2,000 people and claims an error rate of + or - 3.5%.
Here's the issues I have with this particular poll:
1. Duh! 1/3 of the population of this planet wake up in the morning in quarters that have no electricity or running water. Suffice it to say the rest of us that do have running water and electricity and have endured the stigma of crappy landlords would rather be a homeowner than a tenant. Would you rather own your dog/cat or rent one from the pet store that could repossess it at any moment in time for any whim? It is still... after all... the American Dream.
2. The poll was paid for by the National Association of Home Builders. Needless to say, if this survey had demonstrated that only 17% of people though owning a home as a good idea, this poll would have been buried somewhere under Jimmy Hoffa's final resting place quicker than you can say "Fargo" three times. I have a sneaking suspicion that the NAHB's Christmas wish-list includes every person in the United States, regardless of race, sex, religion or age, would march to the bank, get a loan lined up, and put a dormant homebuilder to work building new homes for new homeowners. And everyone would smile and wave from behind the white picket fence in front of their brand new home!!!!
3. I am always a little leery of polls that have a small sample size. Since the US population is about 307,006,550 (google data) and they polled 2,000 of them, then our sample size to represent the feelings of the average US citizen was 0.000065% of the population at large, or 1 in every 153,503 American's were asked their opinion. Seems a pretty thin slice to me.
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