Finally Gordon’s administration began, my friends afar got great jobs, and I waited to see the wonderful things this incredibly smart, savvy, populist would do.  And his first year has been… less than stellar.  This piece in the The Guardian details part of the problem… a seemingly obsessive drive to learn every detail… which doesn’t allow for the accomplishment of much really. A workaholic, which is not a surpise.  Someone who needs to learn how to let go. 

I’ve noticed the best leaders generally aren’t the best folks on paper. I hope Gordon can turn things around and prove to be an exception.

This is a fabulous companion article from The American Scholar:

The Disadvantages of
an Elite Education

Our best universities have forgotten
that the reason they exist is to make
minds, not careers

While Wes was very different in nature in many ways, thankfully, a lot of this is true… the entitlement, the track it puts you on, the willingness of those around you to cater to you, living the ”best and brightest” phenomenon. This is the best articulation of the issue that I have seen.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has managed to completely reverse a nation’s attitude about drinking and driving, which used to be a joke, something to brag about, even cool. Today? We think it’s horrible, shameful, cruel, a selfish who-gives-a-damn.

What we need around here is a MADD-style reversal in attitude about unwed mothers and the who-gives-a-damn boys/men who bear zero responsibility for the life they made. Here are some possibilities: Mothers Against Deadbeat Dads. Or Mothers Against Doomed Deliveries. Or Mothers Against Delusional Daughters dreaming of a baby who will love them unconditionally – but they’ve got the unconditional backwards: It’s the mother who’s supposed to love unconditionally. Babies unconditionally need.  Full Article

June 20, 2008

Winnebago profits fall 73 percent

By DAN PILLER
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER

Forest City, Ia. — Hit hard by record fuel prices, Winnebago Industries inc. said Friday that it earned $3 million for its third fiscal quarter ending May 31 compared to net income of $11.3 million for the same quarter last year.

The profit was due primarily to an $8.9 million tax benefit and a general reduction in its tax rate, the company said. On an operating basis, Winnebago lost $6.9 million for the quarter against an operating profit of $14.7 in the same quarter last year.

Per-share profit for the latest quarter was 10 cents, versus 35 cents per share a year ago. Total revenues for the quarter were $139.7 million, down 40 percent from $231.7 million a year ago.

Winnebago chairman Bob Olson noted that Statistical Surveys Inc., a retail reporting service for the RV industry, reported a 26 percent drop in retail sales of the Class A and Class C motor homes in which Winnebago specializes.

“Discretionary purchases have declined in the United States as the country is faced with unstable fuel prices, consumer confidence at a 16-year low and a tighter credit environment,” Olson said in a statement.

He added “it is an understatement to say that we were not pleased with our operating results in the third quarter.”

Winnebago last month announced the closing of one of its major production lines at Charles City and a layoff of 270 workers effective Aug. 1. That comes after an earlier reduction of 300 workers in March.

Winnebago employment now stands at about 2,600, concentrated primarily at its headquarters plant in Forest City with some operations in Charles City.

The company’s struggle with rising fuel prices as it tries to sell vehicles with a top fuel mileage of 12-14 mpg has been a familiar cycle since the first oil shocks of the 1970s.

The likelihood of a turnaround in light of record high gasoline and diesel prices is uncertain. Analyst Craig Kennison of Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee said “retail sales will likely remain soft until consumer confidence rebounds and lending rates ease.”

Olson has said that Winnebago’s prime defense against market downturns caused by fuel price problems has been to keep inventories at a bare minimum. He said dealer inventories have been reduced by 10.3 percent during the latest quarter.

Winnebago idled all its production lines for a week in April to let sales catch up with inventories.

“Our dealers continue to emphasize reducing inventories and increasing turn rates for their dealerships, which is evident from the dramatic decline in our current sales order backlog,” Olson said.

It says that the girls wanted to get pregnant and planned to raise their babies together.  It also mentions how there wasn’t sex education or contraception made available to them, coupled with a cut in after-school and other programs. Ad to that a very Catholic backdrop and a bad economy and you have a recipe for disaster. I don’t claim to know what the answer is, but- surely we could start with education and access to information. Ugh.

If you’re a woman in your twenties or thirties, chances are pretty good that at one point or another you have played the game “I Never.” If not, why not give it a try? All you need is a group of women and some alcohol. The women take turns making “I never…” statements, and if you have, you must take a drink.  I believe this game is a necessity for bachelorette parties… a wonderful opportunity to get drunk and bond with the girls while talking primarily about naughtiness.  I played this game last night, and quickly discovered I was with a pretty proper group.

“I never had impure thoughts in church.” I drank.

“I never had a one-night stand.” I drank.

“I never thought about someone else, during.” I drank.

At the same time, I noticed few were drinking after my “I never-s”, making me feel less than wholesome and causing me to think hard about what to say. Then it hit me- I was, afterall, in Virginia.

“I never lived in a place that declared itself to be for lovers,” I said. I knew i had them. 

Seven sips were taken. Victory was mine.

We shared so much, a belief in the Fair Tax, a distaste for a certain former governor of Massachusetts, and a hard time accepting that food couldn’t love us back. Maybe McCain will ask him to be his VP!