Air traffic controllers have an extremely stressful job and it is the worst kind of stress because it comes and goes with the action in the tower. The real problem is they need to get their rules for work in line with the responsibility of the job. At any given time they hold hundreds of lives in their hands. A small mistake could cost many lives at a moments notice. They are being jumped on now because they are the target of current public interest. Sleeping on the job is still a wide spread condition and it does not have to occur at night. There are police officers who coop or nap while on duty and it does not matter if it is day or night. Transit workers are another group who take the afternoon nap as a part of their method of getting through the day. In most instances this is not the worst thing in the world. It is however a condition that can on occasion be dangerous to others and it is wrong simply because sleeping when one should be working is really stealing from the employer. It is a condition that should be stopped and people should be held accountable for doing so. If we all want to complain about such issues then we need to go across the board and look for all those who break the rules.

Send us your comments on this article

Perhaps there should be a new show on TV with title that reads "The Children Who Serve in Congress"? The show would run once a week in prime time and highlight the antics of those in Congress who act like children in their acts, words, and deeds. The show would simply identify the Congressional antics of the week and then show a clip of children doing the same thins. The unprepared Congressperson could be represented by a child who is to give a presentation at school and comes to the moment fully unprepared not even knowing the subject to be presented. That could be followed by a Congressperson who is adding pork to a personal project followed by a child trying to buy a vote for their class president position. This is an area that could go on and on with out the fear of it getting too old too fast. There are plenty in Congress to watch and the volume of children who could demonstrate these antics seem to be endless. It jus may be a show I would tune in to see.

Send us your comments on this article

I am sure that most everyone who reads the Red Dragon Letter has received a personal invitation to have their financial portfolio reviewed by a professional financial advisor. Over the last two years I have been contacted at least once each week by a plethora of financial advisors. They are always sure they can help me and put my future financial security on the path to prosperity. Speaking to some of these professionals on the phone I am convinced that the majority had a specific product or set of products to sell. They never seemed to be able to measure up to the returns of my portfolio. They always seemed to be interested in showing me some pie in the sky fund or the fund created by the chosen professionals in the company they worked for. They were sure they could always do better than what I had but they could not measure up. They also wanted to provide me with an equity loan that would allow me to purchase not only more stock and funds than I already had, then they also wanted to insure me incase my life ended and my wife was left alone in the cruel financial world. I could only imagine how confused people who know they need help must get when these advisors set upon them.

I am not saying that all the financial advisors are cheats or con men but there are plenty out there who are less than fair to the prospective client. What interests me most is that many of these advisors could not stand against an individual with a bit of knowledge about the financial markets. It is unfortunate that the good advisors must suffer for the deeds of the bad and poorly trained in the industry. So my advice to the readers of the Red Dragon Letter is to be sure of the persons you meet with and check them out. It is best if the have been referred to you by a friend who has at least a two year track record with the individual. The other thing to always do is to get a second or even a third opinion on your portfolio and compare what was said and offered as a solution to your problems and desires.

Send us your comments on this article

I hear people talk about civil rights all the time but these conversations are really not about rights but about wrongs. These wrongs are perceptions individuals and groups have about the concept of civil rights. Most people think it is just about their rights relative to a situation involving the police. For most people the thought process seems to end there. Their understanding of these rights comes from the T.V. crime shows which pepper the evening broadcasts and daytime soaps. When I listen to these conversations it seems the individuals in the conversation have never looked at a public television show on civil rights to learn how varied the arena is and how these rights even came into being. A very high percentage of people believe these rights were generated to quiet the Black population in the sixties and seventies. What people do not understand is many of the rights they speak of have been in place from the beginning of this country. Those rights that have been added over the past two hundred years are in great part an extension of the rights already in place. Civil rights are the rights of man and were part of the original documentation of this country. Each and every right is a benefit to every other person alive. These rights guarantee each of us fair and equal treatment in the areas and under the conditions set in place by those rights. Civil Rights have always been a movement and will always be so because in the long run it is the way we better ourselves.

Send us your comments on this article

It was one hundred and fifty years ago yesterday that the Civil War started. It was a war over issues that each side knew would one day require resolution. Instead of negotiating the politicians decided to use pressure and trickery to win the issue for their side. The states rights issue was a red herring but it was the issue the south used to stir up its population to a fever pitch which made the split of the Union easy to carry out. The firing of cannon against the fort was the action that ended almost any possibility of negotiating the peace or the rejoining of the two sides as on Union again. From that fateful shot it took four years and six hundred thousand lives to end the war and forcefully recreate the Union. The deaths in the war represented two percent of the population and the damage to the south was not even measurable in a broad sense. It has always been negotiation that had kept the acts of each political side within reason. When negotiations stop in any situation it is when the lesser angels of each side find the opening necessary to do their damage.

What upsets me at this time is that we seem to have forgotten the most important lesson of the Civil War which was that you never stop negotiating until a successful conclusion is reached. It is when the two sides stop talking that we loose sight of the opinions of the other side. That loss fosters the feeling of contempt for the other side and diminishes respect for the individual and the group. I fear this is a position we are starting to move toward in the present day discussions of budget, energy, world responsibility, and even appropriate caring for our own. The Union does not have to be split to start another Civil War.

Send us your comments on this article

Talk, talk, talk, is all that the government seems to do about the terrorists in hand. We have had these people in our clutches for a very long time. We know what they did and we know they are at war with America. Keeping them around for this long trying to set up a civil trial has just wasted time and the patience of the public. Now that the decision has been made to try them in a military court there is no need to spin our wheels waiting for a trial. Justice is supposed to be swift and sure. At this point in time it is neither. We have arrived at the moment when the public wants the trial done and the terrorists to receive the justice they deserve. Let this misguided delay send a signal to our government that we want justice that is just and also swift. We also want the people at war with us to face a trial system that is designed to bring justice upon them. We should never give a terrorist a civil trial because their actions show that they are at war with us and those actions warrant a military trial response.

Send us your comments on this article

People of all ages are talking about the government's budget problems and how cuts in spending on specific issues will hurt them. The government spends so much time over these budget trimming issues but the big issues are left to continue to bleed us all dry. Medicare fraud is huge and most everyone on the hill knows it but they refuse to do something about it. The protection from fraud has been woven into the fabric of the program with a paperwork stream that allows for much of the fraud to go undiscovered. The fraud hurts everyone but the perpetrators and those who work for the government moving that paperwork around. This is a pure case of the government shooting itself in the foot over and over again. Perhaps it is time for concerned citizens to start asking our politicians at the next town hall meeting what they propose to do about this problem? If they feel it is not their responsibility start making noise and ask whose problem and responsibility it is and how do ordinary citizens get in touch with them? That may start the shake up at the grass roots level.

Send us your comments on this article

NATO has backed off its support of the Libya rebels. The U.S. went into the operation and flew all the sorties and launched two hundred and thirty cruse missiles, at over one million dollars each, to basically set the platform for the rest of NATO Forces to do the support and clean up. Not to any ones surprise after three days of flying support missions the NATO Planes are now rarely seen in the sky. NATO says it is the government forces that are hiding in with the civilians making bombing hard to do with out injury to civilians. That is just an excuse for not showing up for the fight. With out the U.S. in the lead role NATO always seems to back away early in the fight. As for the civilians being injured that does happen but it would not happen if the people left the area when the opposition troops show up. People do not have to stay in harms way because they can leave the area. It is difficult to leave ones home but better that then to be killed when the those opposition troops are targeted. It is difficult to bomb when we are sure there will be civilian casualties buy with out that type of attack Libya will never be free.

Send us your comments on this article

There is all this infighting over the budget and everyone pointing fingers at each other claiming they are the reason the government will shut down. It seems the idiots in Washington have forgotten they are there to work together and also to compromise when there is a need. Compromise is a negotiation and tactics are a part of many a negotiation however, when those tactics cause problems for millions if people we are into terrorism not negotiations. If a nation did such a thing to the U.S. we would retaliate in one way or another. We would brand them terrorists and we would be after there hides. When the two sides deadlock they have to take a different road to reach a solution. If they fail to change tactics and refuse to bend or give a little it is time for them to go. There game is to scare the citizens so much that the citizens will call their politicians and tell them to give in. This can only happen when the people are willing to cut back a little and give a little. There is no requirement that says that we have to fix all things at once but we do have to work on the most important things first. There may need to be changes in Social Security and Medicare but we also need Congress to triple its efforts to cut out the fraud involved with these programs. Everyone will have to cut back a small amount but if the politicians and the people refuse to agree to change and provide give backs then America's future is lost.

Send us your comments on this article

The Saudi government announced today that if there is civil unrest within its boarders the price of oil will go to two hundred dollars and may even top three hundred dollars a barrel. That statement is a message to the United States that they feel there is a possibility if unrest in the wings. The message also indicates that the oil will not flow as one would expect if the U.S. sides with those who use civil disobedience against the Saudi Government. The Saudi's have watched the disturbances and conflicts over the last several weeks and they realize the U.S. has spoken out against the governments where these disturbances are taking place. In an attempt to short circuit any condemnation from the U.S. the Saudi's are telling everyone now interference in their way of controlling their population will be met with a huge price increase on its oil exports. The announcement which conveyed this hidden message was a warning that the Saudi's will be ruthless if they have to be and the U.S. had better stand by the Saudi government and any actions it takes to retain control of its country. The clear and unmistaken message was not acknowledged openly by the White House but will be addressed in back room meetings and official meetings between the U.S. secretary of State and members of the Saudi Government. I doubt the U.S. will stand for democracy as staunchly when its flow of oil can be closed down to a trickle.

Send us your comments on this article

Perhaps this is something we all should think about. Almost on a daily basis I receive some document or e-mail urging the reader to stop buying product from China. It seems these people believe if the American consumer does not purchase product from China all will be right with the world. They tout new jobs being created and the old industries returning to their previous homes in this country. The reality of this position is that many of the jobs lost over the last few years will never come back because they are not needed. Jobs supposedly lost to China were in many instances phased out by technology. Jobs that went to China and India were mainly due to the cost of purchasing beating the cost of producing in place in the U.S. That was a large number of people over time. Many of those displaced workers did find new jobs for which they had to be trained. Those old jobs were gone forever but the individual could still find a place to work but it required training and in many instances lower pay.

China merely put product out in the market place and Americans bought these products because of the price. The price of the products to America, were all due to the cost of labor in China. The low labor cost allowed the Chinese product to compete in the marketplace. It did not take long for the Chinese to start to use technology to produce their products keeping the price of consumer goods down for the products sold in the U.S. As their own internal consumer markets grew the price on products remained low because the volume of production for the products picked up. If Americans were to boycott product with the label, Made in China, the Chinese would certainly boycott American products. There is a lot of product sold to China from the U.S. and the American companies who make those products would hurt from such an action. In the long run the answer is to find a way to produce products with technology and beat the competition and that is really the only way to move forward. It is not about fixing the blame it is about fixing the problem and it is time people stopped feeling sorry for them self and started being creative to stage a comeback.

Send us your comments on this article

The American way used to be three strikes and you are out but times have changed tradition. It seems there are many people who use the three strike option to their own advantage. It is most obvious in the work place when a person is not performing they must get two written warnings before the third strike gets them fired. There is a problem with that logic because the noncompliant individual can end up costing a company a considerable amount of money. Errors are costly but there are those in the work force who do not care if they do their assigned tasks properly. For many of this group they think they should be paid just because they show up for work. It is time the labor laws started to recognize this and cut the strikes an individual gets down to two. There are many people who would like those jobs and they would do the job and be happy for the chance to work. In the market place everyone should be paid a fair rate for their services and if those services are provided in less than appropriate fashion the individual should be let go after having been warned at least once. Waiting for the third strike is just too costly in these times.

Send us your comments on this article

There is inflation in your grocery store and it has been there for a while. More than a year ago manufacturers started producing the same old products in the same old packaging with one slight difference. The package was smaller but it looked the same as the old package in every way except for the weight or volume. The most obvious of all was the ice cream packaging. Unless you put the packages side by side it was difficult to tell there was shrinkage in play. If there was not a full size package to measure against then a check on the volume would be the tell tale sign. With ice cream the volume measure is in ounces with the new level at forty eight as compared to the old sixty four ounce package. This also happened with many of the dairy products such a yogurt. The yogurt cups went from eight ounces to six ounces for most brands in just eight weeks. The downsizing was going on everywhere and is still in progress. Receiving less product for the same old price is with out a doubt inflation but the federal agencies who look for inflation do not have the cost of food as a measure for inflation. Think about this the next time you shop and realize you are paying more and getting less.

Send us your comments on this article

The news of a gay man being beaten because he was wearing pink caused an old memory to come to mind. About fifteen years ago I was in Michigan on business consulting at a General Motors facility when I saw a newspaper headline indication that a gay bar had burned down. The fire was suspicious and the police were following up several leads. After reading about the fire I remarked to the accounting manager I was working with that the bar had only been open for a few days. I also mentioned that each of the previous days prior to the fire there were anti-gay demonstrations at the bar. The manager replied to me that apparently the demonstrations did not drive them out so some one decided to burn them out. I responded by saying that if the police have leads they most likely will figure out who was involved. The manager replied that the paper said they were following up the leads but it would probably go no where. My questions continued as I then asked why he thought that. The manager replied that the owners of the bar were not from around here so the police would probably not press too hard. Because some one from around here was responsible I asked. The manager squared himself in his seat and said to me "you are not from here otherwise you would know that we do not have people like that here". I questioned the comment asking" which people the ones who burned down the bar or the gay owners?" The manager looked at me totally befuddled and said "the gays are what we don't have here". I said "you do not have any gays living here? He replied "none". I decided to end the conversation there. As I walked away I thought to my self that the last time I had spent a week there the newspaper reported on the rash of killings of young boys for their sneakers. I there fore assumed they really did not have any of those types either I must have been someone from out of state. Then I thought hate is everywhere but most people hide it. Things haven't changed in fifteen years.

Send us your comments on this article