Out Here In The Real World...Our House of Cards. Political Lies and Need for Greed.
62Under The Eye of God
THE REAL WORLD - OUR HOUSE OF CARDS
In the beginning, out here in the real world of legitimate employment, we had businesses that were developed to produce a specific product or provide a specific service to the people, and were community based.
Most of those businesses make a profit - a necessity to thrive and grow. They hire people to work for them and pay a commensurable wage for the work that is performed and within that "profit range" so as to end up at the end of the year with profits - not losses.
Jobs are either skilled or non-skilled. Meaning they either require prior training, learning, education, experience or they can be learned by on the job training.
If there is a societal "need" for these "services" or "goods" the business will grow and prosper. Whether that "need" is essential to life, or simply makes life easier and/or more pleasant and enjoyable, is not really important to the company growth. It is simply a matter of demand and supply.
As a company grows so do the profits, and so does the need to hire more people to produce these goods or services. These smaller companies hired the best people for the positions they needed them for. If the employees did not perform as required, were unable to do their jobs, or just plain incompetent, the bosses had the insight (and the right) to either demote, or dismiss, them with just cause.
So far, this concept is simple enough for even myself to comprehend and appreciate the significance and impact on the world around that business. It provides: the service or goods needed or desired; profit for the company owners; employment for family providers; and room for growth; both for the company and the employees.
Everyone benefits - the employer, the employees, the family, the community and other businesses that provide those other essentials that we require for our basic comfortable existences, social and community camaraderie, entertainment, and pleasure. When the employees were treated with respect, given benefits, and were asked for input by their bosses, this created respect and loyalty to the company.
This is the proverbial 'American Dream' ; a secure job, safe community in which to live and raise our children, financial security, ability to provide a 'home' both physically and metaphorically, enjoy a life of comfort, safety and joy. Everything we could ask for in life.
Does this sound like any community you know today? Probably not.
The dream world of comfort, safety and joy is now marred by corruption, greed, crime, stress, anxiety and despair.
Why? How did this happen? There is only one word that totally, inexplicably and indubitably defines that cause. That word is: "GREED" in the full sense of its meaning: having a strong and uncontrollable desire for excessive, or reprehensible, acquisitiveness for money, power and control. It is this abnormal "need" that led companies to move outside their communities, and build an empire of multiple businesses, that would eventually lead to the eating up the profits of their smaller competitive businesses.
The larger these companies grew, the more impersonal they became. There was no more personal connection left toward those people who worked for them. Those 'people' were now just 'employees' who became nothing more than another commodity to use for the company's personal profits, and a means to an end - which was to build the personal bank accounts of those in charge. As the Greed Monster grew, so did the level of indifference toward the employees. Thus was born the large corporations that became "too big to fail". They had all the wealth, comfort, and power and still lusted for more.
Then came the government take over.
Now we are transitioning from that to the global take over by those massive impersonal cash cows and the money mongers who demanded total control of their respective markets. Buying up or destroying any competition that might take any of that control and power away from them.
This one factor was the catalyst that would lead to the destruction of all that was good in life: that world of comfort, safety and joy.
It spread like wild fire throughout our small communities, our sanctuaries, then exploded into the individual States, and into our Governments, until it became the way of the world.
It is not a new concept by any means, but what is new and most remarkable is that we, as a community both small and global, sat back and watched it happen - and did nothing!
It grew insidiously and exponentially until it became what it is today - a Global Monster devouring all that gets in its way.
The greatest failure of humanity? Summed up: "there is none so blind and those that just won't see". We lived in a world of the attitude of belief that - oh, well, it really does not effect me so why should i care? Guess what. Now it does effect you, me, and all the rest of the world - BIG TIME. And there is no more hiding with out heads stuck in the sand.
There is just one solution - and only one.
Reverse this trend. Eliminate that greed from the present. Excise it from our world, as one would excise a cancerous tumor from our body that is devouring us, and inevitably killing us. Start rebuilding from the top down. We are trying so desperately to rebuild from the bottom up and failing miserably.
We must return to basics by undoing the damages before that healing can begin.
The world must stand united and demand that the tyrants be overthrown and exiled from their positions of control. Those empires of greed must be toppled, destroyed and dismantled.
The world wide (occupy wall street) concept is the only way of reversing this disaster. Oust the corrupters - rebuild with restrictions and laws and an enforcement field that will not allow this to ever happen again. Life as we know it, or have known it in the past, can no longer survive under these dictatorships.
We cannot be so stupid to think that deregulation will make things better. We cannot think that allowing huge corporations and conglomerations to survive will in any way benefit the 99% - they must be toppled and dethroned the same as those oppressive tyrannical governments are being over thrown in the middle east. We must do the same thing here within our own country and government. We cannot cave in to the likes of the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove, or any other lying conniving group that DOES NOT have the interest of the 99% as their prime directive.
We must get this done or perish, or worse, be slaves to this evil greed that rules the world today. We must rid the world of any company deemed 'too big to fail' and put in safeguards to never let that happen again. For it is truth that: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
We need a "third party" to emerge and take over our government. One that has the interest of the people as its first priority. I doubt if either of the current parties can, need to be, or deserve to be salvaged. They do not seem to understand what the needs of the people really are.
When i spoke about the bosses having the insight and the right to remove the incompetents from their businesses, it makes us wonder how we could also have allowed the gross incompetence to infiltrate and flourish within the very government that was designed to oversee and protect us.
There is no way of getting rid of these incompetents. There is no criteria for competence in electing public officials. You would never put these incompetent people into positions of authority in a business, so why do we put these inept people in public offices? There should be some kind of criteria for them to even be allowed to run for public office. Obviously this is a complete flaw in our system when we allow a Pizza guy to get as far as he did in the race for President of the United States. Our current system of voting these baboons into position is akin to buying a "pig in a poke". You can't see the pig until you get it home and open the bag you brought it home in. Even buying a pig gets greater scrutiny than the swine that run for public office today.
And even though cliches are most annoying, hackneyed and trite this one says it all to those in power today: You obviously cannot run your own lives, so I'll be be damned if i let you run mine...
We must get involved, speak out loudly in protest; put pressure on those "public servants" to do the right thing for the 99%, and oust the 1% from influencing them in any way.
WE MUST STOP VOTING FOR THE PARTY - AND START VOTING FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE THE BEST INTEREST OF THE 99% AS THEIR FIRST PRIORITY. THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS IS TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COUNTRY'S POLITICS AND KNOW WHO IS RUNNING FOR OFFICE, THEIR BACKGROUNDS, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND LOYALTIES. THIS INVOLVEMENT STARTS WITH LOCAL POLITICS, STATE POLITICS, AND FEDERAL,
In the real world, or ideal world, people get involved in things that effect and impact their lives, their communities, and the future of their children. We now live in a house of cards, held together by greed, lies and corruption. And one that is no longer sustainable in its present form.
by d.william 12/13,2011
- A CALL TO ARMS - The THIRD World War Has Already Begun
Our world is changing rapidly. We must make decisions as to which path to take: backward to stagnation or forward with dignity, peace and equality. We must stand together to make changes that are best for everyone - not just the select few. - CAN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY RECOVER? DO THOSE IN POWER EVEN WANT IT TO?
Unusual circumstances call for unusual changes. America must lead the way to global recovery with 3 basic and necessary approaches. It is a win-win concept. The only deterrent is fear of change and resistance by the greedy few. - US economic decline is looking terminal
A past, present and future guide to the decline of the US economy. Government policies have stopped delivering real growth for a decade and are now actively preventing a genuine recovery in growth prospects. The article predicts how the economy will - U.S. Government Needs Reform to Benefit the People Not Corporate America.
politicians today The two party system. Is it working for the people? There is little to no doubt that the US government in its present form is a gross failure with no chance of survival without some radical reform. Bouncing back and forth...
He can't even run his own life - I'll be damned if he'll run mine
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D - Outstanding my friend. You said this so well you leave me no room for comments other than job well done. I love the way you think. We absolutely need to start making noise and holding our elected representatives accountable. What job have you ever held where you were not held accountable? Keep up the great writing.
There's nothing to add to this HUB from my point of view other than "Amen!" You nailed it and thank you! Best, Sis
http://themanwithnopants.hubpages.com/
Thanks for your comments. You've got a deal. I will be more than happy to work with you to meet in the middle. That would truly be a glorious day, wouldn't it?
http://oldpoolman.hubpages.com/
Thank you for your support. It truly is disgusting that these politicians can not be held responsible for what they are incapable of doing. I know if they were working for you, their asses would have been kicked out the door long ago. I just heard on the news that there is quite a controversy about a bill that the house is refusing to even hear that would make politicians as accountable to insider trading as us 'outsiders'. Their comments are: We don't feel that we should be held to the same standards as the common people. NOW that takes some BIG BRASS ones to actually say that in public. WTF? And this attitude is not restricted to one party.
http://AngelaBlair.hubpages.com/
Thank you for your kind words of support. They are always appreciated. dee
D., I quit blaming only one party a long time ago. It is all of them collectively that are screwing us. They put on a big show, but at the end of the day they buddy up over cigars and cocktails, at taxpayer expense of course, and joke about how badly they are fooling us. If the "D" hat started paying higher salaries than the "R" hat, or vice versa, how many do you think would jump ship and put on the other hat in a minute? To stay where they are for less pay would mean they have principals, or integrity, and that will not happen.
Here we are in Florida . . . the spearhead of the industrial development monster that combined banks, insurance firms, builders, lawyers, mortgage brokers and foreign investment money into a publicly traded conglomerate to eliminate the natural habitat with "land-scraping", replace it with concrete, steel, glass and St. Augustine lawns. I remember when the "Real Estate Backed Securities" option first appeared on 401k and 501k's in the nineties. Everyone called you a fool if you stayed with "Traditional". It was outstripped six to one. REBS's are all gone now. That money went to some New Yorker who made billions from derivatives that were hedged against our retirement account's survival. At least we have plenty of Indian owned pain clinics to ease the agony.
We are on the same team. I am a registered Independent, and worked hard to ban gill nets. Do you get my drift? We had a grass roots movement years before "Occupy Wall Street" folks were out of grade school.
"world wide (occupy wall street) concept is the only way of reversing this disaster"
We call bull in Florida, right? BULL! That is not the only way. That way is stupid. Been there . . . done that . . . in the day. In ten years all but two of those guys will go corporate. The other two will be in line at "Daily Bread". It's old hat to an old school surfer/hippy. Most of those idiots are doing it just to to get laid from a confused coed who got worked up by her dreamy poly-sci professor.
Do you ever wonder where their support comes from? Some subversive element is footing the bill. I could tell you who within three months if you pay for my time. I will start with foreign interests. There is no direction there. Just toppling a regime doesn't get the the job done. It is only tearing down the old building. You have to build a new one or sleep in the park forever.
Do you want to effect change. Boycott. Boycott, Boycott. There I repeated it three times to get it through. Boycott. You can stay home and Boycott. You can go to work and Boycott. Don't buy a thing that isn't made in the USA. That means nothing at all from Wallmart. Do you remember when Sam Walton pledged to sell all American? That's what happens to publicly traded companies. Boycott Wall Street. Boycott! Take away their money. Keep it in your pocket. Boycott! Buy something from me instead. Boycott!
WD Curry 111:
Thanks for reading and commenting. My point was if huge conglomerations were "dissolved", and we returned to those smaller community based businesses, there would be more incentive for people working together toward a common goal. Starting new businesses and leaving those giants intact, would serve little purpose, as they have the money to destroy anyone and anything that gets in their way.
While the old boycott thing may have been successful in the past for smaller businesses, it would put very little pressure of those huge monopolies to change their greedy ways. They have no interest in the individual citizen, how they impact the lives of people in general, how they destroy the environment, kill off all the wild life, destroy what mother nature gave us for nourishment, etc., etc.
So, without dismantling them, there is little hope of any significant change in this world. Monopolies, huge conglomerations will never bring jobs back on the market unless they have total control of the government and over all of our lives and choices. There is little dispute about this truth, unless you are one of those wealthy fat cats.
D.
I just want to point out something here, and I'm just discussing, not trying to cause an arguement. Let me first point out that I hated more than anything watching the hardware store in my little home town finally close it's doors. My grandfather dealt with the owner when he was a young man, and the store has passed from one generation to another. It's sad. It's a difficult thing to watch, but you said, "If we disolved these giant conglomerates" .. Think about it. What kind of government has that kind of power? What do you call that kind of government? See what I mean? Scary stuff. First, you have to realize that you can't solve these problems, but you CAN control them by starting at the heart of the problem. That's keeping corporate money out of politicians' pockets. Strict lobbying laws, term limits, campaign finance reform, and some of the other stuff that my organization pushes. I'm not just talking, I want your thoughts back my friend.
jim
http://themanwithnopants.hubpages.com/
Good points and you may be correct in your outlook and proposed solutions. That certainly is a more viable alternative to my radical proposals.
I remember as a child when there were government regulations that made monopolies break up, and that seemed to give back some of the competitiveness and allowed the smaller companies to become more of an asset to their respective communities.
After those laws were overturned and deregulation became the norm, the strength of those monopolies multiplied and became monsters that worked against the people and in favor of greed and profits, and big fat bank accounts for those in charge while taking away rights and benefits from the individual who does not matter any more. Without regulations to limit the scope and power of these huge monopolies it was inevitable that the end result is what we see today.
I like your ideas better, as they are more realistic. Now all we have to do is convince those politicians to come to their senses and put the people before their own self interests. Thanks for your input.
D,
I agree. The thing about regulations is funny. They empose choking regulations on business at the front end. I went bust in California twice because of this. The big guys have to make up this cost so they go hog wild on the other end where they're loosly regulated. You can't regulate both ends, so we need to get rid if the regulations that aren't absolutely necessary on the front end and install safe, smart, and tight regulations on the back end. Problem is, the politicians fill their pockets from the back end. We just have to clean up leadership. That's the head of the snake.
You've got a lot of care in you Dee. Keep that going. I hope it rubs off. People are waking up, and that gives me hope.
jim
http://themanwithnopants.hubpages.com/
Thanks again for commenting. Do you think that those excessive regulations on the front end were imposed by those big regulators to do just exactly that? If you can stop new businesses from getting off the ground you can certainly eliminate any potential threat to your own position of power and control. As long as big business is in control of our government this is not about to change any time soon.
D. - Big business is not in control of our government, they own them. They paid huge bucks to buy as many of our politicians as they could, so they now control the votes. Money is power and they spent money where it would do the most good.
http://oldpoolman.hubpages.com/
If you own something are you not in control of it? Just a matter of semantics. Either way the bastards are still running (and ruining) our lives.
I never thought i would ever say this, but i agree with you on all fronts. We need to clean house. I watched the Republican debate tonight and Ron Paul is looking pretty darn good. The rest want to bomb Iran. I know Obama's hands have been tied since the Rep. regained control, but he had two years and didn't do what he promised to do. The only problem is that Ron Paul is still a Republican, but he sounds like an independent. Everything he said made a lot of sense to me. What do you think? Great hub...
Always,
I had to comment. I just got out of bed and I'm over flowing with opinion. (laughing) While I will disagree with you here on some things, I give value to your thouhts. The author of this hub will vouch for that.
I'm the most open minded political blogger in the pool, but we should to keep Obama out of the discussion if it were possible. I enthusiastically backed him, and believed he could make a difference, but he quickly began using his oratory skills for deception, and I can make a compelling case for the fact that he is the most dangerious man on the planet. That's not right wing talk. I'm closer to center than just about anyone.
Ron Paul, in my opinion, is very dangerous too. At a time when we need a hero, we have some also rans competing for the job of leader of the free world. In order to get this country back on track, we would need a leader with enough courage to make some decisions that would make him very unpopular, even with his own party, for the short term. Americans have grown attached to quick fixes, lack of sacrifice, and kicking the can down the road. Hard decisions have to be made, and I doubt we have anyone with the courage to make them.
No, Ron Paul has got it wrong on his foreign policy. Yes, it sounds very good. Listening to the way we wish things could be is always more pleasing than listening to the way things are. History has proven Mr. Paul's vision is wrong. I gotta say that I still love the guy. He's unique, and that's a rare value we need in the election cycle.
If you're intresteded in having me further explain my opinions, I'd be happy to do it. I have a political non profit with some lofty goals, and I can use all the practice I can get. lol
jim
D. - You are correct in that when you control the people who make the rules, you do in fact own what they control. Our politicians can make or break most any company with the stroke of a pen, and they do.
This type corruption reaches all the way down to city level. Cities would much rather have the tax revenue from one big box store than from a dozen independent business people. So they too favor big business. It is all about money no matter how you look at it.
always exploring:
TheManWithNoPants:
OldPoolman:
Thank you 3 for your interesting and thought provoking comments. I will address the three of you together.
1. No matter how you slice and dice it - it is truly all about money and profits - power and greed.
2. After carefully considering, and re-considering my comments about dissolving monopolies, i will still stand by those comments.. When you ask what kind of government would have this kind of power and what would you call it? My answer will be brief. I still believe in a Democratic society that is ruled by the majority, but who will also make NO laws that are prejudicial against any minority, and that will protect the majority from those big businesses with special interests. Putting restrictions, rules or regulations on what size, and how much power ANY business is legally allowed to rise to, is a means of protection against the very huge corporations of corruption that has caused this major problem we find ourselves in today. And i still maintain that no company/corporation should ever be allowed to grow to the point of "too big to fail". This goes against the very grain of free enterprise, democracy, and the freedom for small community business to start and thrive. These smaller corporations are the very backbone of our democratic concepts.
3. As far as Ron Paul goes, he says what he thinks people want to hear, as does every other politician. I have heard some of his speeches, and debates, and he is quite radical in some of his views. Certainly no centrist, or middle of the road, or compromising, and he does oppose what is so liberally being attacked: "entitlement" programs, and that they should all be stopped. Somehow, this term has become a negative mantra for the right wing as they fight for their corporate sponsors to maintain control of this country, its purse strings, our government, and our very way of life.
As i stated in my article: CAN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY RECOVER? DO THOSE IN POWER EVEN WANT IT TO? (LINKED ABOVE)there are 3 basic necessities to a successful recovery:
1. DEMOCRACY MUST BE PRESERVED
2. CAPITALISM CURRENTLY IN THE FORM OF CORPORATE AMERICA (must be removed from any type of influence over government policies and their sizes and influences on society in general must be removed as a negative factor in maintaining a democratic, and yes, a capitalistic, society).
3. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT must be a totally unbiased entity with explicit purposes, without outside influences by special interest groups (including huge conglomerates, religion, corruption by prosecuting politicians who take ANY money for ANYTHING, or ANYONE while being paid those large salaries by the taxpayers and undermine the best interest of the people that they were elected to represent)
These may sound like difficult and insurmountable tasks, but they are basic necessities that will ensure that democracy remains intact.
Although the opposition to Mr. Obama will still insist that he is a menace to the American People, he as done nothing to warrant such a view, unless one would consider bucking wall street and corporate America, and promoting equality for everyone a 'threat' to the American people.
(so much for my brief comments).
The rift between these two parties is beyond repair. The fight to the death mentality between the wealthy and the rest of society is a losing battle for both sides, as it has done nothing but impede any kind of progress on every front.
D.
I understand your frustration. I feel it too. Please remember though, I was addressing the statement about the government "disolving giant corporate colglomerates" and asking what kind of government would it be that had that kind power. I went on to talk about tough regulations at the back end, not the front, which deals with greed backed growth. I don't think we're too far apart, and I don't want it to head that way through a simple misunderstanding. There is alwayse a delicate balancing act on these matters though, and I want to maintain that balance even if leadership can't.
D. Your desires for this country are admirable, and I would hope that someday we can achieve those goals. I suspect that greed has been an ugly monster since the beginning of time. Greed has just never affected so many people as we are seeing today. Is there a cure for greed? I wish there was a magic pill that everyone could take that would eliminate greed forever, but it has yet to be invented.
You just sound like a great person, and I really thank you for sharing with us.
http://themanwithnopants.hubpages.com/
http://oldpoolman.hubpages.com/
Thanks again for you comments. I do tend to get carried away with my frustrations of having little to no control over what others do that affect our individual daily lives in such a negative manner. I have spent my whole life fighting and arguing (actually discussing and debating) with people over their silly, insignificant views about what is right and wrong, what is a "sin", what society expects us to be like, how others pass judgments on anyone who does not conform to their personal view points, and just ignorance in general. But most of all how they do not have that right to judge others, or make laws against minority groups, push their silly religions on other people, etc...
Just my personal frustration - i don't try to offend anyone else, and certainly do not set out to do so intentionally. We are cool with our discussions and i do appreciate that fact. You two are still TOP OF THE LINE in my book.
(in spite of your "tilt" toward the right) (laughing out loud, of course) Dee
I must have been out of my mind, thinking Ron Paul was ok. I didn't know that he wanted to do away with entitlements. I worked so hard to get President Obama elected. I'm disappointed that he didn't do what he promised. He's the best we've got now. Maybe he will do more when we vote the ' lifers ' out of office. If any of the people running on the right are elected, woe unto us little people....
d.william - LOL, It may surprise you to know that sometimes I even lean Left. There are some great ideas on both sides of the aisle, just rarely any solutions.
http://alwaysexploring.hubpages.com/
Can not blame you for thinking that Ron Paul might be the lesser of the other evils, but still too radical for our tastes. I am betting that Mr. Obama will be re-elected along with control of congress, so that maybe he will get something done for the American people without such massive opposition by the corporate monkeys. Looking at what is running against him, he should be a shoe-in in 2012. The alternative is much worse.
Oh , I hope you're right. I feel so much better since you think he will be elected again....Thank's
D, i don't have to be a wide eyed radical to recognise the trend and where it is leading. The sense of balance and fairness, the glue that once held us together and allowed so many disparate interests to co-exist in harmony is being destroyed by those that want it all. They want labor to capitulate and settle for working for pennies on the dollar, they do not want to be annoyed with any obligation to pay taxes and whine that their competitiveness is threatened unless they continue to get their obscene subsidies at our expense. There is a danger that people will get fed up with the game and walk away with chips from a table where it clear that the odds are set against them.
http://credence2.hubpages.com/
Thanks for commenting. And you are correct in your assessment. This is the very reason that occupy wall street movement has now gone global. Let us hope that the pressure continues and the governments around the world and they are forced to finally reign them (the greedy in power)in, destroy their monopolies, and their strangle hold they have on our economy, our livelihood and our very lives.
The question is how do we eliminate greed? Make greed against the law? Heck, they don't pay any attention to laws now, what difference would another law make. A perfect example is when it was discovered our elected leaders are exempt from Insider Trading laws, and they use that to make millions in personal income. As long as there are people there will be greed. Our elected representatives need to be brought back down to the level of the people they supposedly represent. Those caught cheating should be immediately fired with no pension rights or other benefits that follow their so called jobs. You want to get rich? Just buy a couple Politicians and your wealth will increase dramatically.
I hope OWS does get the message across before it gets worse. If nothing changes we could well see demonstrations in our streets like we have seen in Greece and other countries. The "little people" are waking up and they are not happy. With any luck at all the next election will find many of the encumbants in the unemployment lines, but to be replaced by whom?
Sorry for the rant.
http://oldpoolman.hubpages.com/
Thanks for commenting and you can rant any time you want. There is legislature in progress that would reverse those laws exempting politicians from being prosecuted for their insider trading shit. But, when you have politicians voting on a bill that adversely effects them, it will take some doing to get that one through. Although, pressure is being put on them and they are debating whether to vote on this law now, or kick it forward. Guess which option will prevail? Sooner or later they will have to succumb to public pressure to reverse those laws that they enacted to protect themselves. There are already laws on the books to address monopolies, at least there WERE laws on the books. I will have to do some digging to see if those have been overturned. There have been backroom deals done that the public has never been notified of. This deceitfulness became more evident during the Reagan years and has escalated quickly since then.
I have a new hub to post regarding monopolies in the next day or so. Hopefully this will make people understand the dire need to control monopolies.
d.william, I wrote a hub the other day regarding how they hide things in large bills they don't even read, and then act surprised as hell when they find out they voted "YES" on some stupid piece of legislation. I believe them when they say they really didn't know what they were voting for. Every bill should stand alone, then there is no excuse for voting for something they were not aware of. Bills would rarely need to be over 2000 pages long to get something voted on.
Let me know what you find out about the monopolies, I would be very interested.
TheManWithNoPants Level 7 Commenter 5 months ago
Dee,
We agree on the true cause of our problems, and of course that is greed. While we don't line up on which end of the monster to start whacking first, I can see and feel your passion here. I think you know you've got a friend who shares that passion. Tell you what .. You start whacking one end, and I'll start whacking the other. We'll meet in the middle!
jim