the mighty fall

What do we do about Tiger Woods?

Many an apologist have jumped in his defense by pointing out either the shortcomings of others, the fact that this has nothing to do with golf, or some other asinine justification. The bottom line is, there is no way his actions can be justified.

I get that others have committed similar indescretions. I get that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. I agree that he needs help and I hope, for the sake of his family, his children, and his person that he can get help. The problem I have with this is twofold.

First, just because we all are not perfect does not excuse what he did. He has trampled on his wife and family. He has betrayed Elin's trust. He has let his children down. Forget the fans that he alienated or the prize and endorsement money he stands to lose. None of that will measure up to the emptiness he will feel when he figures out how precious a thing his family was and how stupid he was to do this.

Second, he profited from the image that he cultivated. He profited from his "righteousness" and "wholesomeness." We have been sold a bag of empty goods and it is wrong.

I agree more and more with Charles Barkley when he proclaimed that athletes are not role models. Our role models should be our parents. But what does Mr. Barkely have to say to Tiger's children? How can Tiger be their role model? Heaven forbid that Sir Charles might have to step into that role.

I think many find themselves in an awkward position of "he deserves his privacy" and "he needs to publicly defend himself or acknowledge his guilt" and there is no easy answer to this. Ultimately, Tiger is what we the public have made him to be. Now he has failed that image and many want answers. The only people he has to answer to is his family, and I feel for them right now. We should be less concerned with his public announcement and more concerned about a) his poor family, and b) what we can learn from this.

I think the lesson is to cherish your family. It is precious. It is more valuable than anything. And it should be fiercely defended.

The Dollar: Where Has It Gone?

For those of you who have never read Steve Forbes' editorial that he puts out in his monthly "FORBES" publication, I highly recommend it. His views on U.S. Monetary Policy are, in my opinion, dead on, and I would be all for making him the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Mr. Forbes accurately points out that of all the organizations and/or individuals responsible for the current recession, a large chunk falls squarely on the shoulders of the Federal Government and the Federal Reserve. As the country stared at a recession at the turn of the millennium, the government determined that loosening credit was a quick way to get the economy rolling again. The decision at the time was a sound one. The only problem was that no one turned off the spigot once things got rolling. Everyone became addicted to cheap money, homes were selling, people were making large purchases, the Fed continued to print money, the stock market rose dramatically, everything seemed great.

But cheap money meant a cheap dollar and the potential for rapidly rising inflation. Again, not a big deal because everyone was making more, spending more, and living high. But too many spent more than they should have. Lenders made loans no sound bank should ever make. We have all heard the rest.

The problem is that the Fed continues to print money at record paces hoping that it will keep the economy moving. But oil prices continue to climb and the value of the dollar continues to sink. By continuing their cheap dollar policy the fed and the government are simply delaying a day of reckoning which recent history has shown will come whether we want it to or not.

I will grant you that Steve Forbes has his personal slant: he is embedded with wall street and close to many of the individuals who perpetuated the situation we are now it. But he does not excuse them, nor does he pretend that he is an objective journalist. Rather he is exactly what he maintains to be: a smart, educated, driven, wealthy, entrepreneur who understands far more about our economy than members of congress who are attempting to make policy.

Sportsmanship Rant

Many are accusing the coaches of USC and UCLA of poor sportsmanship. I would argue that there are greater problems that extend way beyond the field of play. We are part of a culture that celebrates dominance and demands more than a victory. Winning is not enough, we want our teams to pound their opponents into submission. The BCS system has created "style points" for teams seeking higher rankings and fans, acknowledging this system, encourage their teams to continuing acting in this manner. Additionally, teams are vilified if they accept defeat at any point. So a sign of mercy (taking a knee in a decided contest) is flagrantly rejected and the presumed victor decides that pounding the opposition into submission is the only way to end the game.

Worse still, players on both sides were not content with the results on the field, they were looking for a real fight. My greatest problem with that is players having enough left in the tank to engage in a brawl. What ever happened to "leaving it all out on the field?" There is no way the men in the trenches should have energy like that with 40 seconds left in the game. If I were the UCLA coach and I saw my star linebacker run over the umpire with such ease, I would want to know why he didn't play the entire game with the same gusto.

I am an admitted USC fan and I have no problem with how things worked out on the field. In the end, fans have no one to blame but themselves. The radio annoucers on both sides decried the actions of the coaches. They should look in the mirror.