On The Road with Dave

The patient is a 42 year old male Caucasian. He is 5 feet, 9.5 inches tall and weighs 187.5 pounds. He is a heavy smoker, a weekend drinker and although his job requires manual labor; he is otherwise inactive and not involved in any scheduled exercise program.

His diet has consisted of a mainly western diet that involves heavy amounts of red meat, carbohydrates, and regular visits to “fast food” places. Although not severely overweight, lack of abdominal muscles has resulted in a slight paunch.

The patient also complains that although he is told he does not look his age, he is noticing some definite aging in his “looks” and a decline in stamina and energy. A new health regimen is in order.

Today’s In Focus is about health. My health.

A couple of years ago my wife bought a book entitled Shed Ten Years in Ten Weeks by Dr. Julian Whitaker.

Dr Whitaker, a one-time “student” of Dr. Nathan Pritikin, owns the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California. In the book he provides a 10-week Age Loss Program / regimen to regain ten years of your life back through diet, exercise, nutritional supplementation, and skin care. He also covers memory and cognitive function as well as sexual vitality, immune response and proper rest and relaxation.

His supplementation program advises Optimal Daily Allowances rather than Recommended Daily Allowances. Higher doses of some vitamins and minerals and other supplements are advised, yet the doses do not seem to be extreme nor without merit.

Since I already take a multivitamin called Double X from Nutrilite sold through Quixtar; I am used to seeing some dosing of more than 100% of the RDA. So I’m not alarmed by this advice.

His diet regimen might be described as a modified Pritikin diet; less red meat, more vegetables, low fat, more complex carbohydrates.

All in all, I see nothing adverse in giving Dr. Whitaker’s program a try. I’ve looked at The Atkins Diet, and it’s not for me. I’ve tried “shake” diets and although they work, I feel like they are more or less temporary diets and not lifetime-style diets.

The only negative I can find with Dr. Whitaker is that he sells his own supplements at his website. BUT, his book came out prior to the site, and gives full listings and buyer’s guides to other readily available sources. I have found some at Wal-Mart as well as Nutrilite.

So tomorrow, I begin a new program. A program that I hope will help the patient described above. Along with Dr. Whitaker’s diet, I may also experiment with other dishes from The Mediterranean Diet and suggestions from the American Heart Association, until I find a comfortable medium. But I plan to implement the supplementation regimen as well as the exercise program and the other “specialty” remedies he advises.

Remember "TIF" is for me. This is what I’m focusing on, but if you feel like cutting out red meat for one day a week, or scheduling a daily walk or weight–lifting regimen, or limiting your alcohol intake for the sake of your health, then by all means do it. Give it a try and focus on it.

As with all TIF entries, I will try to keep you up to date on my progress, and I welcome all comments and email.

Nothing is more important in life than your health. Not money, not business, not MLM. Do some research on what fits your lifestyle, design a goal that you can achieve, and focus on it till the end. Except with good health, hopefully it won’t end for a long time.

I know that a few that read this blog might have taken notice at that headline; thinking it may have something to do with my involvement with MLM.

But it doesn't.

It does have something to do with my addiction.

My addiction to Marlboro.

And to make matters worse, I haven't smoked my entire life. It's only been six years.

$13,000 is an average of three bucks a pack, two packs a day, every day for 6 years. No, I didn't start out with two packs a day, and sometimes I have smoked three; and I have spent as much as 5 bucks for a pack, but you get the picture. It's a lot of money.

But I like smoking. I really enjoy it. I like a cigarette when I wake up, I like one after I eat, I like to smoke when I go out, I like smoking in the car, and I love to chain smoke when I am at the computer.

But, I want to pursue a career as a comic ventriloquist. Ventriloquism is a lot like singing. Ventriloquists rarely interrupt their act with coughing. Ventriloquists are known for vocal effects, those require long sustained breaths.

However smokers cough...a lot. They also have frequent trouble with deep breathing.

Do you see my dilemma?

Also, to be a successful businessperson, it is usually expected that one practice financial fiscal responsibility. Burning up $200 dollars a month in my ashtray is not an example of that, either.

One of my goals is to quit smoking at the first of the year. The upcoming month of December will be my initial "cut-back" period. During that time I plan on keeping a "smoker’s log'. It’s a detailed account as to when, where and why I light up. After that, I will either use Nicorette gum or a nicotine inhaler, I have not decided yet. My ultimate goal will be to wean myself from those aids in a few months.

I can't and won't attempt "cold turkey", but I welcome emails and comments from ex-smokers and smokers on how they quit, or why they still smoke. I'll consider all advice.

Also, I still plan to "spend" that six bucks a day, at first on the aids, and afterward the money I save from not smoking will be deposited weekly into a savings fund.

There will be follow up entries in the following weeks to keep you apprised of my progress.

"In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place."

-- Mahatma Gandhi

I hope all had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday.

I had my very first deep-fried turkey for the holiday dinner, courtesy of a dinner invitation to my partner and his wife's house. Yep, they ignored the warnings and cautions, and hosted the entire Robison clan for Thanksgiving dinner.

I must say it was a wonderful time with great food and good friends.

And I am definitely hooked on "fried turkey" and plan on buying my very own deep-fat turkey fryer.

I wonder if we sell them through Quixtar, I'll have to check.

And BTW, I'm also interested in experimenting with cooking one of those chickens with a beer can inside. Anybody heard of that?

But now, all the leftovers are pretty much gone, and my thoughts turn to Christmas. How could they not; with all the Christmas movies I have watched this weekend.

It looks like it will be a busy upcoming week for me; and as usual you will have a ringside seat at what's happenning down here in Alabama. Plans are being made for a couple of "on the road" adventures in December. I'll let you know as they happen.

I'm working on the next Tuesday In Focus installment, stay tuned for that.

Have a great weekend!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope today that all of us turn our computers off for a while, set aside business matters, and enjoy the day with our families and friends. Remember to pray and ACT for those in need.

Be thankful for the little things.

Enjoy the day!
Dave

Labels: Thanksgiving

If you have ever read a self-help book in your life, listened to a self-help tape, or watched a financial guru guy on a late night infomercial, then you’ve probably been told about the importance of goals. It seems that everyone always says, “you gotta have a goal or you’ll never be a success.”

The problem is that most people make fanciful and overly ambitious goals, and when they miss the first couple of them; the goals go out the window, and are never heard from again.

I have had a list of goals typed up since I was about 16. True, those first goals were more of the overly ambitious dreams of a teenager, but some of those dreams came true, and inspired me to keep on dreaming about things like performing and writing.

Ok, I know you’re curious. Some of those goals included being Johnny Carson’s replacement and a listing of #1 on The Forbes 400. (and that was when $8 Billion would garner me the position). I even cut out a school picture, and typed up my Forbes biography and pasted it in position in the Forbes 400 issue that I bought. Pretty silly, huh?

But, I still keep a goal list. It has evolved over the years, changed, been improved, but it’s still someplace that I can review it regularly.

And I still check off each item that I achieve.

Of course, it’s no longer silly, because each check by each item means that I am accomplishing my objectives.

This is not an admonition, that YOU should keep a goal list. It’s merely what works for me.

And, what does work for me?

My list is a combination of Goals I Want To Achieve and Things To Do.

It includes Financial Goals, Health Goals, Personal Development Goals, and Career Goals; both long-term
(up to 2013) and short-term(next month).

It is combined with a list of monthly activities that are directly related to the goals.

Each night when I schedule my next day’s activity, the goals are in the back of mind, if not sitting in front of me. This makes my goals a reality, rather than the fanciful dreams of a teenager.

So, I guess you are now curious as to what some of these goals are. Most are private. But, I can tell you a few. Maybe you can remind me later, and ask me how I did, or how I’m doing on these.

NOVEMBER 2004— Write FOCUS Blog Series
Make Supplement schedule
Devote 10 minutes a day to planning and prayer
Practice Ventriloquism Daily
Post in Forums at least 3 Times a Week
Mail Casino Letters
Write daily.

JANUARY 2005—QUIT SMOKING!
Increase accounts by 12
Voice lessons
Subscribe to Home Power magazine
Cap three teeth

MARCH 2005— American Comedy Institute

APRIL—2005 “get me outta the house”Tour

OCTOBER 2005— Sturgis bike rally

2006—Debt Free

Back in August, I had planned a series of articles entitled FOCUS ON. What is it they say about "the best laid plans of mice and men"? For a variety of reasons these articles were never presented.

I've noticed that several bloggers around, institute regular features to their blogs. I have done it from the beginning with my weekly, "Sunday Thoughts".

Now I'm not saying, that this new feature will be a permanent addition to "On The Road with Dave"; but for the next several weeks or more, I am introducing, "Tuesday In Focus".

In a 12 Step Program, TIF could be referred to as "Book-ending" and/or "offering ESH".
(Feel free to ask about those in the "Comments" section, if you don't understand)

TIF; which I'm sure will amuse Quixtar experts, because it's an acronym for a failed Quixtar Motivational Group; will present ideas and plans I'm focusing on and may offer some advice and techniques I'm using in my personal life. Hopefully this TIF won't end up as a failure.

Friday morning I broke my foot. Well, not exactly my foot; two toes, and I bruised my instep pretty bad.

OK, not exactly did "I" break it.

My partner broke it for me.

It was an accident, but he feels really bad about it.

We were working on a porch. We were replacing the wooden railings and handrails on the porch by encasing them in vinyl. Kinda like vinyl siding for fencing, really.

Anyway, we removed the support posts on each corner of the roof of the porch; and replaced them with a temporary support. The posts are 6"X6" wooden posts about 8 feet long. They are pretty heavy. While we were attempting to add some wooden strips to the post, so that a vinyl sleeve would fit around one of them, frustration got the best of my partner and he sort of just dropped the post in disgust.

Did I mention my feet were conveniently underneath the post at the time?

I shook it off for a while, but half way through the day, I took of my shoe, to reveal some pretty purple toes and a swelled foot.

By that time, my partner is trying to get me to go to a hospital, he feels bad that it happened, I feel bad that I have to leave the job site.

But, all is well now. I did not go to the hospital. Broke toes are taped to the unbroken ones, and I'm not paying $300 bucks for an ER visit, so they can do what I have already done.

I have a slight limp, but all in all, the foot feels fine today, and I was back at work.

In show business, they always say "Break a leg" before you go on stage, it's supposed to mean good luck. But I can safely say, that if you just "break a toe"(or two); it's far from good luck. I don't recommend it as a new expression.

As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Over at LiveJournal, There's a guy named Dwighty. Dwighty blogs there. I read it from time to time, thanks to a link provided at The Quixtar Blog.

But Dwighty has another blog on BlogSpot, called IBlogO, (get it? IBO...IBlogO?)

He posts there, but not as frequently as at Live Journal.

Anyway, he announces a change tonight, concerning his Quixtar business. Dwighty is affiliated with a training system, or motivational organization. Most would refer to these training organizations as "tools systems".

Anyway, it seems his affiliated group, Alliance Net is trying to make some changes. Looks like a step in the right direction. Read about it here.

This entry could be described as a rant. Not very well thought out.

The problem is one of ego.

Every since I added a Sitemeter to my blog, I have watched with glee the number of visits to my blog rise. I figure I must be doing something right, because I get regular visitors. So, somebody must be enjoying what I write, or are at least occasionally curious about what I write.

But then I see some other blog's site counters and I notice they have WAY more visitors than I have in the same amount of time. This was at first disturbing to me, because being so egotistical, I naturally defended myself to myself, by saying "this is crazy, I'm a much better writer! How can people not see that?!"

But, I'm calm now. The blogs I normally track; almost all, deal with Multi-Level Marketing, and most, specifically, deal with Quixtar.

Now, I'm no Internet search engine expert, but it seems to me, that if "Quixtar" is one of those words that get searched a lot via Google, etc, then naturally every blog that has an entry about Quixtar, either "for" or "against", in almost every entry they make, then naturally they will appear more frequently in search engine results and they will receive more visits.

I just can't write about that subject that much. I know that Quixtar reps are supposed to be passionate about the business, and they are often accused of being able to talk about little else, but as I like to tell people, I just can not be a typical Quixtar Independent Business Owner. I guess, I take the word "independent" too literal. I like to talk about other stuff as well.

But I do like to read the blogs of people talking about Quixtar. Even the blogs that speak unfavorable of the company. The funny thing is they talk about Quixtar in every entry, with just as much passion and obsession as a Quixtar IBO, except their opinions are reversed. And I still, don't see how they do it.

I just am unable to think about the company everyday, every hour.

Maybe, that will lead to my failure in this business. Or, maybe that will lead people to my business. One of the chief complaints of anti-Quixtar sites is that Quixtar IBOs become consumed by their business to the point they do not see the faults. Maybe, I see both sides and people will recognize that.

But, my blog is my blog, and it will never be 100% about Quixtar. If that cuts down on visits to my site. I can live with that.

Special Thanks to Thomas, for providing me with this article and the site.

Targeting the best prospects

Many entrepreneurs think that selling to the widest possible market is the likeliest path to success. They are afraid to pursue a market niche because they fear they'll lose business by turning away customers. But this 'take all comers' approach is not very effective. It's hard to stand out when you market your business without a distinctive set of prospects in mind.

Occupying a niche means you won't be competing with a lot of similar businesses solely on price. And because you will be selling products and services that are customized to the specific needs and predispositions of a select group of people, you can often charge more. Your products and services serve a market that can't easily find alternatives.

The process starts with market research: analyze your best potential customers, your competitors, your market's predisposition toward your products and services, and your ability to serve these people so well as to make you their vendor of choice.

Market research is like sticking your toe into a lake before jumping in. If you figure out exactly which group of people you want to reach, and what their needs are, you avoid wasting time and money. Once you know, you can alter your product or services to fit the needs of your target market more closely, and you can craft a message that reflects your business and your customer.

Market research does not require expensive consultants, surveys or focus groups-- it can be as simple as asking your best customers the right questions. To determine if a particular niche is right for you, ask yourself these questions:


Do I have an identifiable target population with similar interests and needs?
Is the market large enough to support my business?
Can I tailor my products, services, and business identity to address that market's particular needs?
Is my target market currently underserved?
Can I reach my potential customers in a cost-effective manner?

Your niche will give your marketing efforts a natural, sharp focus. The more you specialize, the more your market will see the value of your services because you speak directly to their unique situation. Assuming your niche is large enough, you can do quite well by becoming a provider of products and services that can't be found anywhere else.

Larry Klein discovered his target market from the inside. A successful financial advisor, he retired from his primary job and became a marketing guru to other financial professionals. He knew they needed marketing help, but as he talked to them and worked with them, he discovered that what they wanted most were ways to reach seniors.

Klein explains, "I'm not 60. So, you don't have to be a member of your ideal marketplace. But if you talk to enough people in that market group, you're going to get it. You have to be awake and aware and be listening for what it is."

All the information you need to target and succeed in an ideal marketplace is out there waiting to be found," says Klein. "You can take the guesswork out of building a business."

Having talked to enough seniors to understand their needs, Klein refined a series of methods for approaching them with investment opportunities. Now he offers seminars and writes articles about these strategies and has defined himself as a specialist in this area. You and I may not have heard of him, but within his targeted sector of the financial planning community, Klein is slightly famous.
----------------------------
If you'd like to use articles or portions of this web site, help yourself. All we ask is that you attribute the material with the following attribution:

"This article was written by Steven Van Yoder, author of Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with Less Effort. Visit Steven's web site for more "slightly" famous marketing strategies at "www.getslightlyfamous.com"

Remember Cliffy from "Cheers?"

Michael Broderick is calling himself a "Cliff Clavin" at his new blog.

I met "Mikey" about a year ago on AOL. Mikey is a Quixtar IBO from Minnesota, dontcha know?

He and I build our Quixtar businesses differently, but I like Mike.

He hunts, he likes racing, and he's no stranger to a men's entertainment club(sorry Mikey, I just had to say that) and he leaves comments at my blog.

He is writing Pluck News now; and I don't really know what the "pluck" Pluck is; but I'm willing to learn.

So give Mikey a chance, and let's see if he's got what it takes to be a blogger.

Busy day today at the handyman biz. Spent the day being a lumberjack. Rented a monster wood chipper capable of grinding up 15 inch logs. Oh Man, it was an awesome
"you'd have to be a man, to understand" kind of day! (My apologies to my female readers)

Nothing like a day of watching big trees fall and then grinding everything up into a small pile of wood chips. And yes, I did wonder about what it would be like to feed other stuff into the chipper, but I resisted the temptation.

Anyway, I must admit that whenever I say the word, "lumberjack" I immediately get the "song" in my head.

So as soon as I got home to make this entry, I looked up the lyrics.

[singing]

BARBER
I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay.
I sleep all night and I work all day.

MOUNTIES:
He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:
I cut down trees. I eat my lunch.
I go to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays I go shoppin'
And have buttered scones for tea.

MOUNTIES:
He cuts down trees. He eats his lunch.
He goes to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays he goes shopping
And has buttered scones for tea.

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:
I cut down trees. I skip and jump.
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women's clothing
And hang around in bars.

MOUNTIES:
He cuts down trees. He skips and jumps.
He likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on women's clothing
And hangs around in bars?!

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:
I cut down trees. I wear high heels,
Suspendies, and a bra.
I wish I'd been a girlie,
Just like my dear Papa

And since, you'll be singing this song for the rest of the night, you might as well visit Monty Python Online while you're humming it.

"One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence."

--Charles Austin Beard (1874-1948)

Dane at Business Opportunities Weblog has referenced an article by Fast Forward magazine in his latest entry.

From the article:

The future is something to get excited about again. Here's our look at the surprising people, ideas, and trends that will change how we work and live in 2005

My last post was 3 days ago, that's a serious blogging infraction. I'll try to redeem myself with this one. But, I have noticed in most of the blogs I read on a daily basis; that their posting frequency has fallen off as of late. A few of the blogs are MLM-related, so I can only speculate that business has been so good, that my fellow bloggers have not had time to post.

Blogging is hard work sometimes, it may be that the bloom has fallen from the rose in their blogging experience. I hope not.

My excuse for not posting in the last few days is simple disorganization. I have been researching resources for various entries I would like to make, but can't seem to put the "right words" to what I want to express. I've drafted several articles, but can't seem to bring myself to hit the "publish" button just yet.

In other news, Dave the Handyman has been busy as a beer distributor at a NASCAR race, part of the week; AND slow as a senior citizen in the right lane on I-65; the rest of the week. It's been feast or famine.

Dave The Quixtar Guy has been visiting various Internet forums talking to people about their perceptions of Quixtar. It's feast or famine there, too. I count myself lucky, that most perceive me as a nice guy trying to build a legitimate business. You can't really ask for more than that.

Dave the Comic is probably "sleeping it off" somewhere; I haven't seen THAT guy in a few weeks, but I know he's around somewhere, 'cause I noticed he's been visting the porn sites on my computer again.

I'll be somewhere tonight drinking a beer(BUT NOT ON THE ROAD) and reflecting on where the week went.

Rest assure, I'll be back.

I would love for everyone that knows me to register with me as a Quixtar Independent Business Owner, but I know that's not going to happen.

During my time on the Internet in the last 3 years, I have talked to hundreds maybe even thousands of people; and some are involved in other MLM companies. Over the years I have found MLM companies that I like and those that I would never be affiliated with. And even though, I chose Quixtar for various reasons, I know good honest, reputable people involved in many other companies.

A few of those people, I would consider being involved with despite their company affiliation.

My philosophy has always been that it's the individual that builds the "brand" of his company, and despite any company affiliation, one can achieve success based on their own brand.

Although I have met some other individuals that I truly like and admire, these are the "brands" that I would feel comfortable recommending to someone if they wanted to be involved in Multi-Level Marketing, but did not want to choose me, or Quixtar.

Reaf Thompson is an actor in California. I met Reaf in an AOL chatroom two years ago. Reaf is all about the retailing of his service. He wants nothing more than to give you better service. Recruiting is second priority for Reaf. Reaf is a Cognigen Agent.

Jani Martin is an avid Sponge-Bob fan, and is an accomplished Blue-Ribbon winner in the Miniature Show Horse arena. She originally targeted the equine industry in her Nikken Wellness Consultant business.

Linda Sikut is a Watkins Dealer. Her personal site offers newsletters and recipes using Watkins products. She offers a community of sorts, that targets anyone that wants to cook better, as well as make some money.

Thomas Taite lives abroad in the UK. I consider Tom my continuing education professor, I "tap" into his Oxford education quite often. A person is attracted to Thomas by his knowledge of the industry, and his low key manner.
Thomas is a Pharmanex representative. His link, however, is to an initiative site by Pharmanex, rather than a regular rep site. Even classier.

I would also recommend the company Shaklee, strictly for it's longstanding position in the industry and its products. But I can't recommend a current distributor, as I do not know any. Do your due diligence in picking a rep for that company.

As an aside, I also purchase one particular product from Royal Body Care, for my own use. But it's not a company I promote in any real fashion.

There are other good MLMers out there, these are just a few. Don't feel offended if I know you and left you out.

As the title of this entry says, I may already be cutting my throat as it is.

Hey Everybody,

2 days ago, thanks to some "unknown", my computer crashed. Everything had to be wiped from the hard drive. I lost a lot of stuff.

Last night, we reloaded the basics again, and re-installed my AOL account. I use 8.0, I don't like 9.0...so until AOL finishes installing the little updates that it does each time I sign off, it appears that I have lost the Blogger WYSIWYG editor temporarily.

With that said, I had planned on posting a entry that would refer people to other MLMers if they were not inclined to feel that Quixtar or myself was worth doing business with.

The post is in draft mode until I can add the little touches provided by the Blogger editor. So look for it, it's coming.

(OFFICIAL BLOG UPDATE)

Problem Solved! Carry On with your regular reading.

"On the other hand...you have different fingers."

-- Stephen Wright, comedian

I'm sure you've seen it. It's one of those things that is passed through email loops of friends. You know, the emails you get that say "fwd" in the header and there's about a hundred different email addresses before you get to the actual email.

Anyway..it's Friday, and I thought it was humorous.

The buzz word in today's business world is MARKETING. People often ask for a simple explanation of "Marketing."

Here it is:

You're a woman and you see a handsome guy at a party. You go up to him and say, "I'm fantastic in bed," That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a handsome guy. One of your friends goes up to him and pointing at you says, "She's fantastic in bed," That's Advertising.

You see a handsome guy at a party. You go up to him and get his telephone number. The next day you call and say "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed," That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a handsome guy. You get up and straighten your dress. You walk up to him and pour him a drink. You say "May I," and reach up to straighten his tie brushing your breast lightly against his arm, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed," That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a handsome guy. He walks up to you and says "I hear you're fantastic in bed," That's Brand Recognition.

You're at a party and see a handsome guy. You talk him into going home with your friend. That's a Sales Rep. Your friend can't satisfy him so she calls you. That's Tech Support.

You're on your way to a party when you realize that there could be handsome men in all these houses you're passing. So you climb onto the roof of one situated toward the center and shout at the top of your lungs, "I'm fantastic in bed!". That's Junk Mail!

The 2004 Presidential Election is over. Our President won. (notice I said OUR) Last week was my attempt at stirring some political activism and at least trying to express that not voting intelligently is the same as not voting. Even though my candidate lost, I still believe that there is enough room in our country for dissenting opinions, opposing votes to incumbents, and as always; healthy debate and activism to effect change at what we are dissatisfied with; be it politics or our place in life,

But now, it's back to Blogging as usual. Not that I won't STILL express my political opinions from time to time, but it won't be so concentrated.

In case you've forgotten, On The Road With Dave is about Multi-level Marketing, occasional entries about my daily life as a partner in a home renovation/handyman business, my continuing education in real estate investment, and my desire to revive my youthful goal of one day becoming a paid comic.

Plus, anything else I happen to write about.

As always, my blog is open to comments, and I'm available through email.

So let's get back to business!

The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebble to vote.
--Ambassador Kosh
Source: a character on the television show "Babylon 5"

That's right..at approximately 12:30PM CST, I exercised my right to vote.

Now, if all goes well, we will know by early January what the results of my vote were.


Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and heart to this vote.
--Daniel Webster

Tomorrow is Election Day. Whether you are a Compassionate Conservative, Moderate, Independent, Libertarian, Green, a Right-Wing Extremist, a member of the Moral Majority, Silent Majority, Democrat, Republican, or Left-Wing Whacko; it is my sincere wish that you will exercise your right and privilege to cast your vote for your favorite candidate tomorrow, not only for President, but that you also cast informed votes that affect you in your local community as well.

With that said, I may be breaking with some "blogging tradition" that says I must remain balanced and fair and neutral and not endorse a candidate, but I shall do it anyway.

I believe blogging is the right of an author to express his opinions on any subject he chooses. The reading audience has the right to respond, agree or disagree. I am not a journalist, although my formal training is in journalism.

I thought about how I might approach this endorsement for the last week. What words would I say and how I would convey my thoughts. After all, this endorsement is simply "one man's opinion".

I was sent a copy of another man's opinion; a journalist himself, and decided that his endorsement rang true for me on many points, plus his opinion was one that might ring true with some of my readers as well. I might add, that he is not a proponent of my political beliefs in most situations, as he is a Republican on most issues.

So, following my official statement, his article will be re-printed in it's entirety.

"On The Road With Dave" would like to announce that after great thought and deliberation, it is proud to announce that November 2, 2004, I will be casting my vote for the Gentleman from Massachusetts;
Senator John Kerry.

Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dick Feagler
Giving Bush the boot is the only option


Wednesday, October 27, 2004

I'll vote for John Kerry next Tuesday.

My reason is simple: I think we have to fire George W. Bush.

Bush has been a terrible CEO. And when you have a terrible CEO running a company or a country, you get rid of him.

It's called damage control. First, you stop the damage. Then you figure out a way to repair it.

John Kerry may not be the perfect repairman. Like me, a lot of the people who vote for him will not be casting pro-Kerry votes. They'll be casting anti-Bush votes.

If Kerry, a largely unknown quantity, fails in his stewardship of the country, he'll be fired, too. We'll just keep trying until we put the right man at the helm.

George W. Bush is the wrong man. He not only shouldn't be at the helm; he shouldn't even be in the wheelhouse.
In the four years that he has been in office, he has:

~Sent us off on an ill-advised and ill-planned war.

~Used as justification for his adventure the idea that we were somehow under threat from Iraq, which we were not.

~Reduced our credibility around the world by undertaking a pre-emptive strike which, understandably, makes many nations cringe.

~Invented new reasons for his actions when the old ones proved bogus.

~Declared, either from duplicity or stupidity, "Mission Accomplished" at a time when the "mission" had hardly begun.

~Failed to explain what the "mission" is, other than to say it's a war against terror - a war he has never really defined.

~Allowed his cronies who talked him into this misadventure to remain unscathed while bungling a bad war with their lack of planning.

It's time to fire him. If he goes, his cronies go with him.

Will Kerry do better? I don't know.

He will have to take office playing the hand that Bush left him. That's like starting a drive deep in your own end zone. If he gets us back to midfield, it will be an accomplishment.

On the domestic front, Bush, who talked four years ago about uniting our country, has managed to divide it in ways unprecedented in my lifetime. And my lifetime includes Vietnam.

Preaching the notion that tax cuts will allow us all to grow rich, he has spent our money fraudulently in war and in peace and left generations of our kids with an IOU that they can't hope to repay.

He has not addressed (nor, in fairness, has his opponent) the major domestic issues of health care or Social Security in any meaningful way. And these are issues that must be addressed - eventually - by somebody. Maybe Kerry won't tackle them, either. If he doesn't, he ought to be fired, too. The way I'm hoping George W. Bush is fired next Tuesday.

When I began writing columns harshly critical of Bush, a lot of you were astonished, then dismayed, then angered. The rap on me was that I had suddenly gone soft in the head. What had changed me, many wanted to know. And my answer was always the same: One man turned me against George W. Bush. And that was George W. Bush.

When somebody says that, he's called a "Bush-hater." I don't hate Bush. I'm 66 years old, and what happens over a lifespan is the hatred hormone dries up.

I've got enough left to hate the people who brought down the towers. Or to hate the scum who saw the heads off the innocent and then sell their videos to TV. Those are the guys I hate, not Bush.

I'm not a pacifist, I'm not a commie, I'm not a tree-hugger - hell, I'm not even a Democrat. I'm just an American.

I remember, when I was about 6 years old, wondering how it happened that I was an American kid. As opposed to, say, a French kid or an Italian kid. We're all accidents of birth. Rich or poor, gay or straight, black, white or brown. A roll of the dice and you could be a different person in a different place.

America, though, is really only a concept. When you hear them talk about the American Dream, they're right. We've been lucky. We've had great dreamers to lead us, and some of their dreams have actually come true.

George W. Bush has dreams, too. But they seem to be fantasy and illusion. He took one of our greatest tragedies, when everybody was united behind him, and turned it into a situation of bitter division.

The only reason this election is going to be so painfully close in the middle of a war is testimony to the failure of George W. Bush's leadership.

I'm voting for Kerry next Tuesday. It just ain't possible he can do worse.

Contact Dick Feagler at:
dfeagler@plaind.com





The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear.
--John F. Kennedy