Shed Negative Thoughts

Sometimes we're tempted to see others in a negative light. We think of them as lazy, selfish, overweight, too skinny, too talkative or too quiet. As soon as you have a thought like this strike it from your mind immediately. Thoughts like these can bring nothing but bad results into your life. You are what you think. Remember the old saying, "if you can't say tomething nice about someone, don't say anything." Here's an extension of that rule. "If you can't think something nice about someone don't think anything at all." Often I hear people discussing their latest illness or surgery as if it's an old friend. Resist the temptation to talk about sickness. Hold in your mind thoughts of good health and don't fall victim to talk of "flu season" or some newly titled disease for which a new drug has just been approved.

Send Those Jobs Away

I just found out the United States levies no tax on U.S. firms overseas earnings s long as those profits remain overseas. Let me get this straight, our government encourages U.S. companies to hire cheap labor overseas by not taxing them for doing it and we wonder why so many Americans are out of work.

On top of that the IRS allows companies that move factories abroad to deduct from their taxable income the cost of closing down U.S. factories.

Last fall Democrats in the Senate attemped to close those loopholes and create incentives to repatriate profits and jobs, but pro-business Republicans blocked their proposal. By the way the off shore strategy is working fine for employers and stock holders. In the 3rd quarter of 2010 U.S. corporate profits hit an all time high of $1,659 trillion, despite an unemployment rate of 9 percent. The greed of a few is working to destroy the morale of many.

Foreclosing on Soldiers

Morgan Stanley, the 6th largest U.S. bank by assets and other lenders are being investigated by the justice department for over charging soldiers and foreclosing on their homes without court orders.

Let me get this straight. We send our men and women off to war and then foreclose on their mortgages. You can't make this stuff up.

Seattle Sports Talk

The fun is gone from sports talk radio in Seattle. You either get two guys bragging about how drunk they were in college or a really serious discussion of a .237 hitter making 2 million a year.

The most clever guy on 710 ESPN Seattle Chris Cashman is gone. Was he too funny? Did the humor go over the head of whoever the program director is? Seattle has had it's challenges on the field in recent years and now we've added to it by sucking the imagination and humor out of sports talk shows.

We do have some well prepared, professional men and women on 710 ESPN and KJR and I congratulate them for trying to make their shows informative and interesting. But there's still way too much of a frat boy mentality on the air and frankly it's the lowest and easiest form of humor there is.

Brock and Salk mix serious discussions of sports topics with interviews pretty well. They are obviously well prepared and not afraid to voice an opinion that might be unpopular with their listeners and each other.

Elise Woodward is the only woman in a hosting role on local radio and ranks very high in my book for informative interviews and well founded opinions.

Dave "Softie" Mahler on KJR comes closest to the "east coast" style of talk radio I'm used to. He's passionate, loud, tough on some callers and would work well in other markets around the country.

Kevin Calabro on 710 ESPN should be doing NBA games full time or maybe Mariner broadcasts next season. One of the best play-by-play men in the country should not be wasting his time or mine by doing talk radio.

As for everyone else, I wish them well. Talk radio is not an easy job. If it were easy everyone would be good at it.

My own general talk show on 710 am lasted only nine months in 2005. I refuse to defer the blame for that one. I will never point fingers, especially at the jerks who fired me.

Free Pep Talks

"To whom much is given, much is required." That according to Luke in the Bible. A simple statement meaning if you have some good fortune in your life or a special talent you should willingly offer to share it with others.

I've been fortunate enough to be blessed with the ability to share motivational ideas with groups of people while making them laugh at the same time. I've done this for years and was paid a nice fee for my work. In light of the slow climb out of the recent recession I've decided to offer my 30 minute "Pep Talk" to companies and non profits "free."

Sounds crazy huh. It is but I'm doing it anyway. Is there a catch? Sure but only a slight one. If you group of individuals purchases 50 or more of my book, "Smile in the Mirror" at the event at a discount rate of $10, the "Pep Talk" will be offered t no charge to the company.

Recently some government agencies and onn profits have taken advantage of the deal by either purchasing the books in bulk and giving them as gifts to their employees, splitting the cost with employees or having the employees pay the entire $10 themselves.

Any way you twist it, I believe it's a great deal and I'm happy do offer it to your company during 2011. If you're interested contact my assistant Aryn McCarthy at this email address: airbear333@msn.com.

Elvis' Christmas Visit

When Elvis came out with his only Christmas album in the late 1950s I spent $3 and bought the record. I loved Elvis but my sister wasn't much of a fan back then. As I was playing the Elvis version of "Here Comes Santa Claus," my sister walked past my room. She popped her head into the doorway and said, "how can you play that music at Christmas time, it's awful. You have to remember in those days Johnnie Mathis, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were among the most popular holiday singers. Elvis played and sang rock and roll so the Christmas album wasn't everyone's cup of tea.

The following year my sister went away to college and as a joke one day in early December I called her and as soon as she answered I turned up, ""Here Comes Santa Claus," full blast. It made her laugh and it made her feel a little closer to home.

The year was 1960 and I've been playing Elvis over the phone to my sister every year since. I haven't missed a single year. She now admits it really isn't Christmas until Elvis visits on Christmas Eve and sings, "Here Comes Santa Claus."

I've got the CD player all cued up for this Friday night. Merry Christmas to all, Elvis fans or not.

What We Must Do to Survive

Neither our society nor our species can sustain itself until every person realizes that the gift of life comes not without some sacrifice and obligation to the well being of all mankind.

A company or business that outsources it's labor oversees for the single minded, selfish benefit on a few stock holders at the expense of hundreds and perhaps thousands of hard working citizens, erodes the very basis of the founding fathers concept of the American experience.

Some may call it liberalism, some may call it socialism, I choose to call it what it is, the very basic reason for man's existance on earth.

God put us here to glorify him. He gave us each this temporary gift of time in which to use our human resources not to enrich outselves materially but to celebrate all men, care for all of God's creations, the forest, the sea, the air we breathe and every living thing on the face of the earth.

Advice from Harry S Truman

"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."